How to Apply
Introduction
The Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) Challenge Fund is a UK government grants scheme that provides support to innovative and scalable projects to reduce pressure on wildlife from illegal trade and, in doing so, reduce poverty in developing countries.
Please note all IWT Challenge Fund projects should address one, or more, of the following themes:
- Reduce demand for IWT products
- Ensure effective legal frameworks and deterrents
- Strengthen law enforcement
- Develop sustainable livelihoods to benefit people directly affected by IWT
The guidance documents for each scheme can be found below. All applications should be submitted via the Flexi-Grant application portal.
Funding Schemes
Round 11 of the IWT Challenge Fund includes the following schemes:
- IWT Challenge Fund Extra
- Stage 1 – now open – deadline Monday 28th October 2024
- Stage 2 – by invite only – deadline Monday 31st March 2025
- IWT Challenge Fund Main
- Stage 1 – now open – deadline Monday 28th October 2024
- Stage 2 – by invite only - deadline Monday 31st March 2025
- IWT Challenge Fund Evidence – now open – deadline Monday 28th October 2024
Pre-application webinar:
We are hosting a webinar to provide applicants interested in applying to Round 11 of the IWT Challenge Fund with an overview of the fund. Other topics also covered during the webinar included:
- the role of the UK Embassies and British High Commissions,
- an overview of the Round 11 application process,
- key things to consider in your Stage 1 or Single Stage application,
- an overview of the assessment criteria and what applicants can expect if invited through to Stage 2.
Please ensure you read the application and finance guidance before you attend this webinar.
The pre-application webinar will be hosted on Thursday 5th September 2024. We will host the same webinar twice on this day to accommodate time zones.
If you would like to attend one of the webinars, please register below:
- Morning webinar from 9am – 10:15am (UK time / GMT+1): register here.
- Afternoon webinar from 4pm – 5:15pm (UK time / GMT+1): register here.
Guidance
Before applying, you should first read the following documents:
- Round 11 Guidance for applicants
- Finance Guidance
- Flexi-Grant Guidance
- Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Guidance
- IWT Challenge Fund Standard Indicators Guidance
- Biodiversity Challenge Funds Risk Management Guidance
- Biodiversity Challenge Funds Terms and Conditions
- Biodiversity Challenge Funds Privacy Notice
Please refer to the application guidance for the list of countries and organisations eligible for the schemes.
Once you have read the guidance, you will be required to complete additional material as part of your application, which can be found on the respective scheme pages found in the side menu, or downloaded from Flexi-Grant.
All applications should be submitted via the Flexi-Grant application portal.
Contact Information
For further queries, see our Frequently Asked Questions.
If you would like to contact us regarding an application, and you can’t find the answer in the guidance documents, please contact the IWT Challenge Fund Administration Team:
- General application queries: BCF-IWTCF@niras.com
- For queries specific to using the Flexi-Grant system: BCF-Flexigrant@niras.com