The Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) is delighted to be accepting applications to the 2023 Team Awards via our online portal. The awards target exceptional teams of early-career conservationists leading high-priority projects across the world.
Applications for Future Conservationist Awards must be submitted using the online platform by 23:59pm GMT on 10 October 2022. CLP alumni applying for Continuation Awards must submit a Logical Framework by 4 September 2020 and, if this is approved, they must submit a full application by the 10 October deadline.
Read on to find out more about the awards, eligibility criteria and application process.
Why apply?
The award-winning teams will benefit from a project grant as well as global recognition for their exceptional work in conservation. All team members will have opportunities to build connections with peers and access expert mentorship through the CLP Alumni Network (comprising almost 3,000 past recipients around the world); CLP partner organisations; and the CLP Management Team.
Individuals from winning teams are also invited to participate in international, regional and online training courses to develop their conservation knowledge and skills.
The international Conservation Management & Leadership (CML) workshop is particularly renowned among CLP alumni. This course offers training in essential topics for rising conservation leaders, such as Creative Leadership for Conservation, Fundraising & Project Planning, and Behaviour Change, enabling them to build on the knowledge and skills that will underpin their future careers as conservation leaders. Moreover, by bringing participants together from around the world, the workshop provides an opportunity to form valuable connections with other early-career conservationists.
One trainee from last year’s CML workshop described it as having a “very positive and refreshing impact on me…The lessons from this training have made me more methodical and strategic in my way of working” (Sofia Micaela Perrone, Argentina).
Winning a CLP award also gives each team access to the CLP Alumni Network, which offers more opportunities for funding, training and learning exchanges.
About the awards
The CLP Team Awards are a competitive process through which CLP aims to identify, recognise and empower rising stars in conservation, who work mainly in the developing world.
Awards are granted to teams undertaking high-priority projects that involve not just research but also practical actions and community outreach to promote pro-conservation attitudes and achieve tangible, effective and long-lasting conservation solutions.
Through our online application portal, eligible applicants can apply for one of three types of award:
- Future Conservationist Awards (up to $15,000 for projects 3-12 months in length)
- Conservation Follow-Up Awards (up to $25,000 for projects up to two years in length; available only to previous recipients of a Future Conservationist Award)
- Conservation Leadership Awards (up to $50,000 for projects up to three years in length; available only to previous recipients of a Follow-Up Award).
Many past recipients of CLP awards have gone on to lead successful careers in the conservation sector, including establishing their own NGOs, influencing conservation policy, discovering new species, driving forward scientific knowledge, and bringing threatened species back from the brink of extinction.
CLP alumnus Allwin Jesudasan, Director of the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Centre for Herpetology (MCBT/CFH) in India (who co-facilitates our Fundraising training module) recently described how winning a Team Award in 2010 and becoming part of the CLP Alumni Network has helped his career: “I would definitely describe my relationship with CLP as a career-defining one. CLP training, and funding to attend international conferences, helped me build a professional network, gain confidence and get inspired by new ideas and people. The best part is that the relationship has continued even so many years after we won the award.”
Are you eligible to apply?
Applicants must propose projects that support the conservation of species listed as Data Deficient, Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered on the global IUCN Red List. Projects must take place in an eligible country, be led (or co-led) by a national of one of these countries, and involve at least three team members.
More details about the eligibility criteria and application process for each type of award can be found in our Frequently Asked Questions and Grants pages.
Prospective applicants for Future Conservationist Awards can also find more information about the eligibility criteria by watching the video below:
What happens after you apply?
Once you submit your application, it will be reviewed by the CLP Management Team who will check that both the project and team meet the eligibility criteria for funding (Stage 1). If your application is eligible, it will then pass to Stage 2 during which it will be reviewed by conservation experts who will score your project proposal based on its feasibility, contribution to conservation, and capacity development of the teams.
During the third and final stage, the CLP Awards Selection Committee will decide on the winning projects. The winners are expected to be announced in April 2023. A detailed timeline of the selection process, with important dates, can be found on the Grants Overview page.
Last year, 23 projects were selected for an award (16 Future Conservationist Awards; five Follow-Up Awards; and two Leadership Awards).
We wish you the best of luck with your application!
This call for applications has been made possible thanks to support from Arcadia – a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin.
