Conservation, Food & Health Foundation Grant Program

The Conservation, Food & Health Foundation Grant Program aims to enhance public health, food security, and environmental conservation in underfunded regions across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Middle East. It supports innovative projects and applied research that promote local solutions, leadership development, and community capacity building. With grants typically ranging from $25,000 to $50,000, the program prioritizes initiatives that foster sustainability, replication, and systemic change beyond immediate project goals.

The Conservation, Food and Health Foundation seeks to protect the environment, improve food production, and promote public health in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Middle East.
Types of Support
The Foundation supports projects and applied research that:
Generate local or regional solutions to problems affecting the quality of the environment and human life;Advance local leadership and promote professional development in the conservation, agricultural, and health sciences;
Develop the capacity of local organizations and coalitions; and
Address challenges in the field.
The Foundation funds applied research, pilot projects, new initiatives, training, and technical assistance, rather than ongoing support for programs that are already well underway. An important goal for the Foundation is to provide seed money to help promising projects, organizations, and individuals develop the track record they need to attract major foundation funding in the future.
Fields of Interest
The following are examples of the Foundation’s areas of interest within the fields of conservation, food, and health, and are not meant to be exclusive.
Conservation: Conservation grants promote environmental conservation through field research, projects, and advocacy that:Protect biodiversity and preserve natural resources.Help mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.Build the scientific and technical capacity of local conservation organizations and promote local, regional, and international partnerships.Increase engagement between scientists, local communities and organizations, and decision-makers.Partner with indigenous communities and local people.
Food: Grants in the food and agriculture program area focus on research-based projects that build capacity for self-sufficiency and resilience to climate change, strengthen local food systems, and support healthy nutrition through projects that: Enhance food security.Develop and promote sustainable agricultural practicesBuild the capacity of small-scale farmers.
Advance farmer research and research partnerships.
Develop environmentally sound and affordable approaches to control pests and diseases affecting important local food crops.
Promote indigenous food sovereignty and knowledge systems.
Address challenges of uptake and scalability through new methods of extension, education, and technology transfer.
Health: The Foundation supports efforts that test new ideas and approaches that promote public health, with a special emphasis on reproductive health and family planning and their integration with other health promotion activities. It favors community-level disease prevention and health promotion projects and efforts that help strengthen regional and country public health systems over disease diagnosis, treatment, and care provided by clinics, hospitals, and humanitarian aid programs.Activities that help increase capacity include applied research, program development, technical assistance, and training projects that:Promote reproductive health and family planning.
Address issues related to mental and behavioral health.
Address issues relating to pollution and environmental health.
Increase the understanding of zoonotic and neglected tropical diseases.
Address issues relating to nutrition and health.
Key Priorities
In all of its areas of interest, the Foundation gives priority to projects that have the potential to advance the field, build local capacity, promote replication, influence public opinion and policy, affect systems change, and benefit people beyond the immediate project and its local context.
Funding
There is no minimum or maximum grant size. It is anticipated that most grants will fall in the $25,000-$50,000 per year range.
Grants are made for a one- or two-year period. Second-year funding is conditional on the provision of a satisfactory progress report, interim financial report, and work plan. Renewal requests for projects that were not originally approved as a multi-year project may be considered, but require a new application.
Grant awards are made twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall, with applications due several months prior.  The Foundation will consider only one proposal from an organization in any calendar year.

Eligibility

The Foundation supports local, state, and regional organizations in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Middle East in the countries where the projects are based. It also supports organizations located in upper-income countries working with local partners in these areas.Most types of organizations that can provide evidence of their non-governmental status or charitable purpose are eligible to apply, including non-governmental organizations, nonprofit organizations; civil society organizations; community-based organizations; and colleges, universities, and other academic institutions.

Ineligibility

It does not support projects in post-Soviet states or Balkan states.Government agencies and religious organizations may be included as project partners but are not eligible for direct funding.The Foundation does not typically fund:Overhead or indirect project costsGeneral operating supportDirect food, health or other humanitarian aidEco-tourismBuildings and capital improvementsProjects ultimately intended for private gain. All intellectual property developed with the grant should be public.Salaries for Executive Directors of U.S. and European-based organizations.Project expenses incurred before the grant is awarded.