Conservation International     ::         Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group     ::         Turtle Conservation Fund     ::         Behler Chelonian Center     

CRF Linnaeus Fund

Annual Turtle Research Awards

Chelonian Research Foundation, established as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) foundation in 1992, administers a turtle research endowment named the Linnaeus Fund for which it invites the submission of research proposals for its Annual Turtle Research Awards. Named after Carolus Linnaeus [1707–1778], the Swedish creator of binomial nomenclature, the fund honors the first turtle taxonomist and father of all modern systematics. Linnaeus Fund awards are granted annually to individuals for specific turtle research projects, with either partial or full support as funding allows.

Funding availability at this time is primarily for projects concerning freshwater turtles or tortoises, with marine turtle research proposals being considered only if they concern systematics. Priority is given to projects that demonstrate potential relevance to the scientific basis and understanding of chelonian diversity and conservation biology. Priority tends to be given to the following general research areas: taxonomy and systematic relationships, conservation, distribution and zoogeography, ecology, natural history, and morphology, but other topics are also considered. Award recipients enter into a contractual agreement with Chelonian Research Foundation to produce the supported work, and agree to publish at least partial or summarized results of the supported research in one of our CRF publications, either the international scientific turtle journal, Chelonian Conservation and Biology, or Turtle and Tortoise Newsletter.

Awards at the present time are approximately in the $1000 to $2000 range per project. Over the last 16 years (1992-2007) we have provided over $125,000 in support for 108 projects.

Review a listing of previously funded grant awards HERE.


Grant Application Guidelines

Submit applications in formal grant proposal format with the following required sections:

  1. Title Page with full contact details, including mail and e-mail address of all investigators
  2. Short Summary of the overall project objective and requested funding
  3. Background and research or conservation rationale
  4. Specific methodology
  5. Project deliverables anticipated
  6. Total project expenses
  7. Funding requested from CRF
  8. Funding available or requested from other organizations
  9. General timetable
  10. Literature cited
  11. Curriculum Vitae for principal investigators.

The proposal itself must be no longer than 10 pages long (shorter is better) and c.v.’s must be no longer than 3 pages per individual. All type must be of good readable size, no smaller than 12-point font.

Awards are granted through an internal review process carried out by the Director and Scientific Advisory Board of CRF, which includes: Anders G.J. Rhodin, Russell A. Mittermeier, Peter C.H. Pritchard, Kurt A. Buhlmann, Jeanette Wyneken, Peter Paul van Dijk, and Thomas E.J. Leuteritz.

Annual Application Deadline:  November 15
Annual Award Determination:  Approximately February 1 (but occasionally as late as mid-March)

Submit proposals electronically via e-mail to:

Anders G.J. Rhodin
(mailed paper copies are not necessary)

Contact Information:

Anders G.J. Rhodin
Director, Chelonian Research Foundation
168 Goodrich Street
Lunenburg, MA 01462 USA

Phone: 978-582-9668 - Fax: 978-582-6279
E-mail: Anders Rhodin
Web Site: www.chelonian.org