Deadline: 31-Aug-23

Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications for the Fondation Segré Conservation Action Fund to support Civil Society Organizations engaged in the conservation of Vulnerable (VU), Endangered (EN) or Critically Endangered (CR) Freshwater Decapods, Freshwater Fishes, Freshwater Odonates and Freshwater Molluscs to safeguard their habitats, address the threats they face, and promote the well-being of both the species themselves and the communities dependent on freshwater ecosystems.

Freshwaters are among the most valuable ecosystems on the planet for their biodiversity and importance to livelihoods. Yet the freshwater realm is under threat, with its species declining faster than those on land and in the oceans.

The Fund aims primarily at providing small grants to small and local Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and to young and early researchers to support conservation and research projects, with the overall goal of improving the status of globally threatened animal species and their habitats across Asia, the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and the Middle East.

Thematic Focus of the 2023

• Call for Proposals IUCN is leading the Global Freshwater Species Assessment for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and helping identify Key Biodiversity Areas that are important for the survival of these species.
• To address the pressing need for global conservation efforts, this year’s Call for Proposals specifically supports the conservation of Vulnerable (VU), Endangered (EN) and Critically Endangered (CR) Freshwater Decapods, Freshwater Fishes, Freshwater Odonates and Freshwater Molluscs. These species play vital roles in freshwater ecosystems, and their conservation is essential to safeguard their habitats and improve the well-being of communities dependent on freshwater resources.
• Freshwater target species eligible for this Call for Proposals comprise the following taxonomic groups:
  • Freshwater Decapods (Decapoda): This group includes all species of freshwater decapods crustaceans, such as crayfish, crabs, and shrimps that inhabit freshwater habitats.
  • Freshwater Fishes (Actinopterygii, Chondrichthyes, Cephalaspidomorphi and Sarcopterygii): This group encompasses a wide range of fish species that reside in freshwater ecosystems.
  • Freshwater Odonates (Odonata): This group refers to all species of dragonflies and damselflies, which are aquatic insects found in freshwater habitats during their nymph stage and as adults.
  • Freshwater Molluscs (Mollusca): This group encompasses all assessed species of molluscs that inhabit freshwater environments, including freshwater snails, mussels, clams, and other related species.

Types of Grants

• Conservation Action Grants
• Research Support Grants.

Funding Information

• The Fund provides two types of small grants:
  • Conservation Action Grants (maximum EUR 50,000): The objective of these grants is to enable and support CSOs engaged in the conservation of threatened animal species to carry out sustainable conservation measures at local level to protect the species, their habitats and to improve the livelihoods of the people who depend on them.
  • Research Support Grants (maximum EUR 7,000): The objective of these grants is to support young and early scientists in their research to improve knowledge on threatened species and their role in natural ecosystems. These grants intend to provide budding researchers (enrolled in a curriculum) the opportunity to mature into seasoned conservationists, while benefitting the conservation and management of threatened animal species.
• The maximum duration of the project should be 12 months. The start date of the project will be determined by the date of the signature of the grant agreement.

Eligible Activities

• Projects must implement concrete conservation activities on the ground.
• Research activities can be eligible within the framework of Conservation Action Grants as long as the proposal supports tangible conservation actions on-the-ground, using the results of the research within the timeframe of the project (pure research projects are not eligible). For example, proposal of a practical management plan or new policy, or new protected area design, new natural resources management plan, in vivo pilot site activities implementing the results of the research with new management or improved or adapted conservation actions.
• Applications that address illegal wildlife trade and that include a component engaging indigenous peoples or local communities should include clear thinking on the “theory of change” or logical sequence that is likely to lead to a reduction in poaching for the illegal wildlife trade, with attention to the underlying incentives facing community members and how the project intervention changes these. Where this is not known, the proposal should explain how this understanding will be increased in order to formulate such a theory of change.

Eligibility Criteria

• In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant and co-applicants must be:
  • a legal person and;
  • be non-profit-making and;
  • be a local or national civil society organisation (CSOs), a local or an international nongovernmental organisation (NGOs); Projects presented by local and national CSOs including indigenous organizations (community-based organizations) will be favourably considered. International NGOs applying will be required to work closely with national stakeholders, local communities and with the consent and all required authorizations from the government. If international NGOs apply, overseas costs (indirect costs, salaries and international travel) will have to be minimal and justification for their need provided. In the case of international NGOs having a legally registered office in the country where the project is implemented, SOS will privilege the signature of a grant agreement and direct transfer of funds to their local registered office. Working with governments is encouraged although governments and government-affiliated entities are not eligible to receive grants directly. The costs of travel for government bodies (for example for attending a workshop) can be reimbursed if they are directly linked to the project;
  • be directly responsible for the preparation and implementation of the grant project. Applications submitted by a body acting as an intermediary for a third party are not eligible;
  • have a bank account in the name of the organisation;
  • be authorized under relevant national laws to receive charitable contributions, including from sources outside their respective countries.
• In line with the Fund’s objective, target beneficiaries are primarily local non-profit organisations;
  • The lead partner may act individually or with co-applicant(s). If awarded a grant, the lead partner will become the beneficiary identified as the “Grantee” in the grant contract. The Grantee is the main interlocutor of the IUCN Save Our Species Secretariat. The Grantee represents, and acts on behalf of any other co-applicant (if any) and coordinates the design and implementation of the action. The Grantee will bear full responsibility for the technical and financial implementation of the project.
  • An applicant can submit a maximum of two proposals as lead partner and can be a partner organization, in any number of applications. Nonetheless, an organisation can only be awarded one grant as lead partner. If two proposals where an organisation is lead partner successfully pass the assessment steps, only the proposal with the highest score will be retained for the award of a grant.
  • Applicants benefiting from an ongoing Save Our Species grant at the time of the submission deadline for applications cannot apply for a grant under this call for the same project location, but they may still apply for funding for another project location.
• Conflict of interest and ineligibility
  • Applicants cannot have a conflict of interest in applying for this call. A conflict of interest may arise in particular as a result of economic interests, political or national affinities, family or emotional ties, or any other relevant connection or shared interest;
  • Applicants cannot be current employees of IUCN / Fondation Segré, or close relatives (i.e. immediate family) of IUCN / Fondation Segré employees.

For more information, visit IUCN.