New England Biolab Foundation

Organizational profile: 
The New England Biolab Foundation is a private foundation whose mission is to foster community-based conservation of landscapes and seascapes and biocultural diversity. They support grassroots organizations and other NGOs in selected countries of Central America, Andean South America, and West Africa. In addition, in support of their local roots, they also provide grants for community-based conservation and cultural projects in coastal communities on the North Shore of Massachusetts.

The foundation support communities in the stewardship of their landscapes and seascapes and the associated biocultural diversity, ecosystem services, and food-ways. They welcome inquiries from community-based nonprofit organizations working toward:

• Conserving biological diversity (terrestrial and marine).
• Sustaining cultural diversity (linguistic diversity, as well as traditional knowledge systems and practices).
• Maintaining ecosystem services (water, soil, and carbon sequestration).
• Supporting food sovereignty and economic vitality of local communities.

Financing Instrument: Grants

Project scale: International grants range from $5,000 to $15,000 and local grants range from $4,000 to $10,000. Please note that first-time applicants are unlikely to be considered for the maximum amount.

Recipient countries regions/country groups: Central America, Andean South America, and West Africa

Recipient categories: NGOs

Eligibility Criteria: New England Biolabs Foundation grants are limited to organizations that hold charitable status in their country. Eligible organizations must operate on a not-for-profit basis and stand by a mission to benefit local communities.

Application guidelines: The first step in the process is to submit a letter of inquiry (LOI) to the foundation following the guidelines posted on their website. Upon review of the letter of inquiry, applicants may be invited to submit a full proposal to the foundation for consideration by their board of trustees. Their trustees meet twice a year to review proposals, typically in August and December, and funding decisions are communicated within four weeks of the meeting. If a proposal has been denied for funding, the applicant needs to wait 12 months from the date of their original proposal application to submit a new request to the foundation.