Applications are now open for Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund to provide targeted grants to individual species conservation initiatives, recognize leaders in the field of species conservation; and elevate the importance of species in the broader conservation debate.

The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund is an innovative philanthropy proving small grants to boots-on-the-ground, get-your-hands-dirty, in-the-field species conservation projects for the world’s most threatened species.

Through innovative micro-financing, the MBZ Fund empowers conservationists to fight the extinction crisis instead of bureaucracy and red-tape. To date the Fund has awarded over 2000 grants to a diverse range of species across the world.

The Fund’s reach is truly global, and its species interest is non-discriminatory. It is open to applications for funding support from conservationists based in all parts of the world, and will potentially support projects focused on any and all kinds of plant, animal and fungus species, subject to the approval of an independent evaluation committee.

In addition, the Fund will recognize leaders in the field of species conservation and scientific research to ensure their important work is given the attention it deserves and to elevate the importance of species in global conservation discourse.

Funding Information

• Grants will be awarded based on demonstrated need to independent, local NGOs and are for maximum of $25,000.
• Currency: Budgets must be submitted in US Dollars.

Eligibility Criteria

• Anyone directly involved in species conservation can apply to the Fund for a grant.
• Depending on the type of conservation project and the work involved, the Fund will consider covering salary expenses or travel costs for a specific project. This would usually be for support staff in developing countries. However this can only be as part of the overall grant as officially applied for. The Fund will not consider applications for grants which only cover salary or travel expenses.
• In situ conservation: Generally the Fund is primarily interested in providing support to in situ conservation work in the field (such as survey work and data gathering, direct action, recovery management, training and the like), focusing on the species in its natural habitat. However, the importance of ex situ work (genetic analysis, workshops, ex situ populations etc) is also recognised, and so a few grants may be given to projects which focus on ex situ conservation work in certain circumstances.
• Core costs: For this temporary period up to mid-2021 the Fund will contribute to the core running costs of an organisation or administrative overheads.
• Species: Generally the Fund would prefer to support projects which focus on a single species, but it also recognises that in some geographic and taxonomic circumstances it makes more sense to group a number of species.
• Language: Applications must be submitted in English.

For more information, visit Conservation Fund.