Deadline: 8 April 2020
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is pleased to announce a new round of grantmaking through its Climate Adaptation Fund, a program that supports projects that implement effective interventions for wildlife and ecosystem adaptation to climate change.
The Climate Adaptation Fund is made possible through the generous support of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
Funding Priorities
The Climate Adaptation Fund supports applied, on-the-ground projects focused on achieving wildlife and ecosystem conservation outcomes in the face of a changing climate. Projects must propose actions that anticipate and respond to potential or observed climate change impacts to maximize long-term conservation success. The Fund supports projects that manage for outcomes that sustain dynamic ecological processes, landscape functionality, and species assemblages, as opposed to single-species or historical conditions that may not be possible in an altered climate.
Applicants must reference the scientific research, analyses, and other sources that provide the basis for their adaptation project, and articulate how that climate science informs the proposed conservation goals and actions. The program also requires projects that use strategic communications activities to amplify their conservation and adaptation impact.
Minimum Requirements on which projects are scored:
- Designed with climate adaptation as a core goal or outcome of the work.
- Proposes conservation goals and actions that are grounded in the best available science.
- Conducts on-the-ground implementation, not research or planning.
- Focuses on the functionality of ecosystems, rather than conserving individual species.
- Designed for long-term conservation impact.
- Creates the potential for impact at a landscape scale.
- Uses strategic, targeted communications activities to amplify adaptation outcomes.
What will fund?
One to two-year projects that implement science-driven, on-the-ground actions that assist wildlife and ecosystems to adapt to climate change at a landscape scale.
Project Proposals must:
- Focus on the functionality of ecosystems, rather than conserving individual species.
- Be designed for long-term conservation impact.
- Create the potential for impact at a landscape scale.
- Use strategic, targeted communications activities to amplify adaptation outcomes.
- Be designed with climate adaptation for wildlife and ecosystems as a core goal or outcome of the work.
- Propose conservation goals and actions that are grounded in the best available science.
- Conduct on-the-ground implementation, not research, planning or tool development.
Funding Information
- The WCS Climate Adaptation Fund will provide up to $2.5 million in competitive grants in 2020.
- Grants will run one to two years in length. Awards will be made to non-profit conservation organizations for applied, on-the-ground projects focused on implementing priority conservation actions designed to help wildlife and ecosystems adapt to climate change at a landscape scale.
Eligibility Criteria
- This program provides grants to U.S.-based non-profit conservation organizations with approved IRS 501(c)(3) status. Grants can be awarded for projects only within the 50 U.S. states and other U.S. territories.
- The WCS Climate Adaptation Fund is unable to make grants to for-profit corporations, individuals, universities, public agencies, municipalities, or other types of government entities.
- Public agencies, tribal governments, and universities may partner on proposals submitted by an eligible non-profit conservation organization or work as paid contractors on funded projects.
- WCS encourages proposals to emerge from collaborations between the applicant organization and any number of partners from academia, public agencies, and other non-profit organizations.
Evaluation Criteria
Pre-proposals will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:
- The project fits within the scope of the funding priorities identified above;
- The project meets the criteria listed in the Applicant Guidance Document; Conservation outcomes are well-defined, oriented towards long-term adaptation goals, and attainable in a 12- 24 month time period;
- Climate-informed planning process is well articulated and strong sources of science are cited to back up the goals and selection of the proposed techniques;
- Well-defined communications efforts aimed at catalyzing others to replicate similar projects across a landscape; The qualifications of the organization and individuals involved in the project; and
- Availability and amount of matching funds.
How to Apply
Grant applicants will be notified by email that their application has been received.
Register your organization and complete the Pre-proposal Application Form online via given website.
For more information, visit https://www.wcsclimateadaptationfund.org/program-information
