Securing adequate finance is often the most frustrating and difficult part of developing a conservation project.  A number of organisations, mostly charitable foundations, offer grants and other funding for conservation work.  Some are listed here, in alphabetic order, with a little background information and contact details.

All relevant organisations will be considered for inclusion here
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American Orchid Society

The AOS has an active Conservation Committee which gives grants for non-commercial conservation projects as well as experimental projects of fundamental and applied research on orchids, and makes annual Conservation Awards.

Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation

The Bhutan Trust Fund was established as a collaborative venture between the Royal Government of Bhutan, the United Nations Development Program, and the World Wildlife Fund.  It offers grants to projects which, inter alia, support in situ and ex situ conservation initiatives in the entire green sector, strengthen integrated conservation and development planning, and promote conservation education.

Constraints.  Grants are available only to Bhutanese individuals and institutions, for projects in Bhutan.

BP Conservation Programme

A collaboration between four leading conservation organisations - BirdLife International, Fauna & Flora International (FFI), the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Conservation International (CI) - and, of course, BP.

The Programme's mission is to "engage, encourage and train the conservationists of the future through the facilitation of sustainable projects that address global priorities at a local level".  Its funding - first-time and follow-up - totals around US$600,000 per annum and is awarded on an annual basis.

The Programme's web site is unusually comprehensive and includes detailed guidelines for applicants and a downloadable application form.

Constraints.  Projects must address a conservation priority of global importance, have a strong association with the country where the project will take place (local people participating in all stages of the project, association with a university, NGO and/or relevant government department), and the majority of the team must be university students (under or post-graduates in full or part-time study).

British Ecological Society

The Society funds grants with the aim of promoting ecological research and training as widely as possible.  The scope of their grants scheme is very broad, covering expeditions, research projects, etc., and including bursaries and fellowships.  If there is an emphasis, it is on education, with the scheme extending to running/attending meetings and courses.  The Society also makes various annual and bi-annual awards and grants a number of honours and prizes.

The Society's web site is most informative, with comprehensive details of their grants, awards, etc., available here.

Constraints.  Seemingly few, and probably imposed primarily by common sense and the availability of funds.

Seal of the
State of Illinois

Brookfield Zoo / Chicago Zoological Society

The Society makes annual grants to SSC Specialist Groups from its Chicago Board of Trade Endangered Species Fund, for small projects identified in Action Plans or other Group priority setting exercises.  Despite these grants coming from a Zoo, at least one plant conservation proposal is supported in each round, sometimes two when a large number of proposals are received.

With information on the web site perhaps a little sparse (you can start here), serious enquiries should be directed - and applications for grants submitted, preferably by email - to Linda Reiter, the Zoo's Conservation Biology Department Manager, at .

Constraints.  Grants are available only to IUCN/SSC Specialist Groups.  The Fund supports small projects, usually up to $5,000; smaller requests are more likely to succeed.  The SSC Group Chair or other officer must endorse any proposal submitted on the Group's behalf.

Note.  Congratulations to Dr Lokesh Shakya on being awarded a grant in December 2003 in support of his project "Conserving threatened orchids of southern part of Annapurna Range" in western Nepal.  The project is fully endorsed and supported by the Indian Subcontinent Region Orchid Specialist Group, of which Lokesh is a member.  A copy of Lokesh's successful funding application is available here (14Kb .RTF file).

The Christensen Fund

The California-based Fund originated in the late 1950s and is a private foundation, now dedicated solely to grant-making.  Its background combines an eclectic mix of the fine arts, ethnology, anthropology and natural history.

TCF's web site gives plenty of information and guidance, and even includes an on-line application form.

A further TCF initiative is The Christensen Fund Fellowship Program in Plant Conservation, a collaboration with the International Center for Tropical Ecology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (see below).

Constraints.  TCF "will focus its bio-cultural activities" in four geographic regions - the American South-West and Northern Mexico, central Turkey-Iran-Central Asia, the African Rift Valley (Ethiopia) and New Guinea and Aboriginal Northern Australia.  Most funding will go to support "organizations located in the four selected geographic regions, or internationally based organizations that work closely with institutions and indigenous peoples in the defined regions".  In addition, "grant-seeking organizations need to hold a U.S.A. 501(c)(3) status or be an equivalent registered not-for-profit charity, organization, government unit, university or museum either in the U.S.A. or abroad".

Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund - CEPF

A joint initiative of Conservation International, the Global Environment Facility (GEF - see below), the Government of Japan, the John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation, and the World Bank (see below).

CEPF provides funding and technical assistance to civil society groups, acting as a catalyst to create strategic working alliances among diverse groups, specifically for projects advancing the conservation of biodiversity hotspots in specified parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America.  CEPF's helpful web site includes valuable guidelines for potential applicants, here, in six languages (Bahasa, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese and Spanish).

Constraints.  There are numerous CEPF investment strategies - ecosystem profiles - for each region.  A project must be linked to one of the strategic directions in the ecosystem profiles to be eligible for funding.

Earthwatch Institute

The purpose of the Institute, an international non-profit organization, is to protect our natural resources and cultural heritage by creating partnerships among scientists, the general public, educators, and businesses, through research, education and conservation.  Earthwatch offers grants for field-based research and is one of few significant sources of long-term funding - 25% of the projects have been supported for more than 5 years, and 10% for more than 10 years.  Life Sciences, including ecology and evolutionary biology, plant sciences and conservation biology, account for around 75% of project support.

In common with most of the organisations listed here, the Institute has a very useful web site with plenty of information and help; here is perhaps the best place at which to start.

Equator Initiative  -  United Nations Development Programme

The Equator Initiative is a partnership between the United Nations, business, governments and local groups, designed to reduce poverty through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the equatorial belt.  Of significance here, the Initiative partners' activities include the provision of learning exchange grants so that grassroots practitioners can share best practices with other communities in the tropics.

The Initiative also sponsors the biennial Equator Prize for community initiatives demonstrating extraordinary achievement in reducing poverty through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the equatorial belt.  Some useful information is available here in the Initiative's press release announcing its invitation for nominations for the 2004 Prize.

EUROPARC Federation - Alfred Toepfer Natural Heritage Scholarships

The Federation is the umbrella organisation of Europe's national, regional and nature parks and biosphere reserves, with the aim of protecting the continent's unique variety of wildlife, habitats and landscapes.

Alfred Toepfer Natural Heritage Scholarships are made by the Foundation each year - two each of €2,000 in 2004, donated by the Alfred Toepfer Foundation of Hamburg - to promising young conservationists with practical experience in the field of conservation and in the work of protected areas.  The scholarships will enable them to undertake a study visit to one or more protected areas in another European country and to gather experience which will be of benefit in their future careers.  Further details of the 2004 awards, including conditions and an application form, can be found here on the EUROPARC web site.

Constraints.  Candidates should either be current students of conservation or have completed their studies in a related field within the last 10 years, and should be under 30 years old.  In addition, people who have been active for many years in or employed by a European protected area and who are not older than 35 years, can also be considered.

Global Biodiversity Information Facility

GBIF is a non-profit scientific international organisation whose purpose is to make the world's biodiversity data freely and universally available.  It works cooperatively with and in support of several other international organisations concerned with biodiversity, including the Clearing House Mechanism and the Global Taxonomic Initiative of the CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity), and regional biodiversity information networks.  In summary, GBIF's grant funding is targetted at supporting rapid progress in making biodiversity data and taxonomic names of organisms available via the Internet, in support of the GBIF Work Programme.

The GBIF web site provides all necessary information.

Constraints.  Supported projects will fall into one of two "competitions", namely Digitisation of Natural History Collections (DIGIT), and Electronic Catalogue of Names of Known Organisms (ECAT).  Support for any project will be limited to 20% (maximum U$50,000) of its total cost.  Other conditions also apply.

Global Environment Facility

GEF helps developing countries fund projects and programs that protect the global environment, offering grants in support of projects related to biodiversity, land degradation, and persistent organic pollutants amongst other categories.  A key contribution to this is GEF's Small Grants Programme implemented by the UNDP.  There is an excellent example of such funding and its outcome "close to home"; the Trinidad & Tobago Orchid Society was awarded a grant to compile an inventory of native orchid species, as a complement to the National Biodiversity Programme.  The resultant database of orchid species native to the islands is now available online here, as a part of the TTOS web site.

The GEF and UNDP/GEF web sites give full details of the various grants and other funding programmes available; use the links above.

Grants for Horticulturists

This is simply an information web site, the result of informal co-operation between United Kingdom organisations offering grants and bursaries for horticultural projects, exchanges and travel.  It acts as a communal "shop window" giving brief details of each organisation and its funding opportunities, together with full contact details.  The organisations concerned include a number which are separately listed here, namely the Merlin Trust, the Royal Horticultural Society, the Stanley Smith (UK) Horticultural Trust and the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust.

Constraints.  A fair proportion of the funding is available only to UK citizens and/or for use within the UK, and for strictly horticultural purposes.

International Center for Tropical Ecology
at the University of Missouri-St. Louis

The ICTE-UMSL, in collaboration with The Christensen Fund (see above), invites applications from suitably qualified, highly motivated graduates for fully funded masters and Ph.D. fellowships in applied plant conservation.

The purpose of The Christensen Fund Fellowship Program in Plant Conservation is to educate botanists who will become decision-makers in their home countries. The two to five year fellowships (depending on degree program) are designed to attract and support individuals from tropical countries (in Central and South America, sub-Saharan Africa, South-East Asia, Malesia and the Pacific Islands) who will return to their country or region following graduation and make a significant difference in the development and application of plant conservation programs.

The Merlin Trust

The Trust's aims are the advancement of education by providing grants for students to enable them travel both abroad and in the UK to study plants in the wild and in gardens, together with promoting the study of plants in the wild, but not so as to promote research into or the breeding of plants.

Constraints.   There appears to be an age limit of 18-35, with grants limited to a maximum of £750, and restricted to British and Irish citizens.

Note.   The Trust's web site does not appear to be operational.  Alternative contact details are -

The National Geographic Society

The Society runs a number of research and grant programmes covering a wide variety of disciplines.  Details of the Society's broad-based Committee for Research and Exploration are available here and, of more specific interest, here for its Conservation Trust.  Elegibility, restrictions and applications are comprehensively covered on the web site.

Caution.   National Geographic's web site is very extensive and full of valuable and interesting information.  Be warned: the site can be addictive and you may find your visit lasts longer than expected.

Orchid Conservation International

OCI offers grants up to a total of £5,000 for projects directly related to orchid conservation.  Types of projects considered include establishing and maintaining organisations and managemnt practices protecting orchids and their habitats, studies of wild orchid populations, propagation techniques, and educational projects.  Excluded at present are attendance at conferences, course fees, overheads, and taxonomic projects unless having a direct conservation implications.

The deadline for submissions for grants for 2006 is 30 April 2006.  Relevant information is available on the OCI web site here.

The Pacific Development and Conservation Trust

This Trust was established by the New Zealand Government and is administered by its Department of Internal Affairs.  It awards grants for suitable projects, with twice-yearly consideration of applications.  The Trust's objectives are broad-based, being the promotion of sustainable development in the South Pacific while conserving the natural environment and cultural heritage of its peoples.  Of significance here is that this specifically includes promoting the enhancement, protection and conservation of the natural environment and of natural resources.

Constraints.   Projects must benefit, and applicants must be citizens of, New Zealand or South Pacific countries - member States of the South Pacific Forum plus Tokelau and the Pacific territories of Great Britain, France, and the United States.

The Rolex Awards for Enterprise

The aim of the Awards is "to encourage a spirit of enterprise in individuals around the world by supporting outstanding efforts in areas that advance human knowledge and well-being".  Between five and ten awards - five Laureates and up to five Associate Laureates - are offered every second year to individuals for projects showing "exceptional spirit of enterprise" in areas which specifically include exploration and discovery, and the environment.  Applications are currently being accepted for the 2006 Awards.  Comprehensive details are available on the Awards web site - içi en français  /  aquí en español  /  .

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

RBG Kew adminsters the Prance Fellowships in Neotropical Botany, a part of the Kew Latin American Research Fellowships Programme (KLARF), funded by a generous donation from the Weston Foundation.  The Fellow-ships focus on the application of botanical knowledge to the conservation and sustainable use of plant biodiversity.

Constraints.   Primarily, candidates should normally be resident in a neotropical country, have a qualification and/or experience appropriate for the project proposed, and be able to communicate effectively in English for everyday purposes.

The Royal Geographical Society

The Society’s grants are wide-ranging and offer support to desk and field-based researchers, expedition teams and school teachers.  Grants are for work in both the UK and overseas and range in value from £350 to £15,000; specific information is available here.  The Society encourages projects that add to the geographical knowledge of a region and contribute to development and conservation priorities, working closely with local communities and scholars.

The Royal Horticultural Society

The RHS offers a number of bursaries each year to assist horticulturists in financing specific projects, including overseas travel.  Applications, considered four times each year, are not restricted to Society members nor solely to UK citizens, and are particularly welcomed from persons aged 20-35 years.  Information on the Society's Burseries is available here.

Eligible proposals must be closely identified with horticulture, so need not necessarily be conservation-oriented.

Rufford Small Grants

The RSGs are awards of up to £5,000 offered in association with the Whitley Laing Foundation (see below), available to individuals and small groups.  They are aimed at small conservation programmes and pilot projects and are not designed to be a small part of a large undertaking.  These grants are not necessarily one-off - RSG winners may also apply for Continuation Grants of up to £5,000.

Applications are reviewed three times annually and can be made at any time.  The web site gives good detail and includes a downloadable application form.

San Diego County Orchid Society

The Society's Conservation Committee offers grants annually for orchid conservation projects.  A copy of the Society's invitation for nominations for the 2003 awards is available here (a PDF file of 35.8Kb), giving most of the details likely to be needed by potential future applicants.

The Stanley Smith (UK) Horticultural Trust

The Trust's aims are the advancement of research in any branch of horticulture and the publication of the results of such research; assisting the creation, development, preservation and maintenance of gardens accessible to the public; the promotion of the cultivation and wide distribution of plants which have value to mankind; promotion and cultivation of new plants; assisting the publication of books or other works relating to science of horticulture.  Grants are made internationally, for projects which clearly need not necessarily be conservation-oriented.

The Trust does not have its own web site.  Contact details are -

Whitley Laing Foundation

The Foundation offers a wide range of awards - the annual Whitley Awards - for nature conservation projects world wide.  These are aimed at pragmatic, sustainable and long lasting nature conservation work generally emphasising the benefits of wildlife and habitat conservation to the local communities in which its applicants work.  The Foundation prefers to focus its resources on projects outside the first world, where funding is often hardest to raise.

Smaller-scale "any-time" awards are offered by the closely associated Rufford Small Grants (see above).

Winston Churchill Memorial Trust

The Trust offers Fellowships to enable men and women from all walks of life to acquire knowledge and experience abroad; they are essentially travel burseries.  Churchill Fellows may be of any age and in any occupation.  Fellowships are awarded annually, for projects in a variety of categories - effectively covering the complete range of human endeavours over time - which are announced during the preceding year.

Constraints.   Fellowships are available only to British citizens.

Note.   Philip Seaton, Chair of OSG's Ex Situ Conservation Group, is a past Churchill Fellow.  He was awarded a Fellowship in 2000 for the study of ex situ conservation of orchids (!) in Mexico, Cuba, Central and South America.

Winston Churchill Memorial Trust of Australia

Separate from the Trust above, but seemingly operating along exactly the same lines; wholly Australian in all respects.

Constraints.   Fellowships are available only to Australian citizens.

Winston Churchill Memorial Trust of New Zealand

The third of three Winston Churchill Memorial Trusts operating along the same lines.  This one is administered by the New Zealand Government's Department of Internal Affairs.

Constraints.   Fellowships are available only to citizens of New Zealand.

World Bank - Grants Facility for Indigenous Peoples

the World Bank has recently launched a new facility to provide small grants ($10,000 to $30,000) directly to indigenous peoples, which provides some limited scope for orchid-related projects.  Comprehensive details are available on their web site - içi en français  / aquí en español.

Constraints.   To quote the World Bank . . .  "Proposals must directly benefit Indigenous Peoples in a culturally appropriate, sustainable, and gender inclusive manner and address issues central to Indigenous Peoples' aspirations.  Examples of the type of projects supported by the Grants Facility are innovative pilot projects that build on indigenous culture, identity, knowledge, natural resources, intellectual property and human rights, and/or institutions."