Deadline: 10 July 2018

Applications are now open for the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund in 2018 (Round 5) which is a key part of the UK’s efforts. It is a competitive grant scheme, open to projects aiming to tackle the illegal wildlife trade in developing countries.

The objective of the IWT Challenge Fund is to tackle the illegal wildlife trade and in doing so, to contribute to sustainable development in developing countries, through projects which address one, or more, of the following themes:

• Developing sustainable livelihoods and economic development, to benefit people directly affected by IWT
• Strengthening law enforcement
• Ensuring effective legal frameworks
• Reducing demand for IWT products

Length of Project

The minimum length of a project is 1 year and the maximum length is 3 years. Any budget commitment must end by 31 March 2022.

Eligible Organisations

• Applications must come from an organisation, and not an individual. Applicant organisations can be based in any country.
• One of the aims of the IWT Challenge Fund is to build capacity. It is therefore common for an organisation from a developed country to work with an organization from the eligible developing host country to jointly manage its implementation.
• Encourage joint management of the project through a formal agreement setting out the responsibilities of each partner in advance. Funding would be awarded to the lead organisation which would normally provide the named Project Leader, but on a day to day basis the project could be managed by two or more individuals. These arrangements should be described in the application form.
• They do not expect governments and their agencies to lead projects, though they may often be partners. The IWT Challenge Fund cannot be used as a substitute for activities that would normally be part of a government’s core functions (such as fulltime staff salaries or routine management activities).
• Organisations applying for funding 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
• There is no limit on the number of applications an organisation may submit, but they would encourage internal co-ordination to ensure all submissions are competitive.

How to Apply

Applicants can download the application form via given website.

Eligible Countries

• Least Developed Countries: Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Yemen, Zambia.
• Other Low Income Countries: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Zimbabwe.
• Lower Middle Income Countries and Territories: Armenia, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, El Salvador, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Micronesia, Mongolia, Morocco, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Tokelau, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, Occupied Palestinian Territories.
• Upper Middle Income Countries and Territories: Algeria, Belize, Botswana, Brazil, China, Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Gabon, Grenada, Guyana, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Namibia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Panama, Peru, Samoa, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, South Africa, Suriname, Thailand, Tonga, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Wallis and Futuna.

The countries in the fourth row are classed as “Upper Middle Income Countries” (UMICs) by the OECD. They are eligible for the IWT Challenge Fund funding if the application clearly demonstrates that the project will either:

• advance knowledge, evidence and impact in least developed or low income countries either within the same region or other regions
• contribute to the global public good, for example by advancing understanding and/or strengthening the knowledge base related to wildlife trade/sustainable use and poverty reduction
• contribute to serious and unique advancements on a critical issue of benefit to low income countries as a result of specific circumstances of the upper middle income country that could not be made elsewhere.

For more information, please visit Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund 2018.