The European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) makes grants for field-based projects in wildlife conservation; protection of forests and wetlands; litter clean-up on trails and mountains; environmental education in local communities; and other initiatives in support of nature-based travel and tourism. Projects must benefit biodiversity in a wild landscape such as alpine meadows, forests, peatlands, freshwater habitats, salt marshes, mangroves and seagrass meadows, etc. Grants are to nonprofit organizations in amounts up to €30 thousand for projects of one to two years anywhere in the world (except North America). There are two application periods per year. EOCA will next be accepting funding applications from 01 June through 30 June 2025, for funding in autumn 2025. View this opportunity
EOCA has two funding rounds each year, in June and November. Please keep checking this webpage, and our social media, for updates.
November 2024 funding round: we are currently reading through applications and hope to let you know by the end of February/beginning of March whether your application has been selected onto our shortlist of projects for the public and members’ votes.
Our next funding round will be 1-30 June 2025. The application form will be available to download on this date. In the meantime, please see our page on ‘Funding criteria‘ for full details of what we look for in a conservation project application.
Recorded webinar now available to help anyone thinking about applying for funding from EOCA. The webinar provides advice on the application form, process, project criteria and answers to the most frequently asked questions. Take a look now.
Non-profit organisations can apply to EOCA for funding twice a year. All projects go through a rigorous selection process, being assessed against EOCA’s numerous funding criteria to provide a shortlist. These projects then receive an in-depth review by our panel of scientific advisers, resulting in the final project shortlist. Which projects are selected for funding from this shortlist is decided through a Public Vote and an EOCA Members Vote. All outdoor enthusiasts and nature lovers are invited to take part in the public vote, which is hosted on our website. This involves some work by the project organisations included in the vote, to rally supporters to vote. It is also a great opportunity to raise awareness of their project and the conservation issue they are working to address. The EOCA members private vote, involves member companies of EOCA voting to have their say in which other projects they would like to see being funded.
Please read Who Can Apply and Funding Criteria before applying.
Our policy for projects applying for funding can be read here.
Our privacy policy for projects applying for funding can be found here.
There is an increasing urgency and awareness of the double threat that our world currently faces: the loss of biodiversity and climate change. These two issues are intrinsically linked, and both are of enormous importance to wildlife, nature, people and the future of the planet.
From the highest mountains and the valleys between them, to streams, lakes and oceans, within these varied landscapes are many different ecosystems, each vital for biodiversity, mitigating against climate change, and for communities.
These include alpine meadows, forests, peatlands, freshwater habitats, salt marshes, mangroves and seagrass meadows, to name but a few.
EOCA funds projects which benefit biodiversity in a wild landscape. Our definition of ‘landscape’ includes marine environments, and a broad range of wild, non-urban spaces. Projects must conserve, protect, enhance, restore, and/or reconnect habitats within a given landscape that are particularly important for the biodiversity there.
The biodiversity focus should also address the importance that EOCA places on the issue of climate change. Projects should ensure that the habitats being conserved are those that sequester carbon, reduce emissions, enable adaptations to climate change, and/or protect against further habitat and biodiversity loss.
It is also very important that the projects are beneficial to the local communities that live in, or near, these habitats. Projects should highlight how they encourage local stewardship of habitats, alleviate poverty, support local ecosystem services, while at the same time, having a link to outdoor enthusiasts who value these precious wild spaces.
