European Outdoor Conservation Association: Conservation Project Grant

The European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) offers conservation grants up to €30,000 for projects that enhance biodiversity in wild landscapes, excluding North America. Funded projects must protect threatened species or habitats, demonstrate a connection to outdoor enthusiasts, and involve hands-on conservation work. Additionally, these initiatives should support local communities and address climate change issues, ensuring habitats sequester carbon and reduce emissions while promoting sustainable practices.

Background
These two issues are intrinsically linked, and both are of enormous importance to wildlife, nature, people and the future of the planet.
From the highest mountains and the valleys between them, to streams, lakes and oceans, within these varied landscapes are many different ecosystems, each vital for biodiversity, mitigating against climate change, and for communities.
These include alpine meadows, forests, peatlands, freshwater habitats, salt marshes, mangroves and seagrass meadows, to name but a few.
EOCA funds projects which benefit biodiversity in a wild landscape. Projects must conserve, protect, enhance, restore, and/or reconnect habitats within a given landscape that are particularly important for the biodiversity there.
The biodiversity focus should also address the importance that EOCA places on the issue of climate change. Projects should ensure that the habitats being conserved are those that sequester carbon, reduce emissions, enable adaptations to climate change, and/or protect against further habitat and biodiversity loss.
It is also very important that the projects are beneficial to the local communities that live in, or near, these habitats. Projects should highlight how they encourage local stewardship of habitats, alleviate poverty, support local ecosystem services, while at the same time, having a link to outdoor enthusiasts who value these precious wild spaces.

Eligibility

Non profit organisations can apply to EOCA for grants of up to €30,000, to implement a conservation project of up to two years in duration in any country around the world except North America (US and Canada – where the Conservation Alliance provides funding for conservation efforts from the North American outdoor industry).Project applications MUST:protect a threatened species or habitat;have a link to the outdoor enthusiast;Link to the outdoor enthusiastAs EOCA is raising money from the European outdoor industry, we feel that conservation and restoration work should go hand-in-hand with responsible use of the ‘wild’ areas we all enjoy. Projects MUST therefore demonstrate a specific link to the outdoor enthusiast (such as hikers, bikers, kayakers, climbers, bird watchers or explorers etc).This is intended to be a positive, rather than limiting focus and may include enhancing the visitor’s experience in an area as well as protecting an area from any detrimental impact caused by the visitor. It will make projects very relevant to those that are contributing towards their funding. As a small organisation, we hope that, not only will this give the projects we support a unique and specific focus, but will help other smaller organisations, which may not otherwise be considered for funding elsewhere, attract a grant from EOCA.AND involve hands-on practical conservation work.If Your Organisation Has Previously Applied For Funding:In order that the process is fair to all those taking part and gives newcomers to the process equal opportunities to be successful, EOCA asks organisations to adhere to the following policy:If a project gains funding –The organisation can only apply for funding after the current project has completed, and the final report has been accepted by EOCA.If a project has been shortlisted twice and not gained funding either time –EOCA asks that the organisation does not reapply for another 2 funding rounds (1 year).If a project has applied on 3 occasions but never gained a position on the shortlist (even if the project has been amended following feedback from EOCA) –EOCA asks that the organisation does not reapply for funding for another 3 funding rounds (18 months).

Ineligibility

The types of project EOCA will NOT support (unless they are primarily hands on conservation based / linked with local biodiversity loss / education about conservation etc) are:Projects in urban areas
100% community or social projects
100% research / PhD’s / MSC’s / expeditions / conference attendance
Alternative / sustainable transport
Waste management projects (unless linked to detrimental effect on local biodiveristy / education of recreational users of the area). This includes local community recycling / incinerating projects.
Animal welfare and rehabiliation of captive animalsEOCA will also NOT support projects:Which are party political or linked to religious groups
Covering an organisations general overheads, maintenance costs or salary payments. (EOCA will consider specific overheads necessary for the successful implementation of the project on a case by case basis.)
Promoting violent or illegal action
Involving lobbying governments / campaigning on environmental issues