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Kenya Conservancies Fund

Empowering Kenya’s Future: Uplifting Communities, Restoring Nature‘

About Kenya Conservancies Fund (KCF)

The Kenya Conservancies Fund (KCF) is a small grant facility established to support conservancies to strengthen their work in biodiversity conservation and venture into nature based enterprises to their long term sustainability.

The fund supports new, nascent and underserved conservancies including  landscape conservancy associations with limited access to traditional funding sources through a sinking fund of between $ 5,000-$120,000 to provide catalytic support in their foundational stages with a range of critical activities from consensus building, to  legal registration to operational and capital expenditure and building governance capacity.

KCF, managed by KWCA, is a strategy to accelerate durable financing for conservancies to support Kenya expand its land under conservation by 30% by 2030 and reach effectiveness as outlined in target 3 of the Global Biodiversity Framework. The fund which acts as a sinking fund will simultaneously transition to a revolving fund to offer market rate loans to conservancies to support conservancies become investment ready and repat the revenues generated from nature-based enterprises the conservancies establish.

Funding Principles

We support conservancies and landscape associations with grants and technical assistance to bridge the critical funding gaps, promote biodiversity conservation and improve the economic resilience required to succeed and become sustainable.

We believe that long term funding to conservancies empowers local communities, promotes sustainability, promotes environmental stewardship and community ownership.

We seek to support conservancies to generate economic value and benefits of conservation to communities who live in and around conservancies. We support conservancies’ capacity to assess and measure progress and invest in governance training to build strong community institutions that contribute to economic and social development of wildlife communities.

We fund Conservancies that:

  • Prioritize Environmental and Economic Resilience: Habitat Restoration, Species protection and monitoring, increased wildlife numbers and diversified conservancy revenue streams such as tourism, livestock production, carbon and biodiversity credits.

  • Involve Local Communities and Stakeholders in decision making because they are most familiar with the conservation challenges and opportunities such as consensus building with stakeholders.

  • Bolster Conservancy Capacity in governance, management and plans for long term sustainability such as infrastructure support; tourism facilities, visitor centers, offices.

  • Promote Equality and value participation of women and youth in governance and management structures such as income generating activities., community-based tourism development.

  • Conservancies at emerging phase of development, with limited institutional capacity, infrastructure, governance and management systems.

  • Conservancies with basic operational capacity and governance structures in place but still facing capacity gaps.

Eligibility Criteria

The Fund supports conservancies in Kenya at different stages of development, with a goal of accelerating their private sector investment readiness and pathway towards maturity and self-reliance and that meet the following Criteria:

  • Conservation significance demonstrated by high biodiversity, a wildlife corridor, buffer zone.

  • Registered Conservancy Entity.

  • Demonstrated evidence of community participation and buy in.

  • Demonstrate evidence of good governance,  organizational and financial management practices.

  • Well defined land ownership and legally recognized boundaries free from disputes.

  • Registered Member of KWCA and a recognized member of a Landscape Association.

  • Demonstrated need and readiness to use funds effectively.

  • Compliant with KWCA’s minimum governance and Accountability Standards.

Application Process

The selection process is structured and merit-based, spearheaded by an independent review committee who evaluate applications submitted to the fund based on the eligibility criteria and funding principles above ensuring that only the most qualified and impactful projects are recommended for final approval by the Fund’s board. The timeline below explains key steps:

  • Call for Ideas (CfI) and Initial screening

    Applicants submit concept notes to assess institutional readiness, governance structures, leadership, and operational capacity.

    Approximate timeline: 2 Months

  • Shortlisting and full proposal stage (CfP)

    After initial screening, selected conservancies are invited to submit full proposals

    Approximate Timeline: 1 Month

  • Final Selection and Due Diligence

    Conservancies are selected for due diligence, the review committee submits recommendations subject to final approval by the Fund’s Board.

    Approximate Timeline: 1 Month

  • Notification, Contracting and Payment

    KWCA creates a grant letter to align expectations about the terms of the grant. The letter is reviewed and signed by KWCA and the conservancy and fund sent via bank wire transfer

    Approximate Timeline: 1-2 Months

Frequently Asked Questions

What is KCF?

The Kenya Conservancies Fund (KCF) is a small grant facility established to support conservancies strengthen their work on the ground in promoting biodiversity conservation and ensuring long term sustainability of locally led conservation efforts in Kenya.

Managed by KWCA, the fund supports new, nascent and underserved conservancies and landscape associations with limited access to traditional funding sources through a sinking fund of between $ 5,000-$120,000. However, the fund size is determined through the scale of the funding gap and provides catalytic support to conservancies in their foundational stages with a range of critical activities from consensus building and legal registration to operational and capital expenditure and building governance capacity for nascent conservancies.

What is KCF’s current funding priorities?

• Capacity-building activities, including governance training and leadership development
• Institutional strengthening, including legal registration, institutional policy formulation, and financial system development
• Conservation initiatives such as habitat restoration, climate-smart pasture management, and wildlife protection
• Community-led sustainable enterprises, including nature-based tourism and livelihoods enterprises
• Stakeholder engagement and knowledge-sharing forums
• Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting

Who is eligible for Funding?

KCF accepts applications only from legally registered conservancies either community or private conservancies at the nascent, emerging or early mature stages of development, KWCA and landscape association registered member from all the 12 landscapes. Individuals, non KWCA conservancy members, conservation NGOs and national and county governments are ineligible for funding. [see eligibility criteria and guidelines]

How to apply for funding

KCF will accept applications only after the Call for Ideas requests announcement has been made via our website and social media platforms. In order to be considered for funding, applications must be submitted through the [email protected] within the deadline given.

How your application will be Evaluated

The application review process includes four steps:

Initial Call for Ideas Application: Conservancies will submit a concept note template downloaded from the website. An independent review committee comprised of qualified expertise on enterprise development, project management and conservation, will review the applications according to the eligibility and evaluation criteria, make a decision and notify the applicant conservancies of the decision in the initial application and recommend full proposals application within 2 months of the submitted deadline.

Full Proposal Stage: Applicants whose applications pass the initial screening will be invited to submit their full proposals during which the review committee will conduct due diligence and may for example ask follow up questions and request additional documentation on specific issues. During the process, the review committee may provide input on the applicant’s proposal or request edits to the submitted applications. This stage will take approximately 1 month.

Recommendations and Final Selection: Final recommendations for funding decisions will be made by the review committee and submitted to the Fund’s board for final approval. The KWCA secretariat will develop grant agreement letters for signing with the selected conservancies.

Grant Agreement and Funds Disbursement: The funding agreement will be executed and funding disbursed according to the terms and conditions in the agreement signed by KWCA and the conservancy. The funds will be disbursed through a bank wire transfer within a month after signing the contract.

Can a Conservancy Submit more than one Application?

No, only one grant application per conservancy will be considered per funding cycle. Conservancies are encouraged to prioritize their most critical needs in their submission.

How long is the funding Period?

The funding period is up to 2 years. Conservancies are expected to implement their proposed activities within this timeframe and report on progress as outlined in the grant agreement.

What can the funds be used for?

The funds can be used to support a range of activities that strengthen conservancies, including:

• Building institutional capacity (e.g., governance, staffing, trainings, management plan development)
• Implementing conservation initiatives (e.g., species protection and monitoring, habitat restoration, ranger trainings)
• Enhancing community livelihoods linked to conservation (e.g. community based tourism development, income generating activities)
• Developing essential infrastructure (e.g., ranger posts, water facilities, eco-tourism structures tourist facilities)

All proposed activities must align with the conservanciess management plan and demonstrate clear conservation and community benefits.

Are there opportunities for future Funding?

Yes. The Kenya Conservancies Fund aims to provide sustainable, long-term support for conservancies. Future funding opportunities will be announced periodically, subject to the availability of resources and successful implementation of previous grants.

Does the fund require co-funding in the Grant Application?

Co-funding is encouraged but not mandatory. Applicants who can demonstrate additional sources of support whether financial or in-kind may be given priority, as it shows commitment and enhances the sustainability of the proposed activities.

Who can I Contact on the application process and/or I have a Complaint?

For any application queries write to the fund manager on [email protected] or call +254 708 418 522 for compliants and grievances write to [email protected]  

Partner With Us

Help us grow the Kenya Conservancies Fund and reach more communities. We welcome partnerships with donors, private sector, and conservation allies. Contact the fund manager at [email protected]   

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