Invest in the Next Generation of Conservation
At 14, I found conservation through the Katie Adamson Conservation Fund.
Nearly a decade later, that experience has shaped the person I am, the work I do, and the career I want to build.
Now, I'm asking six people to help me take the next step — and use that opportunity to create more capacity for conservation along the way.
Six sponsors. Six months of the Women in Conservation Fellowship.
A $1,000 sponsorship funds approximately one month of my part-time fellowship with KACF. Six sponsors can make this opportunity possible.
If a full sponsorship isn’t the right fit, support at any level is genuinely appreciated and helps make this opportunity possible.
Learn more or start sponsoring below!
My Growth with Katie Adamson Conservation Fund
This story started when I was 14.
I first met Dave Johnson, co-founder and director of KACF, at a presentation when I was part of a zoo teen internship program. I went in thinking I wanted to become a zoo veterinarian. Five minutes into his presentation, I was tearing up. Something about KACF’s mission clicked, and I knew I wanted to be involved.
Nearly a decade later, KACF has taken me around the world, introduced me to people doing conservation firsthand, and given me opportunities I never could have imagined.
What I love most about KACF is its belief that conservation should be accessible to everyone. You don’t have to be a scientist, work at a zoo, or have years of field experience to care about wildlife or contribute to its protection. KACF gives people the opportunity to learn, participate, and find their own place in conservation.
KACF gave me that opportunity. Now, I want to help create it for others.
2017-Age 14
First time meeting Dave at a zoo presentation.
2019-Teen Years
My first KACF conservation trip to Costa Rica at 16!
![IMG_0200[1].heic](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7b465b_ec4eb4293def473889388c896ac314db~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_283,h_319,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/IMG_0200%5B1%5D_heic.png)
2023
Dave, Madi, and Dani in Tanzania working alongside local partners on elephant and community conservation.
![IMG_3718[1]_edited.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7b465b_d46483f4bea74053a3791e049cc0ac4c~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_283,h_319,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/IMG_3718%5B1%5D_edited.jpg)
2026
My first time leading a team on a conservation trip to Nepal!
I've spent years participating in conservation.
Now I want to help turn conservation ideas into action.
What Your Support Makes Possible
Each $1,000 sponsorship helps fund approximately one month of my part-time work with KACF. This six-month fellowship is an opportunity to launch the next chapter of my conservation career while creating additional capacity for an organization with big impact and ambitions.
$1,000 → 40 hours monthly → conservation capacity
Those 40 hours give KACF extra dedicated capacity to move projects forward, build relationships, pursue funding, and create more ways for people to participate in conservation.
My role in the fellowship will focus on:
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BUILDING PROJECTS
Turn conservation ideas into fundable, actionable projects.
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DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS
Collaborate with researchers, conservation organizations, zoos, and new connections.
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FINDING FUNDING
Research grants, build funding pipelines, and develop fundraising opportunities.
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STRENGTHENING KACF
Strengthen the systems that support projects, volunteers, trips, partners, and donors.
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GROWING THE COMMUNITY
Create more pathways for people to become participants, fundraisers, donors, and future trip leaders.
Coloring local wildlife with students in Bardia, Nepal 2023.
If you sponsor this work, I'll bring you along
Behind the scenes
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Three personal updates throughout the fellowship so you can see what your support makes possible and hear how I am learning and growing through the role.
At the end
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A detailed report sharing what was accomplished, what I learned, and where the work goes next.
Beyond the fellowship
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I'll be your point of contact for getting connected with KACF and finding ways for you to participate.
Get to Know Me More!
Quick Facts
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8 years with KACF
From trip participant to expedition leader. -
10+ years in conservation
Experience spanning zoos, nonprofits, field projects, and conservation education. -
B.S. in Biological Sciences
Ecology & Conservation focus, Psychology minor. -
International field experience
Conservation projects across multiple countries and ecosystems. -
A career built around access
My goal is to make conservation more understandable, participatory, and accessible.
My Personal Mission
To understand the human story behind conservation and make meaningful action accessible to more people.
I believe people want to be involved. They want to learn, contribute, and create change. Often, they just need the right tools, knowledge, and opportunities to know where to start.
My mission is to help provide those tools, connect people to meaningful opportunities, and make conservation something more people can understand, participate in, and help shape.
Where I'm headed
In ten years, I see myself leading meaningful wildlife conservation and humanitarian programs for nonprofits. I’m flexible about the path that gets me there, but not about the impact I want to make.
KACF has been a huge part of that journey. I’ve participated in its projects, led expeditions, worked alongside its partners, and watched the organization grow from the inside. I know this organization, believe deeply in its mission, and see an opportunity to contribute in a bigger way as I transition beyond zookeeping and into broader conservation work.
This six-month role would give me dedicated time to build the skills, relationships, and experience needed for that next chapter while helping KACF develop projects, build partnerships, pursue funding, and strengthen its systems. It’s an investment in my next step, while also helping KACF do more of the work it exists to do.
To read my full story, click below.
This isn't just a sponsorship. It's an invitation.
If you care about conservation, I'd love for your support to be the start of your involvement with KACF—whether that's attending an event, supporting a project, joining an expedition, bringing your own skills, or simply learning more about the work happening around the world.
I can help you:
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Join a conservation expedition
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Host a fundraising event for a project you are interested in
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Attend KACF events
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Connect with conservation projects and partners
You can even come into the field yourself.
And for sponsors who want to go beyond supporting conservation from home, there are opportunities to get involved directly. For example, I'll be leading KACF's upcoming Women in Conservation Expedition to South Africa in April!
My Grandparents and Dave in South Africa
KACF South Africa team!
Help Build What's Next
Six sponsors can make this six-month opportunity possible.
A $1,000 sponsorship supports one month of Women in Conservation Fellowship with KACF. I would love for you to be a part of this next chapter.
[Become a Sponsor Button]
A full sponsorship isn't the right fit? That's okay.
Every contribution helps make this opportunity possible, and I'm genuinely grateful for your support at whatever level feels right.
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Questions or interested in becoming a sponsor? I'd love to talk.