Call for Letters of Inquiry: Mediterranean Basin Biodiversity Hotspot Large Grants

This funding opportunity is designed to strengthen conservation action across multiple Mediterranean-climate countries while ensuring responsible use of funds and protection of ecological and cultural values.

This funding call focuses on the Mediterranean Basin Biodiversity Hotspot, recognized as the second largest biodiversity hotspot globally and the largest Mediterranean-climate region in the world. The investment strategy for this hotspot was updated in 2024 to better address current environmental challenges and conservation priorities.

Grants under this program range from US$50,000 to US$180,000 and are available to organizations operating within Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jordan, Lebanon, Montenegro, Morocco, North Macedonia, Palestine, and Tunisia. The program encourages participation from non-governmental organizations, community groups, universities, and small private enterprises, provided they meet legal and financial eligibility requirements.

Applicants must be legally registered entities with their own bank accounts and authorization under national laws to receive charitable funding. Individuals are not permitted to apply directly but may collaborate with eligible civil society organizations to develop proposals.

Certain government-owned enterprises or institutions may be eligible only if they demonstrate independent legal status, authority to receive private funds, and no claim to sovereign immunity. These conditions ensure transparency and accountability in fund management and project implementation.

The program places strict restrictions on funding usage, excluding activities such as land purchase, involuntary resettlement, and any interventions that negatively impact physical cultural resources or sites of archaeological, historical, religious, or ecological importance. Projects that may adversely affect Indigenous Peoples without their broad support are also not eligible.

For more information, visit CEPF.