A new small grants initiative has been launched by the People and Conservation Learning Group (PCLG) to foster multi-stakeholder collaboration and learning between conservation and development and/or rights focused organisations.
With support from the Arcus Foundation, the new funding mechanism will focus on Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and/or Uganda.
The organisers are looking to award grants to teams comprising community-based associations, organisations, enterprises or cooperatives, women’s, youth, Indigenous or ethnic minority groups or associations, or non-governmental organisations.
The grants, which range from US$500 to $5,000, are designed to support activities in one or more of the three great ape range states starting in March or April until June 2021.
PCLG is an international network of organisations that promotes lessons on the linkages between people and biodiversity conservation, with a focus on Indigenous and local community issues. The group is particularly keen to support activities that respond to COVID-19, and the challenges the pandemic is creating in great ape range states for conservation and development.
Applications must include three essential components: people, conservation and learning. Potential areas of interest include:
- Responses to emerging conservation and development challenges in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic
- Indigenous Peoples and local communities and conservation – including equity, justice, governance and/or human rights
- Issues relating to conservation and wellbeing – including negative social impacts of conservation or benefit-sharing from conservation
- Gender equity in conservation approaches, and
- The role of communities in tackling illegal wildlife trade.
To be eligible for a small grant, applicants must form a learning group that demonstrates collaboration between conservation and development or rights-focused organisations, the production of knowledge on the great ape related conservation and development issue tackled, and timely and relevant activities.
In addition, learning groups must include at least one organisation working on great ape conservation and one organisation working on development and/or rights.
The PCLG small grants initiative will support activities such as participation in workshops, the facilitation of national, regional or local dialogues, mobilisation for policy advocacy, or the attendance at an event as a key contributor. However, the organisers won’t support sensitisation projects, project evaluations or tree planting projects, among others.
To apply for a small grant, please complete the small grants application and accompanying budget template available on the PCLG website and submit it to smallgrantspclg@iied.org by 1pm GMT on Monday, 1 February 2021. All submissions must be in English.
More information on the small grants initiative is also available in French from the PCLG website (PDF).