Crowder-Messersmith Conservation Fund Grant

The Crowder-Messersmith Conservation Fund, established to honor leaders in nature tourism, provides vital seed funding for local conservation projects in developing countries. Grants, capped at $3000 for one year, focus on projects that benefit endangered species and habitats, ensuring lasting impacts for local populations. Preference is given to applicants with previous conservation experience and those from outside the United States.

he Fund honors Orville Crowder and Don and Sherry Messersmith, leaders in nature tourism, as a means to further global nature conservation. The Crowder-Messersmith Conservation Fund, together with the Nature Forward, helps fund small, local conservation and education projects in developing countries by providing seed money to communities and individuals whose projects have not attracted major support from other sources.
Grants have provided more than 160 projects in over 55 countries with start-up costs since 1974.
General Criteria
Projects must:

• Focus on nature conservation and education.
• Benefit endangered or threatened species or habitat.
• Include a public education component.
• Involve the local population.
• Have lasting significance for local residents.
• Be completed within a year.
• Funding
• The maximum grant for 1 year is $3000 USD.

Eligibility

United States researchers planning work in foreign countries must have at least one local collaborator and consider how the project will benefit the local communities.

Ineligibility

General Exclusions:

• Projects in the United States or other advanced economies.
• Pure scientific research or data gathering with no obvious conservation benefit.
• Expeditions, particularly where the applicant has to raise funds in order to participate.
• Projects that focus on species listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red Book of Threatened Species.
• Projects that are a small part of a large-scale project that has major financial support.
• Funding for international travel, overhead expenses, taxes, utilities, or insurance.
• Money transfers to individual accounts.