The Fund will deliver measures to improve the conservation status of wild pollinators, increase their knowledgebase about pollinators and their role in natural and modified ecosystems, and mobilise society through actions for pollinators in eligible countries of the European Union.

Funding Information

• The Fund provides funding opportunities through two Calls for Proposals:
  • Grants for organisations to support actions for pollinators (maximum EUR 70,000)
  • Grants for individuals to support actions for pollinators (maximum EUR 15,000)
• Recommended minimum grant amount is EUR 25,000 which is the threshold determined to generate meaningful conservation action impact.
• The maximum duration of the project should be 15 months.

Eligible Species

• Wild insect pollinator species. Managed pollinator species are not eligible (i.e. honeybees).
• Applicants can propose actions that provide benefits to pollinators in general, species groups or individual species.

Eligible Location

• Projects must be implemented in countries of the European Union. The outermost regions and the overseas countries and territories (OCTs) are not eligible.

Eligible Activities

• Conservation action and research activities:
  • Promoting knowledge generation on pollinators, particularly for taxa with the highest knowledge gaps in taxonomy, distribution, ecology, population status, and threats, or capacity.
  • Supporting (capacity-building in) pollinator conservation and monitoring.
  • Mitigation of threats faced by threatened pollinator species by implementing conservation action plans.
  • Conservation and management of pollinator species and their habitats;
  • Strengthening the management of protected areas and OECMs critical for the conservation of pollinators.
  • Restoring or creating pollinator habitats in agricultural landscapes.
  • Mitigation of the impacts of pesticide use and/or fertilizers other pollutants on pollinators.
  • Enhancing pollinator habitats in urban areas.
  • Reducing the impacts of invasive alien species on pollinators.
  • Tackling climate change and other causes of pollinator decline.
• Enhancing enabling environment activities:
  • Promoting relevant citizen science initiatives.
  • Helping citizens and businesses to act.
  • Promoting strategic planning and cooperation at local, regional and national/international levels.
  • Formation of collaborations to foster actions of local communities and other stakeholders.
  • Promoting and fostering opportunities for local socioeconomic development linked to the conservation of pollinators and ecosystem services they provide (e.g. local sustainable production of food or medicinal herbs, ecotourism).
  • Promoting and fostering pollinator-friendly management on private property (e.g. gardens).
  • Public awareness, education campaigns, socio-cultural activities, training and capacity building of other actors.

Ineligible Activities

• Activities focused on managed pollinator populations
• The purchase of land and firearms, involuntary resettlement of people, or activities that negatively affect physical cultural resources, including those important to local communities
• Activities adversely affecting individuals and local communities or where these communities have not provided their broad support to the project activities
• The removal or altering of any physical cultural property (includes sites having archaeological, paleontological, historical, religious, or unique natural values)
• Captive breeding

Eligible Costs

• Eligible costs must be:
  • necessary for the implementation of the project activities, arising as a direct consequence of its implementation and charged in proportion to the actual use;
  • reasonable, justified, comply with the principle of sound financial management and in line with the usual practices of the organisation in particular in terms of value for money and cost-effectiveness;
  • incurred during the implementation period (costs incurred before the official starting date of the project or after the official end date of the project are not eligible);
  • identifiable and backed by supporting documents, determined and recorded in accordance with the accounting practices of the organisation;
  • covered by one of the headings indicated in the budget template;
  • compliant with the requirements of the applicable tax and social legislation;
  • incurred in compliance with the Procurement Policy and Procedure for IUCN Grant Recipients. For costs with a value more than EUR 20,000, three price quotations from different suppliers will need to be obtained and kept with financial records;

Ineligible Costs

• The following costs are not eligible:
  • Debts and debt service charges (interest)
  • Provisions for losses or potential future liabilities
  • Purchases of land and buildings
  • Financial support to third parties through sub-grants
  • Reckless and excessive spending
  • Interest owed
  • Currency exchange losses
  • Bank costs charged by the beneficiary’s bank for transfers from the granting authority
  • Deductible or refundable VAT (including VAT paid by public bodies acting as public authority)
  • Costs incurred or contributions for activities implemented during grant agreement suspension
  • Costs or contributions (especially travel and subsistence) for staff or representatives of EU institutions, bodies or agencies

Eligibility Criteria

• In order to be eligible for a grant, the applicants and co-applicant organisations must:
  • be a legal person1;
  • be a non-profit-making organisation;
  • be a youth-led civil society organisation or
  • be an NGO that is staffed by a youth chapter working on conservation in the EU;
  • have an office based in an eligible country where the actions are being implemented, also if the applicant is an international NGO;
  • be directly responsible for the preparation and implementation of the grant project. Applications submitted by a body acting as an intermediary for a third party are not eligible;
  • have a bank account in the name of the organisation;
  • be authorized under relevant national laws to receive charitable contributions, including from sources outside their respective countries;
  • demonstrate technical competency, and the operational and financial capacity necessary for managing the project;

Ineligibility Criteria

• Applicants benefiting from an ongoing European Commission grant, or other grant, who are seeking funding for the same project, are excluded from applying.
• Applicants who have a conflict of interest in applying for this call will be excluded. A conflict of interest may arise in particular as a result of economic interests, political or national affinities, family or emotional ties, or any other relevant connection or shared interest.
• Current employees of IUCN or close relatives (i.e. immediate family) of IUCN employees are excluded from applying.
• During the registration procedure on the IUCN Portal, applicants are required to accept a declaration form confirming that they are not subject to any exclusion conditions such as bankruptcy, etc.

For more information, visit IUCN.