Deadline: 31-Mar-21
The Habitats Trust Grants is now open to recognise and support the heroes of conservation, organisations and individuals, who work tirelessly against insurmountable odds to protect and preserve India’s natural habitats and indigenous species of flora and fauna.
Working in a partnership model, the grants facilitate field activities and provide their partners an opportunity to leverage thissupport to make their work more sustainable.
Objectives
The Habitats Trust Grants have the following specific objectives:
- To financially support innovative, sustainable and replicable projects, proposed by committed conservationists working to secure a future for India’s habitats and indigenous species.An annual initiative, onerecipient is selected in each of the four grant category every year.
- To identify the unsung heroes of conservation whose work has had a significant impact in the field, and publish a compendium capturing their work, so their efforts are recognised at a national and international level.
Grant Categories
The Habitats Trust provides grants in the following four categories:
- Grants for Organisations:
- Strategic Partnership Grant (INR 35 lakhs): This flagship grant will primarily reach out to mid to large sized field work oriented organisations to create a two-way partnership for thecommon cause of conservation. This grant is directed towards the running costs of on-ground projects. The grant should enable the creation of a sustainable and replicable conservation model to address some of the key conservation issues in India.
- Lesser-known Habitats Grant (INR 30 lakhs): This first of its kind initiative aims to secure and regenerate the overlooked and unaddressed habitats of the country that are in urgent need of conservation attention. India is home to an array of lesser-known habitats like grasslands, deserts, mangroves, marine ecosystems and numerous more. Some lesser-known habitats also serve as important corridors between key wildlife landscapes and as havens for dispersal populations. Through the lesser-known habitats grant, they hope to support organisations working to securethese vital habitats and bring them into the limelight.
- Lesser-known Species Grant (INR 25 lakhs): Traditionally, a great deal of attention has been given to the “charismatic” species of the country such as tigers, lions, leopards, elephants and rhinos. While this is necessary, lesser-known species that are equally endangered and ecologically important, rarely come into the spotlight and are seldom afforded the same level of conservation attention. This unique grant aims to support conservationists and organisations working to secure a future for lesser-known endangered species of fauna and flora.
- Grants for Individuals:
- Conservation Hero Grant (INR 15 lakhs): Across the country there are grassroots conservationists working dedicatedly, with little to no support, to protect threatened biodiversity. The work they do in their individual capacity has a meaningful impact on conservation in the country, but unfortunately, largely goes unrecognised. This grant aims to champion the work these conservation heroes and provide them a platform to expand their activities and garner further support for their activities.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must be locally registered in India.
- Only projects being carried out in India will be considered.
- Projects should be a minimum of 24 months in duration, although each application is assessed on its own merit and the project length can be flexible upto three months.
- Applications must be submitted in English to the best of your ability. This is not a selection criterion.
- Applicants may only apply for only one grant per year across all grant categories.
- Projects must have direct conservation benefits to threatened habitats or species. Pure research work will not be considered, however, specieal consideration will be given in the case of data gathering for data deficit species or habitats which may be a critical element in developing a conservation or management strategy.
- Grants will only be provided for the conservation of indigenous species. Projects focusing on non-native and exotic species will be rejected.
- Grants will only be provided for natural habitats i.e. areas composed of viable assemblages of flora and/or fauna species of largely native origin and/or where human activity has not essentially modified an area’s primary ecological functions and species composition.
- Grants will not be provided for post graduate studies including thesis.
- Grants will not be provided for expeditions or for international travel to attend conferences and seminars.
For more information, visit https://www.thehabitatstrust.org/grants/