
In March 2022, Quick Response Fund for Nature and Rainforest Trust jointly launched The Preventing Extinction Fund, a new USD 1,000,000 partnership to protect habitat for the world’s most threatened species.
The Preventing Extinction Fund provides grants to local Civil Society Organizations focused on securing protection for species at the highest risk of extinction across the tropics and subtropics. Funding is intended primarily for land protection projects, including purchase, lease, land designation, and community conservation mechanisms.
Priority will be given to “Rare Species Sites” as defined on the Global Safety Net. Rare Species Sites are defined as currently unprotected areas with species that are rare naturally or are at high threat of extinction due to human activities (Dinerstein et al 2020). Rare Species sites comprise of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), including Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) sites; and sites that capture important populations of rare, endemic, and range-restricted vertebrates and plants.
Applications endorsed by IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) or World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) Specialist/Working Groups or Task Forces will be viewed favorably as will applications with a clear linkages to other IUCN Commissions and the KBA Secretariat.
Two types of grants are available under the Preventing Extinction Fund:
1. Protected Area Conservation Action Grants will support actions that establish or expand protected areas during the timeframe of the grant. Projects will help improve the status of threatened animal species and their habitats. Two levels of funding are available:
- Rapid Response Awards
Typical duration of the project: 1-6 months
Typical amount: $10,000 to $50,000
Typical duration for funding decision: < 2 months
What we fund: 100% of funding must go directly towards establishment or expansion of protected areas.
- Extended Awards
Typical duration of the project: 24–60 months
Typical amount: $100,000 to over $1,000,000
Typical duration for funding decision: 6 months*
What we fund: Funding is available for protected area creation and management costs. For more information on what activities are eligible for funding under the PEF Extended Awards grants, please see the Rainforest Trust website.
*The Extended Awards have a two-step review process. Applicants first submit a Concept Note and will be notified in 1-2 months if they are selected to move forward. If so, the applicant will develop a Full Proposal to Rainforest Trust, which may take 3-6 months for review and approval.
2. Species Planning Grants will be provided to IUCN Specialist Groups, KBA regional focal points or local Civil Society Organizations to support the identification and assessment of priority sites for protected area establishment. These grants are intended to provide groups with the opportunity to identify key sites and begin the process of protection. Follow-up grants for site protection can be applied through the Protected Area Conservation Action Grants.
- Maximum duration: 9 months
- Maximum amount: USD 10,000
- Typical duration for funding decision: 3-6 months