Impact Funding Resources
The Boring Fund supports the essential but overlooked aspects of conservation technology.
The fund supports vital work that makes conservation technology more accessible, sustainable, and effective for everyone. If you have an idea that strengthens the foundations of this field, whether through training, documentation, infrastructure, or beyond, the fund want to hear from you.
The fund supports vital work that makes conservation technology more accessible, sustainable, and effective for everyone. If you have an idea that strengthens the foundations of this field, whether through training, documentation, infrastructure, or beyond, the fund want to hear from you.
Start Date02 Jul 2025 End Date19 Aug 2025 Funding AmountUSD 12.5k Funding Resource TypeGrant
Funding ProviderWILDLABS Community
Grant
WILDLABS Community
The fund supports vital work that makes conservation technology more accessible, sustainable, and effective for everyone. If you have an idea that strengthens the foundations of this field, whether through training, documentation, infrastructure, or beyond, the fund want to hear from you.
This fund will support often-overlooked projects and initiatives in our sector that will benefit the wider conservation technology community.
These include:
• Community management: Activities that engage and sustain active conservation technology communities through WILDLABS.NET and other communities of practice.
• Cybersecurity: Implementing cybersecurity measures to protect digital infrastructure, data, and communities, especially against emerging threats like AI bots.
• Data mobilisation: Curating historical data, labelling or managing large datasets, or increasing discoverability of data.
• Documentation and guidance: Publishing documentation and comprehensive guidance that is shareable and usable by the community.
• Expert intervention: Funding the participation of experts to enhance the collective knowledge of the conservation technology community on specific topics.
• Events: Organising webinars, in-person or virtual meetups, workshops, and other gatherings that foster learning and networking with the community.
• Knowledge transfer: Sharing expertise across teams, organizations, and communities.
• Maintaining existing technology: Supporting core, existing technology infrastructure to benefit the conservation technology sector and community. Note: The Boring Fund does not support building new features and components. Please apply to the WILDLABS Awards for support for this work.
• Self-led learning initiatives: Providing access to online courses, dedicated experts, certifications, or relevant literature.
• Technical debt management: Maintaining and improving technical infrastructure, servers, or backend systems that benefit communities of users.
• Training materials: Creating essential training resources such as online courses, instructional videos, or detailed guidelines.
• And much more, including other initiatives that contribute to the growth and sustainability of the conservation technology community.
We welcome applications for projects that may be considered “boring to fund” by traditional standards, as long as they address a relevant need within the conservation technology space.
We are looking for proposals that strengthen the core, often-overlooked components of the following conservation technologies:
• AI / Machine learning
• Bioacoustics
• Bio-loggers / Animal tracking
• Camera traps
• Data management and processing platforms (e.g., Movebank, Wildlife Insights, Zooniverse)
• GIS and remote sensing (satellite, multispectral, and thermal imagery, LiDAR)
• eDNA & genomics
• Mobile apps & citizen science platforms
• Non-AI computational tools (e.g., R, Python, statistical software)
• Networked sensors
• Protected area management tools (e.g., SMART, EarthRanger)
• Remote sensing & GIS
• UAVs / Drones
We will also consider applications that address at least one of the following conservation challenges:
• Biodiversity and/or environmental monitoring
• Captive breeding
• Citizen science
• Climate change / Resilience
• Habitat loss or destruction (e.g., deforestation)
• Endangered species & ecosystems
• Illegal or unsustainable fishing (IUU)
• Human-wildlife conflict and coexistence
• Invasive species
• Pollution
• Protected area management and planning
• Scientific research
• Species protection
• Wildlife crime / Illegal wildlife trade / Poaching
Please contact us if technologies or conservation challenges are missing from these lists.
Alternatively, if your chosen technology is not present on our list, you can justify its inclusion in your proposal and clarify your project’s relationship with the conservation technology sector.
We encourage all who are eligible to apply regardless of your location or career status.
