Small Environmental Grants Scheme
The objectives of the Small Environmental Grants Scheme are to support Australian biodiversity projects that are concerned with one or more of the following:
monitoring, collecting, and recording data
community education
community capacity building (training)
research and science
Please note:
- Applications are limited each round (see dates below)
- Applicants from academic institutions can apply for up to $5,000, and we only accept 3 applications per round
- Applicants from non-academic organisations need to look at the Awarded Grants page to see the amounts that are usually funded
- No garden projects please
- Please don’t fill out the EOI until you’ve read this page – if you still aren’t sure whether or not to apply, send me an email and I’ll let you know beth@nwf.org.au
What we do fund:
- Applications for funding are highly competitive and we are only a small group with limited resources. You need to show innovation and collaboration, and most importantly, it must be clear how you will directly make positive changes to biodiversity conservation.
- Research on a particular native species, flora or fauna surveys within a particular project or action plan, publications that don’t already exist on flora or fauna, interesting ways to engage the community in biodiversity conservation, training or workshops on identification of species, or training on conservation methods etc
- Have a look at the page Awarded Grants to see what kinds of things we fund
What we don’t fund (sorry):
- On-ground works including tree planting, fencing or pest plant or animal control (traditionally and currently available through various government agencies, local councils, and other landcare programs).
- Landcare Coordinators – sorry we don’t have enough cash for this.
- Landscape Restoration Projects – the large funds you may have seen awarded for landscape restoration are not open for application, they are grants awarded to our projects under our landscape restoration portfolio.
- Educational programs in primary and secondary schools that are focussed on curriculum changes. Any projects involving schools must be primarily about biodiversity conservation, and not be isolated to the school grounds.
- Bush food gardens, vegie gardens, arboretums, and other excellent projects involving revegetation – we’re too small to fund these all these programs so please don’t apply for these.
- Animal or wildlife refuges and their activities.
- Pure academic research – academic applicants need to show how their research is directly linked to a community group doing conservation work. Research needs to be of benefit to those groups working on habitat or species conservation – eg I won’t accept applications for research on how climate change will affect a particular species without the research being done in conjunction with a group that can work towards conserving that species on the ground. I will only accept 3 applications per round for consideration.
Opening and Closing Dates:
- 1st February – EOIs open for May grant round
- 29th March – EOIs closed for May grant round
- 12th April – Accepted EOIs to submit full application by this date
- 15th May – Trustee meeting for May grant round
- 1st May – EOIs open for August grant round
- 28th June – EOIs closed for August grant round
- 12th July – Accepted EOIs to submit full application by this date
- 21st August – Trustee meeting for August grant round
- 1st August – EOIs open for November grant round
- 27th September – EOIs close for November grant round
- 11th October – Accepted EOIs to submit full application by this date
- 20th November – Trustee meeting for November grant round
- 1st November – EOIs open for February grant round
- 6th December – EOIs closed for February grant round
- 20th December – Accepted EOIs to submit full application by this date
Please note that the grant rounds can be closed when the maximum number of applications that can be received is reached. The Executive Director will post a note on the website each time a round is closed, which may be prior to the set date.
Feedback:
As The Foundation only has one paid employee, feedback to applicants on their unsuccessful applications cannot be given. This policy is also in place to protect the Executive Director. We are very sorry if this is not helpful.
