We raise money from donations and corporate sponsorships to support conservation projects across Africa through our Conservation Fund. Over £500,000 has been disbursed from this restricted fund since its inception in 1996 to support almost 300 conservation projects in 45 African countries. The range of past projects is highly diverse.
Because our Conservation Fund is relatively small and demands on it are great, we do have to turn down some proposals. So, it is important that applicants follow all our guidelines when they apply for an award and note that:
– the amount of a Conservation Award requested from ABC should be a major part of the project budget;
– requests for contributions towards academic fees will not normally be considered;
– however, funding for field projects that are being carried out as part of an academic study may be considered if funding from the academic institution is not available;
– expeditions must be associated with a bona fide academic institution, conservation NGO or recognised natural history or bird club, from which the applicant has a letter of endorsement;
– expeditions must also be able to demonstrate prior approval from the government of the host country;
– expedition objectives should preferably be derived from any of the publications identifying international conservation priorities, such as the IUCN Red List and IBA Directories;
– if an expedition originates from outside Africa, it must include substantial local participation from local NGOs such as BirdLife Partners, bird clubs, academic institutions, or relevant government agencies;
– salaries of local counterparts can be supported but salaries of professional researchers or academics will not be supported.