Conservation Action Now (CAN) Grant Program is sponsored by Oklahoma City Zoo. The Conservation Action Now (CAN) Grant Program funds local conservation projects protecting and restoring wildlife habitat in Oklahoma.

🌍We envision a world where all people take action to conserve wildlife and wild places. 🌏 Across the globe, migratory bird populations are shrinking, and Oklahoma is no exception. Habitat loss, light pollution, and degraded landscapes threaten their survival, making it critical to protect and restore natural habitats for birds in Oklahoma.

Monarch butterfly populations have declined by nearly 90% since the 1990s due to habitat loss, climate change, and pesticide use. Protecting and restoring habitat especially by planting native milkweeds and nectar plants is essential to support monarchs throughout their lifecycle and migration.

Texas horned lizards—often called “horny toads”—were once common throughout Oklahoma but have declined dramatically due to habitat loss, invasive fire ants, pesticide use, and changes in land management. Restoring habitat and supporting wild populations are key to helping this iconic species recover Biodiversity is declining worldwide, including in Oklahoma, mainly due to habitat loss and degradation.

Protecting and restoring natural habitats is critical to ensuring the survival of native birds, butterflies, mammals, and reptiles. The OKC Zoo is committed to reducing waste and inspiring sustainable action by leading through example. From composting food waste to installing solar-powered EV chargers, the Zoo is working to lower emissions, conserve resources, and support a cleaner, more resilient future for Oklahoma.

Asian elephants are an endangered species, with fewer than 40,000 individuals remaining worldwide, threatened primarily by habitat loss and increasing human–elephant conflict. In response to these challenges, the Zoo founded the Sri Lanka Elephant Project (SLEP) Sri Lanka is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. Five non-human primate species live on the island of Sri Lanka, three of which are endemic and found nowhere else.

One of these, the purple-faced langur, is critically endangered and one of the top 25 threatened primates in the world. The Guatemalan beaded lizard is a critically endangered species found only in the dry forests of eastern Guatemala.

With a small and fragmented population, its survival depends on protecting and restoring remaining forest habitat, reducing human persecution, and supporting science-based conservation efforts within its limited native range. African painted dogs are one of Africa’s most endangered carnivores, with fewer than 7,000 individuals remaining in the wild.

Once ranging across most of sub-Saharan Africa, they are now confined to fragmented habitats due to human–wildlife conflict, habitat loss, and infectious diseases such as rabies and canine distemper. Primates are among the most threatened animal groups on the planet, with more than half of all species at risk due to habitat loss, hunting, and the illegal wildlife trade.

These threats are especially severe for great apes, whose survival depends on protecting intact forest habitats. The illegal wildlife trade has become a major threat to cheetahs. An estimated 300 cheetah cubs are taken from the wild annually to be illegally sold as pets.

The trade is driven by demand for exotic pets, mainly in the Middle East, as well as by extreme poverty in the source countries. Conservation Action Now Grant The Oklahoma City Zoo is committed to supporting the conservation of imperiled species, habitats and their surrounding communities by awarding CAN grants to researchers around the world. The 2025 CAN Grant Cycle is Now Open.

Click here to apply . Conservation Action Now Grant Our planet is changing at a perplexing rate. Wild animal populations and healthy habitats are declining rapidly.

The Oklahoma City Zoo is actively supporting and helping to expand the conservation of these imperiled species, habitats and their surrounding communities. One small, but wide-ranging, way to fulfill this mission is through the Zoo’s annual Conservation Action Now (CAN) small grant program. The Zoo awards these competitive small grants each year in amounts up to $2,500 each.

The selected projects span the globe and are based on their proposed ability to address the following conservation ideals: Conservation Education – building an awareness of a conservation program that can effect change. Scientific Research – research projects that have a direct impact on conservation of an imperiled species or habitat in its native location.

Species Preservation – direct care or work with an imperiled species which results in an improved capability to preserve that species in its native habitat. Congratulations and thank you CAN grant awardees! Your passion for, research of and dedication to these endangered species will have a lasting effect on the earth’s wildlife and wild places.

The Zoo is proud to partner with you in these endeavors. Together, we CAN make a difference!

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS (Click Here) 2025 Small Grant Awardees 2024 Small Grant Awardees 2023 Small Grant Awardees 2022 Small Grant Awardees 2021 Small Grant Awardees 2025 Small Grant Awardees Microkayla frogs in Bolivia Organization: University of Florida - Florida Museum of Natural History Species: Microkayla frogs Principal Investigator: Aleida Iriarte Bright-eyed frogs in Madagascar Organization: University of Turin Species: Bright-eyed frogs Principal Investigator: Andrea Canepari Dusky gopher frogs in Mississippi Organization: Memphis Zoo Species: Dusky gopher frog Principal Investigator: Anne Sabol Community amphibian education in Kenya Organization: Flamingo Conservation Network Species: Common reed frog Principal Investigator: Eston Kimaswoch 2024 Small Grant Awardees Narrow-headed softshell turtle in India Organization: India Turtle Conservation Program Species: Narrow Headed Softshell Turtle (Chitra indica) Principal Investigator: Arunima Singh Humpback Whales in Nicaragua Organization: Association ELI-S Species: Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) Principal Investigator: Joëlle De Weerdt Seagrass Meadows in Sri Lanka Organization: Ocean Conservation and Education Alliance Species: Seagrass Meadows Principal Investigator: Chathurika Munasinghe Indian peacock softshell turtle in Nepal Organization: Institute of Forestry Pokhara Campus Species: Indian Peacock Softshell Turtle (Nilssonia hurum) Principal Investigator: Krishika Regmi 2023 Small Grant Awardees Cross River Gorilla in Cameroon Organization: Crusaders for Environmental Protection and Ozone Watch (CEPOW) Species: Cross River Gorilla ( Gorilla gorilla diehli ) Principal Investigator: Fontoh Desmond Abinwi Fontoh Organization: University of Montana and Panthera Costa Rica Species: Oncilla ( Leopardus tigrinus oncilla ) Principal Investigator: Amaia Autor Cortés Organization: Socio Environmental Management Association of Tri â ngulo Minerio Region Species: Jaguar ( Panthera onca ) Principal Investigator: Letícia Benavalli Scarlet Macaw in Costa Rica Organization: Wild Sun Rescue Center Species: Scarlet Macaw ( Ara macao ) Principal Investigator: Jeremy Levine 2022 Small Grant Awardees White-shouldered Ibis in Cambodia Organization: The Angkor Center for Conservation of Biodiversity Species: White-shouldered Ibis (Pseudibis davisoni) Principal Investigator: Phillip Wagner 2021 Small Grant Awardees Organization: National University of Tierra del Fuego Species: Puma ( Puma concolor ) Location: Santa Cruz, Argentina Principal Investigator: Alejandro Valenzuela Organization: Red Panda Network Species: Red Panda ( Ailurus fulgens ) Principal Investigator: Sonam Lama Let's take an adventure .

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