Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund (Asia) Funding Opportunity

FY25 Opportunity 

The amount of funding per award may range from $250,000 - $750,000. 

The goal of the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund (RTCF) is effective, long-term conservation of rhinoceros and tigers and their habitats. RTCF supports projects that have lasting benefits for Asian rhinoceros and tigers.  RTCF funds projects that are designed to increase rhino and tiger populations, manage their habitats, create protected areas, involve local communities and Indigenous peoples in conservation, deal with conflicts between people and wildlife, and educate the public about these animals.

This RTCF NOFO invites applications for conservation projects in Asia that have lasting benefits and:

• Support protected areas and restore habitats where rhinoceros and tigers live in Asia.
• Ensure strong protections to stop illegal killing and end the illegal trade in live tigers and rhinos, their products, and their body parts.
• Work with local communities to protect biodiversity, plan how land is used, and provide alternative ways to earn a living that have lasting benefits.
• Promote coexistence by reducing the negative impacts of humans on Asian rhinoceros and tigers and their habitats, tackling the root causes of conflicts between humans and these animals, and finding solutions to minimize such conflicts.
• Conduct research on Asian rhinoceros and tiger populations and their habitats, that informs conservation decision-making, including surveys and monitoring.
• Enforce CITES and other relevant treaties and laws that prohibit or regulate the taking or trade of rhinoceros and tigers or control how their habitats are used and managed.
• Eliminate the demand for illegal rhinoceros and tiger parts, products, and live animals in countries that consume them.
• Reintroduce Asian rhinoceros to places where they once lived.
• Improve cooperation between countries to promote conservation of tigers and Asian rhinoceros across borders.

Quick Links

Notice of Funding Opportunity

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Requirements

Your anticipated project and award start date should be 01 October 2025, or later. The length of your project may range from 3 to 5 years.

• Your project should take place within the habitats of tigers and Asian rhinoceros. If any work is planned outside these areas, your application must clearly show how it relates to conserving wild tigers and Asian rhinoceros.
• If your project activities focus on collecting data and assessing the status of these animals you should explain how this information will lead to management actions and why the lack of information has been a major obstacle for management in the past.
• You must clearly state how the data collected from your project activities will be shared with the tiger and rhinoceros conservation community.
• If your project involves research you should focus on specific management needs, actions, and outcomes to inform conservation decision-making.
• If your project aims to address human-wildlife conflict (HWC) you should follow the key principles and best practices outlined in the IUCN SSC guidelines on human-wildlife conflict and coexistence. You should show that you have previously engaged meaningfully with impacted groups, such as local communities and other stakeholders.
• If your project aims to prevent damage from HWC you must prove that your methods are effective, ethically and culturally appropriate, realistic, and recognized as effective by the stakeholders involved, and that those stakeholders understand the limitations of the methods.
• Your application should identify specific conservation actions that are likely to create lasting benefits.
• Your application should explain how your actions will reduce threats to the species of concern.

Eligibility 

Applicants may be multi-national secretariats, U.S. and foreign non-profits, non-governmental organizations, community and indigenous organizations, and U.S. and foreign public (non-government entity) and private institutions of higher education.

How to Apply 

Applications must be submitted by 27 February 2025 11:59 PM EST

1. Carefully read the Notice of Funding Opportunity (link to NOFO PDF) to determine eligibility.
2. Have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM). To register or reactivate your registration visit www.SAM.gov. We recommend beginning this process 30-45 days before the submission deadline. 
3. To apply, your organization and organization officials must be established in GrantSolutions. To register your organization in GrantSolutions, send an email to help@grantsolutions.gov. The following information must be included in your email and must match your organization’s SAM.gov entity record:
   1. Email subject: "New Organization Request"
   2. Organization/Individual Name
   3. Point of Contact: first and last name, email, and phone number
   4. Organization Type
   5. SAM.gov Unique Entity Identifier (not required for individuals or Service-waived entities)
   6. Organization Employer Identification Number (Individual applicants - do NOT include your social security number)
   7. Address
4. Apply online via Grants.gov

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