Applications Invited for the 2025 Whitley Awards

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About the Organization

Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) is a fundraising and grant-giving nature conservation charity. Established in 1993, it has channeled £23 million to 200 conservation leaders in 80 countries across the Global South, benefitting wildlife, landscapes, and people.

We offer long term, laddered support to courageous changemakers leading local solutions to the global biodiversity and climate crises; they are acting on the latest science and igniting projects with passion. Through these award winners we support work rooted in communities that creates lasting benefits for wildlife, landscapes and people.

About the Awards  

Whitley Awards fund grassroots conservation leaders in the Global South and put an international spotlight on winners’ work.

The Whitley Awards are our flagship prizes, presented by our Patron HRH The Princess Royal at a ceremony in London each spring. They are won competitively following assessment by an expert academic panel and worth £50,000 in project funding over one year.

Winning a Whitley Award is not just about receiving financial support. WFN also accelerates the careers of conservationists by welcoming them to the world stage.

Increased visibility builds local pride for, and participation in, projects on-the-ground. It helps winners inspire more philanthropic support from new sources, and connect with other conservationists to share successes, failures and resources. In turn, with greater credibility, conservationists are in a better position to influence environmental policy on a regional, national and international scale.

Whitley Award winners are celebrated through a global PR campaign, tailor-made films narrated by Ambassador, Sir David Attenborough, and endorsement from high profile supporters such as Ambassadors, Tom Heap and Kate Humble.

During the week of the Whitley Awards ceremony in London, winners receive PR training, social media advice and speech coaching. This helps them to effectively communicate their work to an international audience and capitalise on the media spotlight following their win.

We also host events at which winners can network with funders, journalists, and NGOs.

Overseas and online training, where the agenda is set by alumni and focused on peer-to-peer exchange is also provided in some of the core skills necessary to the delivery of successful projects on the ground. Winners also gain access to pro-bono legal support.

Every cohort also joins a global community of peers with whom they can share knowledge, experiences and encouragement.

Eligibility

• Not High Income Economy countries – Wildlife conservation projects led by local leaders based in countries that are not defined as a High Income Economy by the World Bank. Exceptions to this criterion include Equatorial Guinea and certain island nations in the Caribbean. If you have any questions about eligible countries, please contact WFN.
• Nationals with local support – The Whitley Awards support nationals of the country in which they are working (i.e. you were born there or have lived there a long time and achieved national status.) If you are not a national but believe you have an exceptional case based on long term residency (15+ years) and a demonstrable commitment to that country/region, then please contact WFN.
• We seek grassroots conservationists who are embedded in and/or from the communities where they work. Applicants should work for or lead locally incorporated NGOs in the Global South. In-country staff employed by NGOs headquartered in the Global North are highly unlikely to be shortlisted for an award unless there are exceptional circumstances.
• Good communicators and passionate people – people who will inspire others and importantly, who will collaborate and share results. Please note applicants must be able to communicate in English.
• Leadership and teamwork – Whitley Awards are won by individuals backed by an appropriate team/organisation. Individuals working in isolation and team/joint entries are not eligible.
• Projects that are based on scientific evidence and understanding – this can be in the leader, expertise on the team, or via partners/collaboration.
• Work involving (and benefitting) the local community and stakeholders is essential.
• Ecosystem / landscape level projects are preferred. Genuine flagships are accepted, but not if results are purely species-specific.
• Projects must be able to demonstrate past success and an evidence-based approach. We do not fund pilot projects or work that is at the start-up stage.
• Grassroots, pragmatic work that is realistic, but ambitious too. We look for applicants on the cusp of ‘something big’ and work that is replicable or scalable.
• Actions that will have clear, measurable outcomes – we look for applications that have given careful thought to what indicators can be measured to evidence impact.
• Sustainable projects – we want the work to continue into the future, well past the Whitley Award. Successful proposals will demonstrate long-term planning.
• Projects that demonstrate value for money and ability to manage funding at the Whitley Award level (£40,000). Organisations with Audited Accounts are preferred.
• Projects for which an Award will make a big difference. Priority will be given to those that can demonstrate need.
• Work that needs publicity – ones that will do well if ‘doors can be opened’ via the media and enhanced recognition.

How to Apply

Applications for the 2025 Whitley Awards are currently open and close at midnight GMT on 31 October 2024.

To register for our application portal, click here. Once you have received your unique login details you will be able to complete and submit your application online.

Complete your application online after registering on the application portal.

It is essential to follow our application guidelines.

Once registered for the application portal, you will be able to login and complete the form online at your convenience. Remember to save as you go! If you close the portal without saving your progress, you will lose your information. Please refer to our FAQs for further information.

For more information please check the Link

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