The Conservation, Food & Health Foundation seeks to protect the environment, improve food production and promote public health in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Middle East. It prefers to support projects that address under-funded issues and geographic areas.

Types of support

• Applied research, pilot projects and new initiatives
• Training and technical assistance
• Local or regional solutions to problems affecting the quality of the environment and human life
• Local leadership and professional development in the conservation, agricultural and health sciences
• Capacity development for local organizations and coalitions

The Foundation funds new initiatives rather than ongoing support for programs that are already well underway. Its goal is to provide seed money to help promising projects, organizations and individuals build the track record they need to attract major foundation funding in the future.

Fields of interest (examples, not exclusive)

• Conservation: protecting biodiversity and natural resources, mitigating the adverse effects of climate change, building the scientific and technical capacity of local conservation organizations, and partnering with indigenous communities and local people.
• Food and agriculture: developing sustainable agricultural practices, building the capacity of small-scale farmers, advancing farmer research, environmentally sound and affordable pest and disease control, and promoting indigenous food sovereignty.
• Health: reproductive health and family planning, mental and behavioral health, pollution and environmental health, zoonotic and neglected tropical diseases, and nutrition and health. The Foundation favors community-level prevention and health promotion and the strengthening of public health systems over diagnosis, treatment and care by clinics, hospitals and humanitarian aid programs.

Key priorities

The Foundation prioritizes projects with the potential to advance the field, build local capacity, promote replication, influence public opinion and policy, affect systems change, and benefit people beyond the immediate project and its local context.

Grant-making policies

• Grants are made for one or two years. Second-year funding is conditional on a satisfactory progress report, an interim financial report and a work plan.
• Awards are made twice a year, in spring and fall, with applications due several months earlier. Timelines are published on the website in advance and may differ slightly from year to year.
• Only one proposal per organization is considered in any calendar year.
• Report templates and due dates are sent with the initial grant letter.

The current application deadline is not specified in the announcement; please check the How to Apply page on the website.

Eligible applicants

• Local, state and regional organizations in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Middle East, where the projects are based.
• Organizations in upper-income countries that work with local partners in these areas.
• Most organizations that can provide evidence of their non-governmental status or charitable purpose, including NGOs, nonprofits, civil society organizations, community-based organizations, and colleges, universities and other academic institutions.

Not eligible

• Projects in post-Soviet states or Balkan states.
• Government agencies and religious organizations; they may be included as project partners but are not eligible for direct funding.

The Foundation does not typically fund

• Overhead or indirect project costs
• General operating support
• Direct food, health or other humanitarian aid
• Eco-tourism
• Buildings and capital improvements
• Projects ultimately intended for private gain; all intellectual property developed with the grant should be public
• Salaries for Executive Directors of U.S. and European-based organizations
• Project expenses incurred before the grant is awarded

Only one proposal per organization is considered in any calendar year.

• There is no minimum or maximum grant size; most grants are expected to fall in the range of $25,000-$50,000 per year.
• Grants run for one or two years, with second-year funding subject to a progress report, an interim financial report and a work plan.
• Seed money that helps projects and organizations build the track record needed to attract major foundation funding.
• Support for applied research, pilot projects, new initiatives, training and technical assistance.