Prince Bernhard Nature Fund

Organizational profile:
Prince Bernhard Nature Fund (PBNF) is an endowment fund and a not-for-profit organisation. The endowment left by the late Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands is invested in the stock market (in green and sustainable companies such as in the renewable energy sector) and the interest is used to support projects worldwide. PBNF has no donors or investors. 

The PBNF supports small, preferably local initiatives worldwide towards the conservation of endangered species (flora & fauna), or initiatives that in other ways promote the conservation and wise use of nature and our natural resources base. For example, PBNF devoted € 10,000 to land acquisition for ecosystem restoration in WestFaia Brava, in hope of closing the gaps and ensuring the 872 ha exclusively for the indigenous forest and for wildlife. Next to that, the Fund stimulates innovation and cooperation within the nature conservation sector, by challenging itself and others to think outside the box and to exchange opinions, thoughts and experiences. PBNF’s vision is a biodiverse world with healthy ecosystems and a sustainable, wise use thereof.

Financing Instrument: Grants

Project scale: PBNF’s grants do not exceed US$ 20,000 or € 20,000.

Recipient countries regions/country groups: developing countries, with a special focus on the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific/Oceania.

Recipient categories:
The PBNF does not support individuals, only registered non-profits. These can be associations, operating foundations, research institutes, local authorities, universities and others. Applicants must have an organisational bank account, no personal accounts are allowed.

Eligibility Criteria:

1. The PBNF aims to help save critically endangered flora and fauna. The urgency of the applicant’s conservation case is directly related to the priority their project will receive. Therefore, always verify the conservation status of the focus species on the IUCN Red List. As a general rule of thumb, it can be said that an applicant is eligible with a focus species that is at least classified as Vulnerable (VU), and receive a higher priority when the species is classified as Endangered (EN) or Critically Endangered (CR). If the focus species is Near Threatened (NT) or Least Concern (LC), the applicant should not apply, or in case of doubt send an inquiry before applying.
2. Due to the small grant size, the PBNF prefers to support projects in developing countries, with a special focus on the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific/Oceania. If applicants are from a developed country, they may still apply, but they will receive a lower priority and therefore have a lower chance for their project to be acknowledged.
3. The PBNF always wants to see an applied component of the project. If the applicant’s project is primarily research-based, it is important to highlight how the research engages communities and will lead to impact on the ground.
4. The PBNF focuses on seed funding, supporting organizations in the start-up phase or pilot projects of organizations. The Fund does not favour requests aimed at supporting general ongoing costs of the organization, nor provides co-funding to large projects where the Fund’s support represents a small percentage of the overall project budget.
5. The PBNF favours smaller grassroots organisations over bigger international organisations.
6. Other criteria include: Stakeholder involvement and local embedding of the project; An innovative approach; (Economic) sustainability of the project; Local capacity building; Scalability of the project. Having some co-funding secured is appreciated but not a must.
7. The PBNF does not support projects that address too general or global threats such as climate change, deforestation, malnutrition, poverty etc. Also, general development programs that for example aim to improve the quality of life in rural villages through economic or agricultural development are not eligible.
8. Only one application per organisation will be taken into consideration for each call for proposals. If an organisation previously received a PBNF grant, a final report must have been submitted to be eligible to newly apply for a PBNF grant. Organizations can be supported a maximum of three times.

Application guidelines:

Applicants can apply for a PBNF grant simply by clicking the button “Apply for a PBNF Grant” on PBNF website. Before the Call opens and after the deadline closes, this button is not there so applicants are not able to apply. 
In the application form, applicants are asked to fill in the details about their project, and to upload a separate budget. Try to be concise and specific in the answers, and please fill in the budget in Euro or US Dollars. If applicants need more guidance and like to have more explanation with the questions, applicants can download the Guidelines document on the PBNF website. 
After completing the application form, click ‘Submit’, and applicants will receive confirmation and copy of their application by email. Results will be announced around June. All applicants will be contacted at the email address provided in the application form as contact address.
If applicants experience any technical difficulty, please contact nature@pbnf.nl