Across Kenya’s vast savannahs, coasts, and rangelands, community-led conservancies are working tirelessly to protect wildlife and secure livelihoods. But for many of these conservancies, the lack of conservancy financing has slowed progress, leaving them struggling to meet their operational and conservation costs.
This week, the Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association (KWCA) in partnership with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH under the International Climate Initiative (IKI) Small Grants – Funding Institutions programme started an important journey through the launch of the Catalytic Grants for Community-Led Conservation and Climate Resilience Project. The initiative, is designed to unlock critical funding for conservancies that are still in their early stages of growth.
The two-year project will channel technical and financial support through the Kenya Conservancies Fund (KCF), enabling emerging, nascent and early mature conservancies to strengthen their governance, build management skills, and create nature-based enterprises that generate reliable income for the conservancies.
The funding will directly benefit 12 conservancies across northern, southern, coastal, and western Kenya regions, collectively conserving more than 650,000 hectares of land.
At the project’s inception meeting, KWCA CEO Dickson Kaelo emphasized the importance of the partnership:
“For most conservancies, lack of resources has been the greatest limiting factor. This catalytic grant not only supports us to align with Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, but also advances KWCA’s 2024–2030 Strategic Plan goals 3 and 4—to secure durable financing and ensure communities benefit sustainably through effective, inclusive, and resilient conservancies.”
Kennedy Mugo, Climate Investment Advisor at GIZ, added:
“We are excited to work closely with KWCA to catapult the Kenya Conservancies Fund to the next level and, more importantly, to jointly secure biodiversity and create lasting impact for conservancy communities.”
Unlocking Potential, Securing the Future
Out of 230 conservancies in Kenya, only 40 are considered mature—able to fully cover their operational costs. The rest remain dependent on external support, limiting their ability to conserve biodiversity and provide sustainable livelihoods.
A 2024 study by KWCA and Sustain East Africa underscored this gap and recommended strategies to ensure conservancies become Representative, Effective, Durable, and Inclusive (REDI) to achieve target 3 of 30×30. Those insights have shaped the design of the new catalytic grants.
KWCA Programmes Manager, Joshua Ayuo, confirmed that the first call for proposals will open on October 1, 2025.
“We have developed a robust due diligence process and eligibility framework to ensure transparency, accountability, and equity in the allocation of grants.”
The Kenya Conservancies Fund began taking shape earlier this year with support from the GEF-6 Project in collaboration with the State Department of Wildlife. Already, six conservancies are set to benefit in 2025, and the new catalytic grants are expected to scale this impact even further.
This project represents more than financial support—it is a pathway to resilience. With strengthened governance and diversified incomes, conservancies will be better equipped to conserve wildlife, adapt to climate change, and improve the wellbeing of the people who call these landscapes home.
Learn more about Kenya Conservancies Fund and our grants support to conservancies and landscape conservancy associations.
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