What We Do

Foundation Mission

Those that knew Dr. Jonathan Wright consistently mention his ability to make even the smallest animals and aspects of biology fascinating. As one alum put it, Wright inspired students “to see and explore how science can make the seemingly mundane seem incredible.” Much of Jonathan’s research embodied this philosophy, often focusing on overlooked species, from Centris bees of the arid Southwest to the Paratarsotomus mites he and his students observed and filmed in his own driveway in Southern California.

Despite their ecological importance, invertebrates, amphibians, and other underrepresented species receive only a fraction of global research funding. Mammals and birds, commonly referred to as “charismatic vertebrates”, account for 65–75% of all wildlife research worldwide, despite comprising less than 1% of global biodiversity. Meanwhile, invertebrates, representing 97% of known animal species, make up just 10–18% of wildlife research funding, with reptiles and amphibians accounting for an even smaller percentage.

The Jonathan Wright Foundation seeks to bridge this gap by funding need-based research grants for students and early-career scientists in biological sciences, including ecology, animal physiology, zoology, and conservation biology. Inspired by Dr. Wright’s work, the foundation prioritizes support for research in understudied and underfunded areas of zoology and physiology.

:Priority funding areas include, but not limited to:

• Invertebrate biology and physiology, in particular, Isopods, Arthropods, Mollusks, and Arachnids.

• Native Bees, Flies, Moths, and Butterflies, physiology, movement, flight mechanisms.

• Herpetofauna conservation, population studies, comparative physiology, particularly native US Amphibians

• Comparative and Evolutionary Physiology

• Water Vapor Absorption, emphasis on Arthropods

• Intertidal biology, ecology, emphasis on intertidal arthropods, mollusks.

• Fire ecology, including post fire invertebrate succession.