**NEWS RELEASE**

WCS-Managed Grant Program To Fund Wildlife Adaptations for Climate Change

Climate Adaptation Fund Will Provide up to $2.5 million for conservation projects in and around urban centers as well as less developed landscapes

Participants must apply for grants by April 8, 2016

New York (March 31, 2016) –  A grant program managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society is exploring new methods for helping wildlife in the United States to adapt to rapidly shifting environmental conditions brought about by climate change.

WCS is calling for project proposals for grants provided through the Climate Adaptation Fund, a program started in 2011 and made possible by a gift from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. This year’s round of grantmaking will extend the range of potential grants to include applications for wildlife and ecosystem adaptation projects located in and around urban centers.

“The Climate Adaptation Fund’s additional focus on supporting biodiversity-focused climate adaptation projects in and around urban locations will complement the Fund’s existing emphasis on less developed areas and the wildlife they support,” said Darren Long, Program Director for the Climate Adaptation Fund.

The Climate Adaptation Fund fills a specific niche in the realm of conservation support structures by earmarking resources specifically for projects that develop and implement land and water management designed to enable wildlife and ecosystems to adapt to climate change.

Specifically, the Fund will be used to support projects that focus on managing for dynamic ecological processes, improving the functionality of ecosystems, as opposed to simply conserving historic conditions for landscapes and individual species. Applicants must incorporate climate adaptation science into their proposals and use strategic communications to increase the conservation impact of their results.

The WCS Climate Adaptation Fund will award up to $2.5 million in grants in 2016. The winning grant recipients will be non-profit conservation groups implementing on-the-ground field projects designed to initiate conservation actions for climate adaptation in landscapes across the United States.

Applicants can read the Request for Proposals, Applicant Guidance Document, and complete a Pre-proposal application using our online form no later than 5 p.m. E.D.T. on Friday, April 8, 2016.

http://wcsclimateadaptationfund.org/program-information

For more information on projects previous supported by the WCS Climate Adaptation Fund, videos, and detailed descriptions visit our web site:

http://wcsclimateadaptationfund.org

WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society)

MISSION: WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. To achieve our mission, WCS, based at the Bronx Zoo, harnesses the power of its Global Conservation Program in nearly 60 nations and in all the world’s oceans and its five wildlife parks in New York City, visited by 4 million people annually. WCS combines its expertise in the field, zoos, and aquarium to achieve its conservation mission. Visit: newsroom.wcs.org Follow: @WCSNewsroom. For more information: 347-840-1242.