Concerning funding for a project involving wildlife management

[Suchascenicworld]

Hello,

 

This is my first post so I apologize for any repetition. I am excited to say that I was just accepted into a fantastic PhD program in the UK and I am looking forward to this wonderful opportunity. Despite receiving my masters in Palaeoanthropology (while focusing on animal behavior), I will be continuing my academic endeavors in wildlife management, animal behavior, and human-wildlife conflict. Specifically, I will be assessing behavioral and landscape proxies that may inhibit large carnivore predation on livestock in Southern Africa.

 

While my supervisor will undoubtedly assist me with funding before and upon my arrival (January 2015), I believe that it is a smart move to begin looking into prospective funding opportunities when it comes to carrying out my project (travel expenses, equipment, etc) as well as overall living expenses and tuition. 

 

It should be noted that I am American, and while I have been offered financial assistance with tuition as well as living expenses, my calculations suggest that it might not be enough to cover the entire cost of living. 

 

The reason that I am seeking assistance in this forum is because I am incredibly new to the funding game (especially in this field).Right now, I believe that applying to both big and small funding schemes will undoubtedly be worth it. Moreover, I will be looking into private charities that promote educational support. However, since I am relatively new to funding-searching, my luck has been somewhat limited and in so far, I have only found three or four funding schemes that I may be eligible for (and that is over a period of a few months). 

Does anyone here have any advice whatsoever when it comes to "funding hunting". Moreover, does anyone know of any funding schemes (either grants or scholarships) that may be worth looking into given my research question. As mentioned, I am also looking into UK and US education charities that may assist me, however, in so far, I have found very few probable resources.

I am trying to be as proactive about this as possible since such a prospect has the ability to be greatly beneficial towards my academic endeavors and I look forward for any information or advice.

Cheers