CEPF has funded biodiversity conservation projects led by more than 2,500 grantees around the world. We support civil society organizations of all sizes—from farmers’ cooperatives and community groups to universities and international nongovernmental organizations.
If this is your first time applying for a CEPF grant, the process may seem a bit daunting, so we’ve provided guidance in three steps to help get you started.
Is your organization eligible?
If you represent a government-owned enterprise or institution, you are eligible only if you can establish that the enterprise or institution:
- Has a legal personality independent of any government agency or actor
- Has the authority to apply for and receive private funds
- May not assert a claim of sovereign immunity
Is your project eligible?
CEPF awards two types of grants: small and large. The average size of small grants is US$15,000 approximately. The average size of large grants is US$150,000 approximately. Grants more than US$ 500,000 are awarded only in exceptional cases.
To be considered for CEPF funding, a project must be located within a biodiversity hotspot where CEPF currently works (check the map). The list of eligible countries is listed under each open call for proposals. If you are proposing project activities in a country that is not listed, please check with the CEPF Secretariat or the relevant regional implementation team before preparing your application.
The project must also support at least one strategic direction outlined in the CEPF ecosystem profile for the hotspot. (You can learn more about strategic directions on the Before You Apply page). In addition, the project must not violate CEPF’s safeguard policies.
CEPF does not fund the following activities:
- Use of child labor or forced labor.
- Construction or rehabilitation of large or complex dams.
- Payment of salaries or salary supplements to government security personnel.
- Purchase of firearms or other weapons.
- Activities that promote the trade in or use of any substances listed under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, or other chemicals or hazardous materials subject to international bans, restrictions or phaseouts due to high toxicity to living organisms, environmental persistence, potential for bioaccumulation, or potential depletion of the ozone layer.
- Purchase and use of pesticides that fall in the World Health Organization classes IA and IB, or in class II if they are likely to be used by, or be accessible to, lay personnel, farmers or others without training, equipment and facilities to handle, store and apply these products properly.
- Physical resettlement of people (voluntary or involuntary).
- Purchase of land.
- Activities that have the potential to cause adverse impacts to critical habitat.
- Activities that introduce or use potentially invasive, non-indigenous species.
- Removal or alteration of any tangible cultural heritage.
How can I increase my chances of having my project funded?
Priority will be given to projects that are the closest fit to the investment strategy set out in the CEPF ecosystem profile.
Preference will also be given to projects that demonstrate a leading role for local organizations and/or an explicit focus on capacity building for local civil society.
Projects that show that they will coordinate with other organizations to prevent duplication of efforts are preferred, as are projects that work with partnerships and alliances.
Other considerations that will strengthen an application include:
- Endorsement from relevant government authorities
- Clear plans for continuing the project after the CEPF funding is complete
- Support for indigenous and local communities in community-based or co-management activities for biodiversity conservation and actions that enhance local communities’ tenure and resource use rights
Ecosystem profile
Before investing in a biodiversity hotspot, CEPF works with many local stakeholders (including nongovernmental organizations, government officials and academics) to create an “ecosystem profile.” An ecosystem profile examines the current status of biodiversity in the region and is used to determine CEPF’s investment priorities, called strategic directions.
Before submitting a letter of inquiry, it’s important that you read the ecosystem profile for the biodiversity hotspot where your project will take place, especially the list of “strategic directions,” which identify the types of activity that CEPF will fund. Each project must address at least one strategic direction from the ecosystem profile.
Ecosystem profiles can be found on the pages for hotspots where CEPF currently works.
- Caribbean Islands
- Guinean Forests of West Africa
- Indo-Burma
- Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands
- Mediterranean Basin
- Mountains of Central Asia
- Tropical Andes
- Wallacea
Small grants
CEPF’s small grants are typically US$20,000 or less (but may be up to US$50,000 in some hotspots). These grants are managed by the CEPF regional implementation team (RIT) in the biodiversity hotspot.
Small-grant applicants can submit their project idea in English or one of the hotspot’s local languages specified in the call. Unlike a large-grant application, you will not need to complete a longer application known as the project proposal.
Several months after the call for proposals has closed, you will receive notification from the RIT letting you know if your project will be funded.
Large grants
CEPF’s large grants range in size. The average amount is around US$150,000. Grants of more than US$500,000 are awarded only in exceptional cases. Large grants are managed by the CEPF main office in Virginia, USA, with assistance from the hotspot’s RIT.
Letters of inquiry for large grants are submitted through ConservationGrants. They may be submitted in English. Other languages may also be accepted; the call for proposals will let you know.
If your letter of inquiry is recommended to proceed to the next stage, you will be notified and invited to submit a full project proposal, which will also be completed in ConservationGrants.
Time frame
Calls for proposals are open several times for each hotspot where CEPF is active. However, you must wait for an open call before submitting a project idea. Calls for proposals are typically open for six to eight weeks. After the call has closed, large grant applicants can expect to hear whether or not they are invited to prepare a full proposal, and small grant applicants will learn if they received the grant funding, within three to six months.
Read the complete call
Each call for proposals includes important details about the projects that are eligible. Review the information in the call to find out:
- Countries where the project can take place
- Strategic directions – the conservation objectives that CEPF-funded projects must contribute to
- Language(s) that the letter of inquiry can be written in
- Due date
- Where you can send questions
Prepare your letter of inquiry
If you are applying for a large grant, you will submit your letter of inquiry online, via a link in the call for proposals to the online grants management system ConservationGrants. Details that you will submit in the system are described in the Letter of Inquiry template (DOC – 38KB). If you have never used ConservationGrants before, you will need to register.
If you are applying for a small grant, an offline template (available in all of the languages specified in the call) will be provided. Your application will be reviewed by CEPF’s regional implementation team in the hotspot.
Before submitting your letter of inquiry, we encourage you to read our 12 Tips for Getting Your Grant Idea Funded for helpful advice.
Write your full proposal (large grants only)
If your letter of inquiry is reviewed favorably, we will invite you to submit a full proposal in ConservationGrants. Proposals for large grants are typically, but not always, required to be written in English. (Read the call’s instructions to find out.)
Applicants invited to prepare a full proposal will also be asked to submit the following supporting documents along with the proposal:
- Project Proposal (DOC – 44KB)
- Security Screening Request Form (DOC – 70KB)
- Financial Questionnaire (XLS – 84KB) and supporting documents
- W9 or W8-BEN-E tax form
- Bank account information (CEPF may require that a project-specific bank account be opened before your project begins.)
- Signatory information
- Cash flow estimate for first five months of grant
Applicants for small grants are not required to prepare a full proposal. Any additional information required in support of your application (e.g., detailed budget, work plan, financial questionnaire, bank details) will be requested by CEPF’s regional implementation team in the hotspot.
Complete safeguard documents (if required)
All CEPF grants (large and small) will be screened against CEPF’s safeguard policies, which are intended to prevent or mitigate any harm to people or the environment that might inadvertently arise during the project.
Applicants whose project triggers one or more safeguard policies will be asked to prepare the relevant safeguard document(s) and incorporate preventative measures into the project’s design.
Appication deadline: 19th Apri 2026
Questions? Email us at cepf@cepf.net.
