The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) invites letters of inquiry from civil society organisations based in Turkmenistan for the first application round of the GEF Small Grants Programme. Grants are up to US$75,000. Projects must fall in the Balkan-Caspian-Ustyurt, Southern Mountain and Semi-Arid, or Wetland, Coastal and Desert landscapes, or be cross-cutting national initiatives. Eligible work covers species and habitat conservation, ecosystem resilience and restoration, climate adaptation, sustainable water management, sustainable livelihoods and civil society capacity. Public associations, enterprises of public organisations and economic entities can apply, and women-led and youth-led organisations get particular attention. The deadline is 08 December 2026. Link
Category: Biodiversity, Conservation, Wildlife
The Beahrs ELP sponsors an annual three-week summer course in environmental science, policy, management, and leadership at UC Berkeley. The next course is scheduled for July 2027. ELP invites applications from mid-career professionals around the world. Workshops and field trips draw on the strengths of UC Berkeley and the greater San Francisco Bay Area of California. Course participants continue their learning and networking through the Berkeley ELP Alumni Network. The program offers a limited number of partial scholarships. The final deadline for scholarship review is 15 January 2027. Learn about the program
The Leakey Foundation makes the Franklin Mosher Baldwin Memorial Fellowships to help students from developing countries get advanced education and training in paleoanthropology and primatology. Applicants should already be enrolled or provisionally accepted in a graduate program related to human origins and evolution. A fellowship provides for two years of support. The maximum award is US$15 thousand per year. The program has an annual deadline for new applications, and a different application process and deadline to apply for second-year renewals. The deadline for new applicants is 01 February 2027. See this fellowship
The Rufford Foundation makes grants for nature conservation undertaken by small and medium-sized organizations for projects in the developing world. The Foundation prefers projects that are pragmatic, and that have a significant human element. There are no restrictions by nationality or country of residence. Grant applications are made in sequential stages: first grant, second grant, booster grants, and completion grant. Grants start at £7 thousand and increase to £18 thousand for projects that complete each stage. Applications can be submitted at any time. Instructions for Applicants
The Pulitzer Center provides short-term project support to journalists reporting in tropical forests. The Rainforest Reporting Grant supports journalists in three main rainforest regions—the Amazon, Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia. The supported journalism projects will focus on the tropical forests’ role in the overall climate equation and weather patterns, deforestation drivers, and solutions to halt deforestation. The Pulitzer Center will fund costs associated with reporting projects on tropical rainforests in the range of US$8 thousand to US$15 thousand. Grants are made to local journalists based in the tropical rainforest region. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Rainforest Reporting Grant
WAI Fellowships support PhD students and postdocs who want research careers in wild animal welfare science. Fellows work with a WAI mentor for a three-month placement to turn their project idea into a full research plan, then complete the project with their academic supervisor. Grants run up to US$100,000 a year for up to three years, with a guaranteed stipend of at least US$50,000 a year (up to US$75,000 to match local postdoc pay). Applications close on 31 October 2026. Link
WAI Seed Grants fund small research projects that answer preliminary questions before indicator validation or a larger WAI research proposal. Eligible projects include systematic literature reviews, meta-analyses, pilot studies that identify indicators worth validating, and prototyping of data collection methods or technology. Grants are up to US$30,000 in total for up to two years. Applications close on 31 October 2026. WAI Seed Grants
- Tags: conservation, early-career, individuals, october2026, research, wildlife
WAI Welfare Ecology Grants fund research on the causal relationships between wild animal welfare and other variables, with emphasis on ecological network effects and interactions among multiple species. The aim is to find levers that could eventually inform interventions or policies. Grants are up to US$200,000 in total for up to three years. Applications close on 31 October 2026. Welfare Ecology Grants
- Tags: conservation, early-career, individuals, october2026, research, wildlife
Wild Animal Initiative invites academic researchers to apply for Validation Grants, Welfare Ecology Grants, or Seed Grants supporting research that advances wild animal welfare science, alongside WAI Fellowships for early-career researchers. Principal investigators must be affiliated with a university or research institution, and any fieldwork must include collaborators who are residents of the country where it takes place; NGO-managed projects require registration in that country. WAI cannot sponsor visas, so work carried out in the United States by a non-US resident generally cannot be funded, and it cannot fund research in countries under US sanctions, such as Iran, North Korea, or Russia. The deadline is 31 October 2026. Wild Animal Research Grants
- Tags: conservation, early-career, individuals, october2026, research, wildlife
Bennington College offers cash prizes for work on the natural world by students in grades 9 to 12 worldwide: US$2,000 for first place, US$1,000 for second, US$500 for third, and US$250 for distinguished entries. Each student may submit one work, such as a scientific illustration, a field guide to local plants, animals or geology, a research poster or a process diagram, with an optional written explanation of up to 500 words. Winners and finalists who later enroll at Bennington also receive tuition scholarships. Submissions are open until 01 November 2026. Young Scientists Awards
- Tags: awards/prizes, individuals, november2026, wildlife, worldwide, youth