Deadline: 15-Mar-23
The New England Biolabs Foundation’s Summer Grants are now open for applications to foster community-based conservation of landscapes and seascapes and the biocultural diversity found in these places.
New England Biolabs Foundation recognizes that the natural and cultural values of these areas are inextricably linked and that Indigenous Peoples and local communities play a fundamental role in their stewardship. The Foundation seeks to encourage community-based projects in regions of the world where their small grants can have the greatest impact. They do so primarily through their grantmaking, but they also complement this support with capacity-building opportunities for long-term grantees through workshops offered by their partner organization, Creative Action Institute, as well as other professional development opportunities.
Established in 1982 by Donald Comb, the founder of New England Biolabs, Inc. A molecular biologist, Don was inspired by the diversity of life on earth and the power of local communities. He created the foundation based on the simple premise that by investing in the work of people living and working in areas of high biodiversity, one can make a contribution to conservation on a local and global scale.
Thematic Areas
- In all their areas of geographic focus, they support communities in the stewardship of their landscapes and seascapes and the biocultural diversity found in these places.
- They welcome inquiries from nonprofit organizations working to:
- Conserve terrestrial and marine biological diversity.
- Sustain cultural diversity, linguistic diversity, and traditional knowledge systems and practices.
- Maintain ecosystem services (including, water, soil, and carbon sequestration).
- Support food sovereignty and economic vitality of local communities.
- Sustain healthy reefs and fisheries.
- And, in coastal communities along the North Shore of Massachusetts, in addition to the thematic areas listed above, they support artistic expression projects that at their core:
- Raise awareness of an issue or catalyze action.
- Help promote the protection of the environment.
- Help foster community diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Funding Information
- Their international grants range from $5,000 to $15,000, and their local grants range from $4,000 to $10,000. Please note that first-time applicants are unlikely to be considered for the maximum amount.
Approaches
- They support community-based projects that seek to meet their objectives in a variety of ways, including:
- Among the kinds of approaches they support are those concerned with:
- Creating and/or ensuring effective management of terrestrial and marine protected areas, in particular where governance is led by communities (e.g., Indigenous Peoples’ and Community-Conserved Areas and Territories [ICCAs]).
- Ecological restoration involving native species, prioritizing efforts linked to existing conservation areas already valued by communities (e.g., a watershed, community forest, or sacred grove).
- Providing enhanced and alternative livelihoods to support local economies and community well-being (e.g., through agroecology and non-timber forest products).
- Environmental education that draws on Indigenous and local traditions and languages to address present-day problems.
- Use of the arts and other innovative methods to convey social and environmental messages.
- Fostering civic engagement of communities through creative facilitation and other methods (e.g., community-mapping exercises).
- Among the kinds of approaches they support are those concerned with:
What they do not Fund?
- They do not typically fund:
- Capital endowments, renovations, or building funds
- Conferences or travel grants
- Disease-specific initiatives or medical research
- Private schools
- Production of videos, movies, or books
- Religious activities
- Routine operating costs of organizations
- Scholarships, fellowships, and internships
- Human services organizations
- Additionally, they cannot make grants to individuals.
Geographic Areas of Focus
- They encourage proposals for community-based projects in settings where their small grants can make the most significant impact. Because they are a small foundation, they must limit their grants to specific countries and target landscapes and cannot consider requests from areas outside of their geographic focus.
- Central America
- Countries of focus: Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Honduras
- Andean South America
- Countries of focus: Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador
- West Africa
- Countries of focus: Ghana and Cameroon
- Massachusetts
- Primary region of focus: North Shore of Massachusetts, United States
- Central America
Eligibility Criteria
- New England Biolabs Foundation grants are limited to organizations that hold charitable status in their respective countries. Eligible organizations must operate on a not-for-profit basis and stand by a mission to benefit local communities.
For more information, visit New England Biolabs Foundation.