The Waterloo Foundation (TWF) is offering grants under “Tropical Rainforests Programme” to initiatives working to protect tropical rainforests for their value to the climate, communities and biodiversity, principally through avoided deforestation.
Types of Projects
Local projects: Applications for practical local projects that they will consider would typically be working on a specified tropical rainforest area, defined in hectares. They will generally only accept applications for the protection of areas larger than 10,000 hectares. Applicants will need to demonstrate how their project involves:
Exposing, addressing and overcoming the local drivers of deforestation
Management of the specified area
Methods to measure and monitor the protected area
Sustainable livelihoods for forest-dependent communities
Securing land rights or management rights for forest-dependent communities
Strategic projects: They will consider applications for strategic projects that are working on addressing the drivers of deforestation on a wider or international scale. These could include:
Working on international or regional forest policy
Campaigning for improved practices in commerce
Innovative ways of reducing deforestation e.g. financial systems or solutions based on the value of forest ecosystem services
Funding Information
The majority of the grants in this programme will be for a total of £50,000 – £100,000 spread over multiple years.
TWF will consider providing one off and multi-annual grants (usually for up to five years).
TWF will not Fund
TWF is not able to offer funding for:
Tree planting projects
Projects focused solely on the use of fuel-efficient stoves
Projects with animal conservation as the sole focus
Research projects
Projects focusing on environmental education
They are currently not accepting proposals for REDD and carbon finance projects
Projects based in countries that are not secure and politically stable. They are therefore unlikely to support projects in conflict-affected areas such as within DRC and CAR.
In addition, they only consider proposals from US-based organisations under exceptional circumstances, due to the higher availability of environmental funding in the US compared to the UK.
Eligibility Criteria
TWF prioritises providing funding support to UK-based charities, many of whom work in close partnership with smaller local NGOs based in the countries in which they operate.
If you are an organisation based outside of the UK you must send them contact details for a named person who is willing to provide them with a reference for your work. This must be someone who:
Works for an international NGO with offices in the UK
Works for an organisation that the Foundation has previously given a grant to
Works for an organisation with offices in the UK, which has been a current or former donor to your organisation
Works for an academic institution, think tank or as an independent consultant who is based in the UK, and which has evaluated your organisation.
