Rufford Small Grants for Nature Conservation

Benefits & funding

• 1st Rufford Small Grant: up to £7,000
• 2nd Rufford Small Grant: up to £8,000
• Booster Grant: up to £12,000
• Completion Grant: up to £18,000
• Fieldwork costs only; the foundation aims to provide between 50% and 100% of a project’s costs
• Subsistence, travel and payments to essential field workers are considered; salaries are generally not funded and international travel is not normally covered
• Management fees are capped at 10%
• Funds are paid to an organisation such as a conservation NGO or university, never into a personal account; the applicant does not have to work for that organisation, and it may be based outside the project country
• Funded projects get a page on the Rufford website where updates and results are published

Eligibility

• Open to applicants of any nationality, with no residency requirement
• The project must be carried out in a country on Rufford’s eligible-country list, which covers almost all economies the IMF classes as emerging markets or developing economies
• Applicants based in an advanced economy are considered only where the project is in an eligible country, is of high conservation priority, and makes efforts to enhance local conservation capacity
• Applications currently cannot be considered from Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela or West Bank and Gaza; Ukraine is eligible apart from the Crimea, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk regions
• Priority goes to applicants undertaking an MSc or PhD (or equivalent) or who graduated from such studies in the past three years; people who changed career into conservation later in life are also considered
• Students studying for a BSc or equivalent are not funded
• The project must have a nature conservation focus; for species-focused work, consideration is given to species not listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List
• Pure research with no obvious conservation benefit, expeditions, attending conferences or seminars, and publishing books fall outside the programme
• One funding application in any 12-month period; unsuccessful applicants may reapply after 12 months
• The project must not have started before the application is submitted

Application process

1. 1
   Read the general criteria and the country eligibility list on the application site.
2. 2
   Create an account on the Rufford application portal and complete a personal profile, which is included in every application.
3. 3
   Fill in the online application form. It can be saved and resumed, and must be submitted within 90 days of being started.
4. 4
   Line up three referees, at least one based at a well-established institution such as a major conservation NGO, university or government body. They are contacted automatically once the application is submitted, and all three references must arrive within 12 weeks or the application is rejected.
5. 5
   Arrange for an organisation to receive and manage the grant, since funds are never paid to individuals.
6. 6
   Applications are screened by the Rufford office; those that pass go to external expert reviewers.
7. 7
   Expect a decision within three months of submission. Applications turned down at the office stage are usually notified within days.
8. 8
   Grantees publish regular updates and submit a final evaluation report; that report has to be in before any application for the next grant level.

Program timeline

1. Rolling

   applications accepted at any time of year, with no deadline

2. Within 90 days of starting the form

   the application must be submitted

3. Within 12 weeks of submission

   all three references must reach the foundation

4. Days after submission

   applications rejected at the office stage are notified

5. Up to 2 months

   external review of applications that pass the first stage

6. Within 3 months of submission

   decision

7. 12-18 months

   length of most funded projects

8. 12 months

   waiting period before a further application