Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) supports grassroots conservation leaders through internationally recognised conservation awards and long-term support.
By investing in locally led solutions that benefit wildlife, habitats and communities, we help proven conservationists scale their impact.
Through the Whitley Awards, the Whitley Gold Award, and Continuation Funding, WFN provides laddered support that helps conservation leaders expand successful projects and deliver lasting benefits for nature and people.
“WFN funding strengthened our capacity to deliver conservation, sustain long-term and more ambitious goals, and turn science into concrete conservation action.”
— Pablo Borboroglu, 2018 Whitley Gold Award winner
The Whitley Awards
Our annual Whitley Awards celebrate effective and dedicated grassroots conservationists from across the globe who are working in direct partnership with communities to drive change. The Awards help conservationists accelerate proven solutions that tackle the biodiversity crisis head on.
Following a global search, applications are reviewed through a rigorous assessment process by an expert judging panel. Winners receive £50,000 in project funding over one year, alongside international profile raising, communications support and access to a global network of conservation leaders.
The Whitley Gold Award
Each year, one member of our Whitley Award winner network is selected to receive the Whitley Gold Award in recognition of their exceptional contribution to conservation.
Gold Award winners are influential champions for nature, pioneering large-scale conservation initiatives, mentoring new Whitley Award winners, and advocating for biodiversity at national and international levels.
WFN’s most prestigious prize, the Whitley Gold Award provides £120,000 in funding to support the recipient’s continued leadership and impact.
Continuation Funding
Winning a Whitley Award is only the beginning. Through Continuation Funding, WFN provides long-term support to successful conservation leaders, helping them build on proven results and respond to emerging conservation challenges.
Continuation Funding enables Whitley Award winners to expand effective projects, strengthen partnerships, and collaborate across the Whitley Award network. Applications are invited annually and applied for competitively, with grants worth up to £100,000 over two years.
A PROVEN APPROACH TO CONSERVATION FUNDING
For more than 30 years, WFN has championed locally led conservation, directing funding to grassroots leaders who are best placed to deliver lasting change for wildlife, ecosystems and communities.
“WFN is a very special organisation. It’s small. It’s very precisely focused…and so it is able to give its money where it really counts; where every penny counts.”
—Sir David Attenborough, WFN Ambassador
We have earned our reputation by:
- Ensuring a rigorous selection process involving expert reviewers, international reference checks, and interviews.
- Funding experienced local leaders working in places where conservation investment is most needed and where the greatest impact can be achieved.
- Offering laddered funding that allows for long-term conservation, not one-off grants.
- Providing media and profile-raising support, access to a global network of conservation leaders, and introductions to funders and other income sources to help scale winners’ impact.
