Funding

Grant

Research Program•Remote

Conservation Nation Grant Program

Conservation Nation

Application Deadline

Closed · July 15, 2026

Reopens ~Jul 2027

Official Page

Conservation Nation is a Washington, D.C. nonprofit (501(c)(3)) that runs an annual grant round for individual conservationists. The 2026 round funded eight people at up to US$5,000 each across a one-year grant period. It is aimed at early- to mid-career people with up to seven years of conservation experience: practitioners working directly on wildlife, biodiversity and ecosystem protection, full-time staff at nonprofit conservation organizations, and graduate students and above in conservation-related studies.

The funded work happens where the applicant already is, so there is no relocation and no host placement. The organization was set up to widen who gets to work in conservation, and reports more than 195 grantees across 37 countries and over US$2.5 million awarded. The application window is short, roughly one week in July, and every application goes through an online grant portal.

Benefits & funding

  • Up to US$5,000 per grant, across a one-year grant period; the 2026 round runs September 2026 to September 2027
  • Eight grants awarded in the 2026 round
  • Covers field research and conservation implementation, travel for the funded work, support for in-country personnel contributing to the project, intern stipends, and equipment or materials for range-country partnerships; speaker honoraria are weighed case by case
  • Does not cover activities of purely personal interest, team activity unrelated to conservation, cash donations to organizations or third parties, salaries for speakers, or lobbying
  • Grantees join virtual network events and build educational content with the organization’s education team

Eligibility

  • Individual applicants only; the person doing the work submits the application
  • Up to seven years of conservation experience, so early to mid-career
  • Conservation practitioners actively working to protect wildlife, biodiversity and ecosystems
  • Full-time conservation professionals employed by nonprofit conservation organizations
  • Graduate students and above engaged in conservation-related studies, who supply their program director’s details
  • A working bank account able to receive electronic funds in US dollars
  • No nationality or residency requirement is stated; grantees to date come from 37 countries
  • Applicants from communities historically underrepresented in conservation are particularly encouraged; this encouragement does not change who is eligible

Can you apply?

Here's who can apply

Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.

  • Experience required

    ≤ 7 yrs

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Application process

  1. 1
    Watch the grant program page, where each year’s application information page is posted.
  2. 2
    Check the conditions before the portal opens: the seven-year experience limit, individual applicant status, and the US dollar bank account.
  3. 3
    Write the project plan and budget in advance, because the window lasts about a week.
  4. 4
    Submit through the online grant portal once the round opens. The 2026 round opened at 10:00 AM EST on 8 July 2026, and applications sent by email are not considered.
  5. 5
    Get the application in before the close. The 2026 round closed at 11:59 PM EST on 15 July 2026.
  6. 6
    Wait for the review. In 2026, applicants were notified in early September and grantees were announced publicly in October.
  7. 7
    Grantees deliver the project across the one-year grant period, join virtual network events, submit reporting and financial documentation, share project updates and media, and credit Conservation Nation publicly.

Program timeline

  1. 8 July 2026

    2026 applications open, 10:00 AM EST

  2. 15 July 2026

    2026 applications close, 11:59 PM EST

  3. applicants notified

    Early September 2026

  4. grant period starts

    September 2026

  5. grantees announced publicly

    October 2026

  6. grant period ends

    September 2027

  7. Around July 2027

    the next round is expected to open, going by the 2025 and 2026 windows; the official page has not confirmed a date

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