TCF Grants

As one of its main functions, TCF administers a turtle conservation and research grants program.
Awards are granted to organizations or individuals for specific conservation or research projects dealing with
highly endangered tortoises or freshwater turtles, but not marine turtles,
with either partial or full support as funding allows.

From 2003 through 2024
the TCF has awarded a total of US $1.58 million to 371 worthy turtle conservation projects.

For a listing of grants supported since 2003, please click here.

TCF Grant Program

Priority for funding is given to projects that focus on tortoises or freshwater turtles that are already highly threatened according to the IUCN Red List or the TFTSG Provisional Red List, as either Critically Endangered or Endangered, or which may be highly threatened but not yet officially classified as such on the Red List. We do not support work on marine turtles. TCF Awards are approximately in the $1000 to $5000 range per project (with full or partial funding depending on full project costs), and smaller seed grant projects are also encouraged (up to $1000 each) to support pilot conservation initiatives for tortoise and freshwater turtle species that are currently either IUCN Red Listed as Critically Endangered or Endangered (or on the TCF Priority Species list–see below), or species that may become priority species with an increase in the state of knowledge about the status of their populations or the threats they currently face (principally species currently classified on the Red List Data Deficient or not yet assessed [Not Evaluated]).

Award recipients enter into contractual agreement with either Re:wild (formerly Global Wildlife Conservation) or Chelonian Research Foundation to produce the proposed work (these non-profit organizations serve as TCF’s financial umbrella organizations). Award recipients are also encouraged to publish at least partial results of the supported research in the international scientific turtle journal, Chelonian Conservation and Biology, published by Chelonian Research Foundation (www.chelonian.org).

There are two funding cycles annually. Total disbursement has averaged between $20,000 to $50,000 per funding cycle, or $40,000 to $100,000 per year to date.

Since our first funding cycle in 2003 through June 2022 we have awarded US $1.58 million to 371 deserving turtle conservation projects.

Grant Application Deadlines: June 1 and December 1.
For detailed information and instructions on the Grant Application process, please click here.

For a listing of grants supported since 2003, please click here.

TCF Priority Species

Turtle Conservation Fund
Priority Species List
(April 2024)

Most Priority Species and subspecies listed here have been assessed as Critically Endangered (CR) by either the IUCN Red List or provisionally CR by the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (TFTSG). A few are assessed as Endangered (EN).

Additionally, several species are considered Data Deficient (DD) by either the IUCN Red List or the TFTSG provisional list, indicating their population status is unknown due to a lack of information (see the Appendix at the end of this document). In order to gain a better understanding of their status, proposals regarding these are also solicited.

Importantly, any other species not currently listed here can be considered for TCF funding, as long as a convincing rationale for support is provided.

Chelidae

Acanthochelys pallidipectoris (Chaco Side-necked Turtle) – Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay

Chelodina kuchlingi (Kuchling’s Snake-necked Turtle) – Australia

Chelodina mccordi mccordi (Roti Island Snake-necked Turtle) – Indonesia

Chelodina mccordi timorensis (Timor Snake-necked Turtle) – Timor-Leste

Elusor macrurus (Mary River Turtle) – Australia

Mesoclemmys dahli (Dahl’s Toad-headed Turtle) – Colombia

Mesoclemmys zuliae (Zulia Toad-headed Turtle) – Venezuela

Myuchelys georgesi (Bellinger River Sawshelled Turtle) – Australia

Pseudemydura umbrina (Western Swamp Turtle) – Australia

Ranacephala hogei (Hoge’s Side-necked Turtle) – Brazil

Pelomedusidae

Pelomedusa barbata (Arabian Helmeted Turtle) – Saudi Arabia, Yemen

Pelusios broadleyi (Turkana Mud Turtle) – Ethiopia, Kenya

Podocnemididae

Erymnochelys madagascariensis (Madagascan Big-headed Turtle) – Madagascar

Podocnemis expansa (Giant South American River Turtle) – Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Venezuela

Podocnemis lewyana (Magdalena River Turtle) – Colombia

Podocnemis sextuberculata (Six-tubercled Amazon River Turtle) – Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Peru

Dermatemydidae

Dermatemys mawii (Central American River Turtle) – Belize, Guatemala, Mexico

Kinosternidae

Claudius angustatus (Narrow-bridged Musk Turtle) – Belize, Guatemala, Mexico

Kinosternon angustipons (Narrrow-bridged Mud Turtle) – Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama

Kinoaternon cora (Cora Mud Turtle) – Mexico

Kinosternon dunni (Dunn’s Mud Turtle) – Colombia

Kinosternon hirtipes chapalaense (Lake Chapala Mud Turtle) – Mexico

Kinosternon hirtipes hirtipes (Valley of Mexico Mud Turtle) – Mexico

Kinosternon hirtipes magdalense (San Juanico Mud Turtle) – Mexico

Kinosternon sonoriense longifemorale (Sonoyta Mud Turtle) – Mexico, USA

Kinosternon vogti (Vallarta Mud Turtle) – Mexico

Staurotypus salvinii (Pacific Coast Giant Musk Turtle) – El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico

Sternotherus depressus (Flattened Musk Turtle) – USA

Emydidae

Emys orbicularis eiselti (Eiselt’s Pond Turtle) – Syria, Turkey

Glyptemys muhlenbergii (Bog Turtle) – USA

Terrapene coahuila (Coahuilan Box Turtle) – Mexico

Terrapene (carolina) yucatana (Yucatan Box Turtle) – Mexico

Trachemys taylori (Cuatro Cienegas Slider) – Mexico

Geoemydidae

Batagur affinis (Southern River Terrapin) – Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand

Batagur baska (Northern River Terrapin) – Bangladesh, India, Myanmar

Batagur borneoensis (Painted Terrapin) – Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand

Batagur dhongoka (Three-striped Roofed Turtle) – Bangladesh, India, Nepal

Batagur kachuga (Red-crowned Roofed Turtle) – Bangladesh, India, Nepal

Batagur trivittata (Burmese Roofed Turtle) – Myanmar

Cuora aurocapitata (Yellow-headed Box Turtle) – China

Cuora bourreti (Bourret’s Box Turtle) – Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam

Cuora cyclornata (Vietnamese Three-striped Box Turtle) – Laos, Vietnam

Cuora flavomarginata (Yellow-margined Box Turtle) – China, Japan, Taiwan

Cuora galbinifrons (Indochinese Box Turtle) – China, Laos, Vietnam

Cuora mccordi (McCord’s Box Turtle) – China

Cuora mouhotii (Keeled Box Turtle) – China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam

Cuora pani (Pan’s Box Turtle) – China

Cuora picturata (Southern Vietnam Box Turtle) – Vietnam

Cuora trifasciata (Chinese Three-striped Box Turtle) – China, Laos, Vietnam

Cuora yunnanensis (Yunnan Box Turtle) – China

Cuora zhoui (Zhou’s Box Turtle) – China, Vietnam

Hardella thurjii (Crowned River Turtle) – Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan

Heosemys annandalii (Yellow-headed Temple Turtle) – Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam

Heosemys depressa (Arakan Forest Turtle) – Myanmar

Leucocephalon yuwonoi (Sulawesi Forest Turtle) – Indonesia

Mauremys annamensis (Annam Pond Turtle) – Vietnam

Mauremys mutica (Yellow Pond Turtle) – China, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam

Mauremys nigricans (Red-necked Pond Turtle) – China, Vietnam

Melanochelys tricarinata (Tricarinate Hill Turtle) – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal

Orlitia borneensis (Malaysian Giant Turtle) – Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia

Sacalia bealei (Beal’s Eyed Turtle) – China, Hong Kong

Siebenrockiella leytensis (Philippine Forest Turtle) – Philippines

Vijayachelys silvatica (Cochin Forest Cane Turtle) – India

Platysternidae

Platysternon m. megacephalum (Chinese Big-headed Turtle) –China, Vietnam

Platysternon m. peguense (Southeast Asian Big-headed Turtle) – Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam

Testudinidae

Astrochelys radiata (Radiated Tortoise) – Madagascar

Astrochelys yniphora (Ploughshare Tortoise) – Madagascar

Centrochelys sulcata (African Spurred Tortoise) – Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Eritera, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Sudan, Sudan

Chelonoidis niger chathamensis (San Cristobal Giant Tortoise) – Ecuador (Galápagos)

Chelonoidis niger darwini (Santiago Giant Tortoise) – Ecuador (Galapagos)

Chelonoidis niger donfaustoi (Eastern Santa Cruz Giant Tortoise) – Ecuador (Galápagos)

Chelonoidis niger hoodensis (Española Giant Tortoise) – Ecuador (Galápagos)

Chelonoidis niger phantasticus (Fernandina Giant Tortoise) – Ecuador (Galápagos)

Chelonoidis niger porteri (Western Santa Cruz Giant Tortoise) – Ecuador (Galápagos)

Chersobius boulengeri (Karoo Dwarf Tortoise) – South Africa

Chersobius signatus (Speckled Dwarf Tortoise) – South Africa

Chersobius solus (Nama Tortoise) – Namibia

Geochelone platynota (Burmese Star Tortoise) – Myanmar

Gopherus flavomarginatus (Bolson Tortoise) – Mexico

Indotestudo elongata (Elongated Tortoise) – Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam

Indotestudo forstenii (Sulawesi Tortoise) – Indonesia (Sulawesi)

Indotestudo travancorica (Travancore Tortoise) – India

Kinixys erosa (Forest Hinge-back Tortoise) – Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo (DRC), Congo (ROC), Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire), Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Togo, Uganda

Kinixys homeana (Home’s Hinge-back Tortoise) – Benin, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Togo

Malacochersus tornieri (Pancake Tortoise) – Kenya, Tanzania

Manouria emys (Asian Giant Tortoise) – Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand

Psammobates geometricus (Geometric Tortoise) – South Africa

Psammobates tentorius trimeni (Western Tent Tortoise) – Namibia, South Africa

Pyxis arachnoides (Spider Tortoise) – Madagascar

Pyxis planicauda (Flat-tailed Tortoise) – Madagascar

Testudo kleinmanni (Egyptian Tortoise) – Egypt, Israel, Libya

Carettochelyidae

Carettochelys insculpta (Pig-nosed Turtle) – Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea

Trionychidae

Apalone spinifera atra (Cuatro Cienegas Softshell Turtle) – Mexico

Chitra chitra (Asian Narrow-headed Softshell Turtle) – Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand

Chitra indica (Indian Narrow-headed Softshell Turtle) – Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan

Chitra vandijki (Burmese Narrow-headed Softshell Turtle) – Myanmar, Thailand

Cyclanorbis elegans (Nubian Flapshell Turtle) – Chad, Ghana, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo

Nilssonia formosa (Burmese Peacock Softshell Turtle) – China, Myanmar

Nilssonia leithii (Leith’s Softshell Turtle) – India

Nilssonia nigricans (Black Softshell Turtle) – Bangladesh, India

Palea steindachneri (Waddle-necked Softshell Turtle) – China, Laos, Vietnam

Pelochelys cantori (Asian Giant Softshell Turtle) – Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam

Pelodiscus parviformis (Lesser Chinese Softshell Turtle) – China

Rafetus euphraticus (Euphrates Softshell Turtle) – Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey

Rafetus swinhoei (Red River Giant Softshell Turtle) – China, Vietnam

The TCF notes that Gopherus agassizii (Mojave Desert Tortoise – USA) is assessed as Critically Endangered; however, the TCF is unlikely to fund applications for this species, and instead recommends that prospective applicants for projects concerning this species investigate potential grants available from the Desert Tortoise Council (http://deserttortoise.org) and other sources.

Appendix

Species assessed as Data Deficient (DD) by the IUCN Red List or provisionally by the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group or in need of updated conservation status assessment

Chelidae

Acanthochelys radiolata (Brazilian Radiolated Swamp Turtle) – Brazil

Chelodina gunaleni (Gunalen’s Snake-necked Turtle) – Indonesia

Chelodina reimanni (Reimann’s Snake-necked Turtle) – Indonesia, Papua New Guinea

Elseya lavarackorum (Riversleigh Snapping Turtle) – Australia

Mesoclemmys nasuta (Guyanan Toad-headed Turtle) – Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname

Mesoclemmys perplexa (Cerrado Side-necked Turtle) – Brazil

Mesoclemmys raniceps (Amazon Tosd-headed Turtle) – Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

Mesoclemmys tuberculata (Tuberculate Toad-headed Turtle) – Brazil

Mesoclemmys wermuthi (Wermuth’s Toad-headed Turtle) – Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Peru

Pelomedusidae

Pelomedusa gehafie (Eritrean Helmeted Turtle) – Eritrea, Sudan

Pelomedusa kobe (Tanzanian Helmeted Turtle) –Tanzania

Pelomedusa neumanni (Neumann’s Helmeted Turtle) – Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania

Pelomedusa somalica (Somalian Helmeted Turtle) – Ethiopia, Somalia

Pelomedusa subrufa (Helmeted Turtle) – Angola, Botswana, Congo (DRC), Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Pelomedusa variabilis (West African Helmeted Turtle) – Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast

Pelusios marani (Gabon Mud Turtle) – Congo (ROC), Gabon

Pelusios nanus (African Dwarf Mud Turtle) – Angola, Congo (DRC), Zambia

Pelusios upembae (Upemba Mud Turtle) – Congo (DRC)

Emydidae

Emys trinacris (Sicilian Pond Turtle) – Italy

Terrapene nelsoni (Spotted Box Turtle) – Mexico

Trachemys grayi (Western Meso-American Slider) – Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama

Trachemys nebulosa (Baja California Slider) – Mexico

Trachemys stejnegeri malonei (Inagua Slider) – Bahamas

Trachemys venusta (Eastern Meso-American Slider) – Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama

Geoemydidae

Cuora flavomarginata evelynae (Ryukyu Yellow-margined Box Turtle) – Japan (Ryukyu Archipelago)

Mauremys mutica kami (Ryukyu Yellow Pond Turtle) – Japan (Ryukyu Archipelago)

Rhinoclemmys annulata (Brown Wood Turtle) – Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama

Testudinidae

Kinixys zombensis domerguei (Madagascan Hinge-back Tortoise) – Madagascar

Trionychidae

Pelodiscus axenaria (Hunan Softshell Turtle) – China

Pelodiscus huangshanesis (Huangshan Softshell Turtle) – China

Pelodiscus maackii (Northern Chinese Softshell Turtle) – China, North Korea, Russia, Japan, South Korea

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(Revised April 2024)