The Sophie Danforth Conservation Biology Fund makes grants of up to US$1 thousand to protect threatened wildlife and habitats worldwide. Priority is for projects that demonstrate a multi-disciplinary approach to ecosystem conservation, and that involve in-country collaborators. Projects must directly affect biological conservation. Applicants can be of any nationality but must be associated with an organization (non-profit, university, etc.) through which they can receive funding. The application deadline is 01 January 2027. About the conservation grants
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Free Rivers Fund — Free-Flowing Rivers
The Free Rivers Fund announces grants to support initiatives and actions in defense of free-flowing rivers. The Fund provides grants for activist and conservation groups that commit to the fight to protect rivers from dams and development. The total amount of funding is not fixed but depends on the total incoming donations. Generally, supported grantees can expect between €1000 and €2000. The application deadline is 10 January 2027. Details here
Ashoka — Carnegie Challenge for Civic Leadership
Ashoka’s Changemakers invites young people running or proposing community civic-leadership projects to apply for tiered funding: early Civic Seed Grants (US$50–100), Civic Promise Awards ($250–500), Civic Impact Awards ($1,000), and Grand Prize Civic Leadership Awards ($5,000–10,000). Applicants must be aged 5 to 20 and located in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, or the United States. The final deadline is 31 January 2027. Carnegie Challenge
Planet Forward — Student Environmental Storytelling Contest
George Washington University’s Planet Forward invites enrolled or recently graduated post-secondary students to submit environmental storytelling entries — short video, social video, written story, or multimedia — on topics including food, water, energy, biodiversity, and climate justice. Six winners across categories receive a fully paid trip to Alaska’s Inside Passage with National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions. Applicants must be enrolled students or within six months of graduation, aged 18+. The deadline is 15 January 2027. Environmental Storytelling Contest
Garden Club of America — Awards in Tropical Botany and Horticulture
The Garden Club of America (GCA) offers several grants, prizes, and fellowships for students enrolled at universities in the USA, including some awards that have a tropical focus. The GCA Awards in Tropical Botany are open to PhD candidates (application deadline is 15 January); the Loy McCandless Marks Scholarship in Tropical Horticulture is restricted to U.S. citizens who are graduate students or advanced undergraduate students (deadline is 15 January). The Anne Chatham Fellowship in Medicinal Botany is open to PhD students and recent PhD graduates (deadline is 31 January). Applicants should review all programs, criteria, and deadlines. Botany and Horticulture Scholarships
University of Oxford — Scholars Program for Africans
The Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx) offers seven graduate scholarships for the 2027-28 MBA program at the University of Oxford. Scholarships are available for applicants who are African nationals, and who can demonstrate a commitment to Africa’s development. The scholarships cover course fees and a grant for living costs, as well as a tailor-made training program. The application deadline is 08 January 2027. AfOx Scholars Program
Swiss Network for International Studies — Call for Projects 2027
The Swiss Network for International Studies (SNIS) makes grants for multi-disciplinary research on global issues that are relevant in the international arena, or that concern multiple countries simultaneously. SNIS accepts submissions from Swiss institutions of higher education and research (listed in the announcement). SNIS strongly encourages international collaboration. Project funding ranges from CHF 100 thousand to CHF 300 thousand for two years. The application deadline is 20 January 2027. Find the call
World Photography Organization — Sony World Photography Awards
The Sony World Photography Awards, one of the world’s leading photography competitions, recognizes the best single images from across 10 diverse categories, including ‘Landscape’ and ‘Natural World & Wildlife’. The competition is free to enter and open to photographers worldwide, with specific categories tailored to professional series, standalone single images, students, and youth under 19 years-old. Cash prizes of US$25 thousand and US$5 thousand are awarded to the top winners of the series and single-image categories, respectively. The closing deadlines vary by competition tier, with the student category closing on 27 November 2026, the single-image and youth categories closing on 05 January 2027. Know more
Royal Geographical Society — Expedition Grants
The Ran and Ginny Fiennes Award offers grants between £2,000 and £5,000 to support humanitarian, scientific, or educational projects worldwide. The award is designed to support emerging travelers and expeditioners. The deadline for applications for projects is 08 January 2027. Ran and Ginny Fiennes Award
Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund — Grants in Support of Endangered and Critically Endangered Species
The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund provides targeted grants to support on-the-ground conservation initiatives for the world’s most threatened species. This global program is open to individual conservationists and organizations working to protect any species of plant, animal, or fungi, with a particular focus on those classified as endangered or data deficient. While the fund primarily supports field-based projects, it does not specify a strict limit for grant amounts; however, typical awards are small grants up to US$25 thousand. Applications are reviewed in three annual cycles, with the next submission windows closing on 31 May 2026, 15 October 2026, and 31 January 2027. Species Conservation Grants