Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund
Overview
The Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) Challenge Fund was launched in 2014 as one of the practical outcomes of an international Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade hosted by the UK Government.
To date (2017) around £9.8 million has been allocated through the Fund to 34 projects.
The objective of the IWT Challenge Fund is to tackle the illegal wildlife trade and contribute to poverty alleviation in developing countries, through projects which address one, or more, of the following themes:
- Developing sustainable livelihoods for communities affected by illegal wildlife trade.
- Strengthening law enforcement and the role of the criminal justice system.
- Reducing demand for the products of the illegal wildlife trade.
Projects which are broadly focused on conservation actions, rather than activity which is specifically targeted on tackling the illegal wildlife trade, would not meet objectives for the fund. Projects focused on animal welfare would also not meet the objectives for this fund.
Who can apply?
Applications must come from an organisation, not an individual. Where organisations are working in partnership, there needs to be a lead organisation.
Applicant organisations can be based in any country and must:
- Have a credible record of working on similar types of projects.
- Have demonstrated experience managing projects of a similar size.
- Nominate a Project Leader who will be responsible for the technical direction of the project and be the main point of contact.
Eligible projects should be able to demonstrate a link to one, or more, of the commitments set out in the London Declaration on the Illegal Wildlife Trade.
The minimum length of a project is one year and the maximum length is three years two months (to coincide with the requirement for the budget commitment to end by 31 March 2018).
The total funding available is around £4 million. The total project value should be a minimum of £50,000 and not exceed £500,000. This is to ensure value for money and to enable as many projects as possible to benefit.