DEFRA: Darwin Initiative
Overview
The Aim of the Darwin Initiative
The Darwin Initiative is a UK government grants scheme that helps conserve biodiversity and support the communities that live alongside it through locally led projects worldwide.
Successful Darwin Initiative projects are likely to include:
- delivering outputs that will achieve both biodiversity conservation and multidimensional poverty reduction
- demonstrated an understanding of GESI within their context, and effectively reflected this in their approach to deliver sustained outcomes
- enhancing the capability and capacity of national and local partners and stakeholders, to help ensure a project’s long-term legacy
- strengthening, promotion and use of evidence to inform and scale the action
- the implementation of a novel or significantly improved approach
- scalable approaches that have the potential to deliver greater impact
See Guidance notes for further information available on the website.
Project Requirements
Lead Partner and Project Leader
Applications must be made by the Lead Partner (an organisation), not an individual, agreeing to the Terms and Conditions(see 3.11) including managing the grant, its finances, reporting and governance. Foreign governments and their agencies cannot be Lead Partners, though they can be a partner; UK government agencies can be Lead Partners or partners.
The maximum annual value of funds requested should not exceed 25% of the Lead Partner’s average annual turnover/income for the previous 3 years.
There is no limit on the number of applications a Lead Partner may submit, but we would strongly encourage internal co-ordination to ensure all submissions are truly competitive; Defra will consider the number of applications from an organisation as part of their decision-making process when awarding grants.
Partners
All projects are required to be led by or partner with local/national organisations of the country/ies in which it is based, with the meaningful and early engagement of in-country stakeholders.
Gender Equality and Social Inclusion
All projects must consider how they will contribute to promoting equality between persons of different gender and social characteristics, with activities expected to deliver equitable net benefits for all.
Value for Money
Projects must demonstrate strong Value for Money in terms of expected impacts from each pound spent.
See Guidance for further information
Four of its programmes are now open to application.
Extra
Darwin Initiative Extra will provide grants between £800,000 and £5 million, for projects that are on a clear scaling pathway: building on good evidence from smaller projects and demonstrating the potential to scale further by completion and delivering strong results for biodiversity conservation and multidimensional poverty reduction. Darwin Initiative Extra projects should last between 2 to 5 years maximum.
For drafting purposes, you may find the Word version of the Darwin Initiative Extra Round 31 application form below useful.
The budget spreadsheet for Darwin Initiative Extra projects can be found below:
Additional materials that you will be required to complete as part of your application can be found below or downloaded from within Flexi-Grant.
- Biodiversity Challenge Funds Workplan Template
- Biodiversity Challenge Funds Stage 2/ Single Stage logframe
- Biodiversity Challenge Funds Risk Framework Template
Main
Darwin Initiative Main invites applications for projects between £100,000 and £800,000 that deliver strong results for biodiversity conservation and multidimensional poverty reduction. Projects should be based on good evidence and strongly demonstrate the potential to scale further. Projects should last between 1 to 5 years maximum.
For drafting purposes, you may find the Word version of the Darwin Initiative Round 31 Stage 2 application form below useful.
- Darwin Initiative Main Round 31 – Stage 1 application form
- Darwin Initiative Main Round 31 – Stage 2 application form
The budget spreadsheet for Darwin Initiative Main projects can be found below:
Biodiversity Challenge Funds budget forms (grants over £100,000)
Additional materials that you will be required to complete as part of your application can be found below or downloaded from within Flexi-Grant. Please note there are different requirements for Stage 1 and Stage 2 – read the guidance for more information.
- Biodiversity Challenge Funds Workplan Template
- Biodiversity Challenge Funds Stage 1 logframe template
- Biodiversity Challenge Funds Stage 2/ Single Stage logframe
Innovation
Darwin Initiative Innovation welcomes applications for projects between £10,000 to £200,000. Innovation is aimed at projects intending to test and evaluate novel approaches that if proven could scale to deliver results for biodiversity conservation and multidimensional poverty reduction. Projects should last between 1 to 2 years maximum.
For drafting purposes, you may find the Word version of the Darwin Initiative Innovation Round 31 application form useful.
The budget spreadsheet for Darwin Initiative Innovation projects can be found below:
- Biodiversity Challenge Funds budget forms (grants over £100,000)
- Biodiversity Challenge Funds budget forms (grants under £100,000)
Additional materials that you will be required to complete as part of your application can be found below or downloaded from within Flexi-Grant.
- Biodiversity Challenge Funds Workplan Template
- Biodiversity Challenge Funds Stage 2/ Single Stage logframe
Capability & Capacity
Darwin Initiative Capability & Capacity welcomes applications for projects between £50,000 and £200,000. Projects should focus on developing the capability and capacity of national and local organisations to efficiently deliver effective and successful biodiversity conservation - multidimensional poverty reduction projects. Projects should last between 1 to 2 years maximum.
For drafting purposes, you may find the Word version of the Darwin Initiative Capability & Capacity Round 31 application form useful.
The budget spreadsheet for Darwin Initiative Capability & Capacity projects can be found below:
- Biodiversity Challenge Funds budget forms (grants over £100,000)
- Biodiversity Challenge Funds budget forms (grants under £100,000)
Additional materials that you will be required to complete as part of your application can be found below or downloaded from within Flexi-Grant.
For further queries, see their Frequently Asked Questions.