● Project cost is below $1500.

● Strong biodiversity conservation aspect

● All required application materials are included (application form, project proposal with one-page English summary, resume or CV, and letter of recommendation if a student)

● A valid US contact who can receive and deliver your equipment (Note: we prefer not to send to states of Alaska (AK), Hawaii (HI) or Puerto Rico (PR)

● An accurate explanation of how each piece of requested equipment will be used in your project. It is important to match this list of items in the Application Form with the list you provide on the “Requested Equipment” page. See sample form.

● Project initiation date (or date equipment needed) that is 6 months from application.

● A description as to how the equipment will be used again (recycled forward) upon completion of your project (e.g., used on additional projects or donated to other conservation efforts)

We support projects that relate to biodiversity conservation, research or education – animals, plants, mushrooms…all life on earth. Visit our Past Projects to see the breadth of efforts we’ve funded over the decades to empower, activate and equip conservationists.

We award grants to conservationists in the Global South, especially under-resourced countries and/or those working in biodiversity hotspots.  Supporting First World-based projects is generally not in our mission but we welcome hearing from tribal and marginalized communities in the First World, and from conservationists in the First World working globally with country nationals.  If you are a non-national, it is best to have a country national apply or co-apply.

Once your application materials have been received, you will receive an email reply to confirm receipt of your materials within 10 working days.

Each request is reviewed within 3-6 months of receipt. After the review is complete, you will receive another email notifying you of acceptance or denial. If your project is approved, you may not be granted all of the items or the exact brand/model you requested. At that time, you will also be asked to confirm acceptance of the equipment offered and to confirm the details of your US contact to receive and transport equipment.

Over our 30 year history, we have found that international shipping and customs can be unreliable and costly, including to Canada. There also may be high taxes upon receipt. Previous recipients have found relatives, visiting professors or colleagues willing to receive and transport equipment on their behalf. By using this more secure method, we are able to direct more of our resources to more individuals. When listing the person in the United States who can receive and deliver equipment to you, you need to provide their name, email, *street mailing address and telephone number.

• ~Double check that you are submitting a current email and address for your U.S. contact.
• ~*We prefer not to send to the states of Alaska (AK), Hawaii (HI) or Puerto Rico (PR). Also, PO Boxes often do not work.
• ~Once we have shipped to your U.S. contact, IDEA WILD is no longer responsible for the equipment. If you opt at any time to use direct shipping, IDEA WILD will not reimburse any shipping or associated fees.

No. However, we can consider providing funds for fieldwork. Your request needs to specifically outline transportation–vehicle rental and gas/mileage or bus fares–lodging and/or meals.  The review committee’s decision will depend on the overall budget, conservation impact and grant competition at the time.

Once an approved project is completed, each recipient is expected to provide follow-up materials to report on how the equipment was used. There are no formal deadlines or specific reporting forms. We appreciate receiving a one-page summary of the project, interesting results, how the equipment was used/was beneficial, etc. Publications, posters, theses, news articles, videos, blogs, social media, etc. that result from your project are especially welcome. We also enjoy high resolution photos from the field to be shared with our donors, readers of our e-newsletters and our social media followers. Our logo can be found here.

Yes. Past recipients are welcome to reapply after submitting photos and written updates from previously funded projects.   One can only apply 2 times in a 12 month period.