Whitley Fund for Nature
Grants and awards to conservation leaders for grassroots conservation projects in the developing world
Principal Office: UK
The Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) is a UK-registered charity that offers the Whitley Awards to outstanding leaders of nature conservation projects in the developing world.
The Awards are a form of recognition and a funding source for the selected projects.
Grant Programs for Agriculture, Energy, Environment, Natural Resources
Grassroots projects in nature conservation. WFN favors pragmatic conservation projects that have a long-lasting impact on the ground.
The Fund gives priority to grassroots initiatives over purely scientific, academic, or governmental activities. Projects that take an ecosystem approach are favored over species-specific work. Most successful proposals have a significant human element (i.e., community education and involvement).
- Whitley Awards — Grants are £40 thousand per award for one year.
- Whitley Gold Award — Each year a previous Whitley Award winner is selected to receive the Whitley Gold Award worth up to £60 thousand in project funding over one year.
- Continuation Funding — WFN provides further funding to the most successful Whitley Award winners. (Note: Applications are only open to previous Whitley Award winners.)
About the program
To be eligible, applicants for Whitley Awards need to be nationals of the countries where their conservation activities are focused, or are local in the region where they work.
APPLICATION: Applications to WFN are submitted and reviewed on an annual cycle. Calendar deadlines are posted on the website.
An application requires endorsement by three referees. Information about what is required of referees can be found in the guidance notes.
About how to apply
Geographical Distribution of Grant Activities in Developing Countries
Worldwide
Whitley Awards are presented to the winners by WFN’s Patron, HRH The Princess Royal. Presentations are made during the annual Whitley Awards Ceremony at the Royal Geographical Society, London.
Potential applicants can review profiles of previous award winners.
Many previous award winners have been able to expand their work from local to national and international scale on the basis of having received a Whitley Award. Winners are encouraged to address wider audiences wherever possible, both in the UK and in the international media, through talks and events.
Contact Us offers complete information.
January 2021