Impact Funding Resources
Rainforest Trust supports non-profit organizations, Indigenous Peoples, and communities to protect ecosystems in the tropics and subtropics critical to endangered species and climate mitigation. We do this by providing funding and other support to create or expand protected and conserved areas that benefit Species, Climate, and People.
Rainforest Trust always welcomes new applications for protected and conserved area creation or expansion, with the following criteria and guidance designed to help streamline the process.
Rainforest Trust always welcomes new applications for protected and conserved area creation or expansion, with the following criteria and guidance designed to help streamline the process.
End Date01 Oct 2025 Funding AmountUpto USD 250k Funding Resource TypeGrant
Funding ProviderRainforest Trust
Grant
Rainforest Trust
Rainforest Trust always welcomes new applications for protected and conserved area creation or expansion, with the following criteria and guidance designed to help streamline the process.
Broadly speaking, Rainforest Trust offers two types of funding support grants: Feasibility Awards and Protected or Conserved Area Creation Awards.
— Feasibility Awards
Rainforest Trust provides Feasibility Awards to assess the potential for creating or expanding protected or conserved areas. These awards are intended to address specific information gaps in conservation projects, as precursors to applying for a Protected or Conserved Area Creation Award. For instance, Feasibility Awards can support developing a legal pathway to protect a proposed site, or field surveys to determine the presence and abundance of Critically Endangered or Endangered species. The average size of Feasibility Awards is $10,000; in exceptional situations, amounts of greater than $20,000 may be considered.
— Protected or Conserved Area Creation Awards
Rainforest Trust’s primary awards support the creation and expansion of protected or conserved areas, on land or sea, be it through designation, land titling, purchase or any other recognized methodology (e.g. Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs)). The goal is to empower Project Implementers to facilitate new, lasting and sustainable protected or conserved areas that are in line with community and government needs and desires. There is no set maximum grant amount for these Awards, with applications assessed and awarded on an individual basis.
https://www.rainforesttrust.org/get-involved/apply-for-funding/#criteria
A) REQUIRED CRITERIA FOR ALL PROJECTS:
1. The primary objective must be the creation/expansion of a protected or conserved areai.
1.1 The proposed area(s) must be currently unprotected. Please use the World Database of Protected Areas to help determine if formal protection is already afforded (IUCN category 1-6)ii.
2. The proposed protected or conserved area serves to:
2.1 Protect globally significant populations of Critically Endangered and Endangered species (e.g. Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) and Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) sites); AND/ORiii, iv
2.2 Protect large areas of Tropical and Sub-tropical High Integrity Forests; AND/OR
2.3 Protect Tropical and Sub-tropical habitat critical for mitigating global climate change (e.g. peat swamps, mangroves, páramo).
3. The Project Implementer must be a legally registered non-government organization and authorized to conduct work in the country of the project.
4. The project demonstrates support from relevant governments (including Indigenous governments) and Indigenous Peoples and/or Local Communities, and that relevant Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) has been or will be properly conducted.
5. The protection mechanism, resulting in a change in legal status of the area during the course of the project, will mitigate critical threats to biodiversity and, where applicable, to carbon storage.
6. A management system (management plan and committee) is, or will be, in place that ensures positive and sustained outcomes for the in situ conservation of biodiversity.
7. Resource extraction limits are, or will be, established to prevent unsustainable use.
B) Additional Required Criteria for Specific Project Types
8. Projects where Indigenous Peoples' and/or Local Communities' Land Tenure is the Primary Conservation Strategy
8.1 Substantial management authority of the area will be led by the Indigenous Peoples or Local Communities.
8.2 Land titles—or similar permanent land ownership or resource rights designations—and governance authority will be granted to the Indigenous Peoples and/or Local Communities with the customary right to the land in question; ORi
8.3 Lands and/or waters will be designated as a multiple-use territory with management (or co-management) by the Indigenous or Local Community.
9. Projects where Land Purchase is the Primary Conservation Strategy
9.1 Land is likely to be converted in the near future if purchase is not completed.
9.2 An alternative protection strategy is not possible, more expensive, or significantly less effective.
9.3 Conservation value is greater than expected based on the cost; ORi,ii
9.4 Very high biodiversity valueiii; OR
9.5 Strategic valueiv.
10. Projects where Marine Protected Area Creation is the Primary Conservation Strategy
10.1 Enabling conditions exist for Marine Protected Area (MPA) creation and effective management, includingi:
10.1.1 Overlaps area of maximum biodiversity benefit from MPAs according to Sala et al. 2021; ORii
10.1.2 Stands out on other measures of biodiversity value; OR
10.1.3 High carbon value.
3) Preferred Criteria
Preferred Criteria for All Projects
(Please check on website)
