African Conservation Fund (ACF)

Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE)

Asociacion Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INBio)

Botanical Gardens Conservation International US, Inc. (BGCI)

Centro de Referência em Informação Ambiental
(CRIA)

Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH) Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network (IABIN)

Kenya Marine & Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) Desk Study

Kenya Marine & Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) Planning Grant

Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG)

Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research
(NMIMR)

Smithsonian Institution (SI)  

University of Cape Town (UCT)

Wildlife Conservation Network – Save The Elephants (WCN-STE)

World Health Organization – African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (WHO-APOC)

The organizations funded by the J.R.S. Biodiversity Foundation are listed on the left pane with links to summary descriptions of the funded projects.  In the past two years the Foundation funded 13 projects that total approximately $2.4 million.  Projects have been funded in Brazil, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, India, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, and Madagascar.

The Foundation’s grantmaking interest is defined in its mission statement and scope.  It initiated its first funding effort in June 2006 with a Request For Proposal inviting several exemplary organizations working in the filed of biodiversity to apply for support.  The RFP was written to advance biodiversity informatics, which the Foundation defines as the method, training, and information technologies that enable the interpretation of, and access to biodiversity data and knowledge. The Foundation has a special interest in supporting biodiversity work that cuts across traditional boundaries, especially as the field becomes increasingly data-driven, benefiting from collaboration among various environmental disciplines. 

The J.R.S. Biodiversity Foundation recognizes that the field of biodiversity encompasses a wide range of activities from research science; to data collection; to aggregation, synthesis and publication of data; to interpretation and analysis of data; to the ultimate application and use of biodiversity data by end-users to effect policy change.  Within this wide range of options the Foundation sought with its initial RFP to advance projects, or parts of biodiversity informatics projects that focus on: (1) collecting data, (2) aggregating, synthesizing, publishing data, and making it more widely available to potential end users, and (3) and interpreting and gaining insights from data.

• Identify problems and gaps in the area of biodiversity where conditions can be improved,
• Recognize opportunities where the Foundation may intervene,
• Understand the capability of the organizations and principal investigators applying for funds.
• Make decisions and choices about the use of its grant resources,
• Fund requests that match the Foundation’s interests,
• Monitor, receive reports, and evaluate grants to determine the impact of its grant making, and
• Learn and modify the Foundation’s funding patterns.

• All requests for funding to the J.R.S. Biodiversity Foundation must be submitted in writing in response to a specific invitation to apply.  Oral proposals cannot be evaluated and cannot be accepted.  Unsolicited proposals will not be considered.
• A sufficient amount of time is required for proposals to be evaluated during the review process. 
• Emergency proposals cannot be considered.  Such grant seekers should pursue other avenues of funding.
• The time required to review each proposal depends on its complexity, on the Foundation’s work load, and timelines identified in an RFP.

• The Foundation will typically pursue its grantmaking though an invited RFP process where specific organizations will be encouraged to submit requests.
• Projects not matching the Foundation’s general interests will be declined. Incoming proposals may be reviewed by a staff person, board member, or by a consultant working on the Foundation’s behalf.
• The Foundation may work with an applicant organization to modify an original proposal in order to make it stronger and more fundable.
• The Board of Directors will make all final funding or declination decisions.
• Upon approval for funding by the Board of Directors, the Foundation staff will prepare a grant award letter describing conditions, restrictions, payment terms, and reporting requirements. Returning an executed copy of a grant award letter constitutes an agreement to the terms and conditions of a grant.
• Consistent with the terms and conditions of the grant award, organizations will be required to submit periodic written reports to the Foundation. Ongoing monitoring and site visits will be performed by the Foundation throughout a grant period.
• At the end of a grant period a final report will be required from a grantee describing the results of the grant.
• Committee and Board Members are not to be lobbied by grant seekers

Guiding Principles 

Since the Foundation is a relatively new grant-making institution it has begun to establish general principles that underlie the shared values that the Trustees will use to guide their decision-making with respect to grants.  Although these may be modified over time as the Foundation gains more grant-making experience there are several principles that will be used as a guide at this time. 

• No funds will be granted for land acquisition
• No funds will be contributed to endowments.
• Funds will not normally be made available for agricultural projects which do not promote biodiversity.
• No funds will be made available for efforts that directly engage in political activities, lobbying, or influencing legislation.
• The Foundation shall consider only one project from a principal investigator at a time.
• The Foundation will have a bias toward projects that develop, support, and conform to international standards and guidelines.
• The Foundation believes in the importance of sharing data with the public, following open access principles like those promulgated by The Conservation Commons.
• The Foundation will be given access to tools and data that have been developed through its support.  These will be made available to the wider scientific community.
• Comment from applicants is required on the current up-to-date status of taxonomic data proposed to be digitized.
• Applicants must indentify key personnel, nationality, credentials, and affiliations for all individuals working on Foundation grants.
• It is understood that the Principal Investigator identified in the original proposal is to remain throughout the entire grant period unless otherwise approved by the Foundation.