Thank you for your interest in the conservation of cichlids and the Paul V. Loiselle Conservation Fund of the American Cichlid Association. Applications are solicited annually for grants from the ACA Loiselle Conservation Fund with a closing date of April 30 each year. The purpose of the Fund is to award financial support to activities deemed worthy of assistance such as, but not limited to:
- research that facilitates the design and/or implementation of effective conservation programs for species at risk,
- programs intended to preserve the integrity of cichlid habitats,
- programs intended to restore cichlid species to the historic habitat from which they have been extirpated, at a date when the habitat of origin is determined suitable for their survival,
- programs that seek to build the capacity of institutions within the country of origin to effect the conservation of cichlid species at risk; and programs that assist in the design and/or implementation of long-term management programs outside the country of origin for captive populations of cichlid species at risk.
Grant Application Submission Guidelines
Cover letter
The Cover Letter will include your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, the title of your proposal, and a brief narrative imparting how the proposal will facilitate the conservation of cichlids at risk, or the natural habitat of cichlids at risk, as described in the purpose of the ACA Loiselle Conservation Fund above.
Proposal
The Proposal will include an informative title and consist of no more than five pages that are double-spaced with one-inch margins and 12 point font.
Introduction
The Introduction will clearly state the objectives and explain the significance of the anticipated findings.
Methods
The Methods sections should be brief but sufficiently detailed to assess the reality of the project in relation to the stated objectives.
Literature Cited
Append a separate section for Literature Cited.
Budget
Provide a detailed Budget, listing the items in order of priority if possible. Awards may be granted in a sum that is less than the requested amount. If this is the case, your prioritized list will be helpful in fund allotment. Justify the budget items in a separate short segment. Information with regards to any and all other financial support available or anticipated for this and related research is also required.
Curriculum Vitae
Enclose a Curriculum Vitae, not to exceed one page, single spaced, and include again your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address. List separately any personal publications within the last five years.
Submissions
Please email the application no later than April 30 to the Chair, Paul V. Loiselle.
Announcement of Awards
Awards are announced at the American Cichlid Association’s National Convention. The convention is usually held in mid to late summer, and the money is dispatched soon thereafter to the selected applicants. Individual grants are typically in the range of $600 to $1,500, depending on the amount available each year and the number and quality of the applicants.
Reciprocal Expectations
Upon initial receipt of awards, all ACA Loiselle Conservation Fund recipients will be asked to submit a brief summary of their anticipated research along with a few photos to be published as an introduction to ACA members in Buntbarsche Bulletin (the journal of the American Cichlid Association).
Once their work is complete, recipients will publish a popular account of their findings in Buntbarsche Bulletin along with photos in the lab and/or out in the field.
The recipient agrees to acknowledge support from the ACA Paul V. Loiselle Conservation Fund in any publication resulting from the support.
Contact Information
Should you have any questions regarding the Fund or grant application procedure, please do not hesitate to contact the Chair, Paul V. Loiselle.
Projects funded by the Paul V. Loiselle Conservation Fund
2015
Topic: Collection of founders of two critically endangered Malagasy cichlids, Paretroplus maculatus and Ptychochromoides itasy.
Amount: $3,000.
Recipient: Guy Tam Hyok.
2013
Topic: Cichlid Classroom Conservation Education in Costa Rica.
Amount: $2,900.
Recipient: Ronald M. Coleman.
Topic: Sequencing the Genome of Haplochromis sp. ‘juma hunter’.
Amount: $1,416.
Recipient: Matthew McGee.
2012
Topic: Fish Inventory of the Mananara Du Sud Basin in Southeastern Madagascar.
Amount: $5,413.
Recipient: Tsilavana Ravelomanana.
2010
Topic: Resource partitioning among sympatric Crenicichla.
Amount: $1,400.
Recipient: Edward Buress, at the time an M.S. candidate at Appalachian State University.
2009
Topic: The Effects of Exotic Armored Catfish on Native Cichlid Habitat, Quality, and Abundance.
Amount: $1,225.
Recipient: Krista Capps, at the time a Ph.D. candidate at Cornell University.
Topic (Initial): Spread of an Invasive Cichlid in a Desert Spring System.
New Topic: Due to challenges with research changed topic in 2013.
Amount: $1,289.
Recipient: Laura Dugan, at the time a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Texas.
2008
Topic: Evolutionary Ecology of Cichlid Assemblages in a Neotropical Blackwater River in Venezuela.
Amount: $1,000.
Recipient: Carmen Montaña, at the time an MS candidate from Texas A & M University.
2007 – First Grant
Topic: Evolutionary Ecology of Cichlid Assemblages in the Usumacinta Region, México.
Recipient: Allison Peace, Texas A&M University.
