SAFE Silent Auction

The Maryland Zoo and National Aquarium are honored to co-host the 2022 Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Annual Conference, August 27 – September 1, in Baltimore, Maryland. We are also excited to support AZA’s conservation grants programs with the proceeds from the SAFE: Saving Animals From Extinction Silent Auction. Annually, the Silent Auction has been a successful fundraising tool for AZA’s Conservation Grants Fund for collaborative conservation and we look forward to re-igniting the tradition in-person, in Baltimore.

New this year, AZA has the opportunity to double the value of your donation with a matching grant challenge of up to $200,000 from the Arthur L. and Elaine V. Johnson Foundation.

In 2019, AZA created the SAFE granting program to complement AZA’s Conservation Grants Fund. In 2021, the JoEllen Doornbos Endowment was created with a $1 million gift to support AZA members’ collaborative SAFE projects in perpetuity and AZA issued a challenge to double the size of the Endowment. AZA’s Board of Directors matched a $100,000 grant from the Arthur L. and Elaine V. Johnson Foundation in 2021 and the Foundation has offered up to $200,000 in matching funds in both 2022 and 2023. If AZA meets the challenge, the JoEllen Doornbos Endowment will double by the end of 2023, creating a long-term source of support for AZA members’ efforts to save animals from extinction. 

Want to donate directly to the SAFE Matching Grant Challenge? Visit here to make an online donation. Have questions? Contact Melissa Howerton for information.

Bid on Items at the Conference!

Bidding on Silent Auction items will take place in the Exhibit Hall during the following times:

• Tuesday, August 30, 9:30 am - 6:30 pm
• Wednesday, August 31, 1:30 pm - 7:00 pm

Be sure to stop by the Exhibit Hall and place your bid on any of the hundreds of items donated.