The 2026 EMA Small Grant Program will focus on field-based elephant conservation projects in Africa and Asia. The EMA Board of Directors will award two grants for $3,000 each. This opportunity is open to anyone including keepers, conservationists, and researchers. While all proposals that further the mission of EMA will be accepted, higher priority will be given to proposals that: provide education and community outreach, provide capacity-building in local communities, and/or improve captive elephant management and welfare.

Furthermore, the following funding and impact statements will be considered in prioritizing the proposals:

EMA funding will support a new or unique project, or seed money for a new part of an existing project.
Outcomes of the project can be transferred to other situations (wild and/or captive elephants) impacting a large number of elephants, people, projects, etc.
Click here to download the application form. The form contains the complete instructions.

The deadline for the grant application is April 18, 2026 at 11:59pm EST, and proposals can be submitted to grants@elephantmanagers.com. Grant recipients will be announced in August 2026.

Questions should be sent to April Yoder at grants@elephantmanagers.com.