World Land Trust Grant

The World Land Trust Grant focuses on supporting projects that protect biodiversity and ecosystems, primarily in the Global South. The grant prioritizes sustainable conservation activities such as land acquisition and habitat restoration. While aimed at NGOs, it may also support other organizations that can effectively contribute to conservation. Current priorities include projects in Asia, West Africa, and North Africa, with an emphasis on exceptional conservation value.

NOTE: WLT is currently prioritising support to our existing network of conservation partners and is not receiving applications from new organisations. Please continue to check our website for future updates on the regions and approaches we will be prioritising under our new strategy.
The Type of Projects Supported By WLT
WLT funding aims to create long-term and sustainable support for on-the-ground conservation activities, including land acquisition, protected area creation, reserve protection and ecosystem restoration. WLT prioritises supporting projects in countries with high levels of biodiversity and which have the fewest resources available for biodiversity protection – consequently we mainly support organisations based in the Global South.
The main project activities supported by WLT are the creation of protected areas and the protection and restoration of threatened habitats. Project activities may include land acquisition through a range of mechanisms including land purchases, leases, conservation easements, community reserves the legal declaration of protected areas (gazetting).
WLT’s core focus is on bringing new areas of land into conservation protection, but we also support activities that support this core objective including habitat protection (e.g. rangers and patrols), habitat restoration, community activities that are essential for the success of new areas, research and monitoring, and income generation activities that support the financial sustainability of newly created areas or organisations. These latter activities are unlikely to be funded on their own and would only be considered if they are part of a wider conservation project with the creation or expansion of reserves as the main objective.
All WLT funded projects need to have clear benefits, and no net negative impact to biodiversity, communities and the climate.

Eligibility

Partners are typically non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or not for profit/charitable organisations, and with shared objectives around the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems.However, we may also support other organisations, including those with a focus in other areas (for example, development NGOs and indigenous organisations) or for-profit organisations (such as eco-tourism companies), provided these can deliver a cost effective means for bringing land into conservation and are unable to secure other funding for these activities.World Land Trust is currently prioritising support for new projects that are in Asia, West Africa and North Africa, and proposals within existing geographies (Latin America, East and Southern Africa) are unlikely to prioritised unless they are of exceptional conservation value.

Ineligibility

Proposals for projects in North America, Western Europe and in other high-income countries are very unlikely to be supported. Please note, that small-scale tree planting projects (including wood lots and orchards) are unlikely to be supported in any country, unless there is a very clear link to the biodiversity benefits of such activities (i.e. linking existing protected areas).