CLP Future Conservationist Awards 2027

CLP Future Conservationist Awards 2027

The Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) Future Conservationist Award is a team grant for early-career conservationists carrying out practical research and conservation action in eligible countries. For the 2027 call, Stage 1 is a concept note in English, due Friday, 30 October 2026 at 23:59 GMT. Selected teams can receive up to US$15,000, as well as professional-development support. The official CLP call page and 2027 concept-note guidelines contain the application instructions.

At a glance

These details are from the 2027 guidelines and call page. Check both for current instructions before applying.

Overview: what the award supports

CLP describes the award as support for projects that deliver conservation interventions for globally important, at-risk habitats or species. Projects should include ecological research and/or conservation action. Published themes include biodiversity, restoration, climate adaptation, Indigenous or community-led conservation, and environmental education. A proposal does not need to claim every theme; it should explain how its own planned work addresses a conservation need. CLP call page

The grant is capped at US$15,000, and the CLP request must cover at least 50% of the total project budget. The brief does not publish a standard award amount or specify what other funding sources may be used, so ask CLP if the planned budget depends on a particular co-funding arrangement. 2027 guidelines

Award teams also receive training, mentorship and support through CLP’s Alumni Network. They may be eligible for CLP continuation awards, but eligibility is only potential: the supplied information does not promise future funding or set out continuation-award conditions, amounts or dates. Treat those benefits as professional-development support and a possible later opportunity, not as part of the current grant amount. 2027 guidelines

Who should apply: team and project eligibility

A team needs at least three members, all early-career conservationists with no more than five years of paid conservation experience. Current PhD candidates are ineligible. The supplied brief does not explain how to classify edge cases such as part-time paid work or employment in an adjacent field. If a member’s experience is difficult to assess, check the guidelines and ask CLP before relying on an interpretation. 2027 guidelines

Team members must generally be nationals of the country where the project takes place. The guidelines say one non-national may be allowed in a justified special case, if that person is a national of an eligible country. This is a narrow exception, not a general route for an international team. If the project team depends on it, explain the special circumstance and confirm how CLP wants it addressed. The brief does not say what nationality documents, if any, are required at Stage 1. 2027 guidelines

Projects must run for at least six months and no more than one year, take place in an eligible country, address at-risk habitats or species, and include conservation research and/or action. Eligible locations include low- and middle-income countries in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern and Southeastern Europe, and the Middle East, plus some high-income Global South countries. That final category is not a blanket inclusion of all high-income countries. Verify the project country using CLP’s current eligibility information before developing the proposal. CLP call page

As practical fit guidance, make the connection between the conservation problem, the project activities and the intended intervention easy to follow. A study can be relevant, but the proposal should show how the research and/or action addresses the at-risk habitat or species. This is advice drawn from the award’s stated purpose, not a published scoring formula; the brief does not include the full selection criteria.

How to Apply

For Stage 1, download CLP’s concept-note template, complete it in English and email it to [email protected]. The guidelines say incomplete or late submissions are not considered. Use the current template and follow its instructions: the supplied brief does not list its exact fields, length limit, file format, signature rules or required attachments. Do not substitute a self-designed proposal for the requested template. 2027 guidelines

A practical Stage 1 sequence is:

1. Check that the country and project fit the call, including the eligible-country list.
2. Confirm the team has at least three members and that each meets the experience, PhD-candidate and nationality conditions.
3. Plan a project of six to twelve months and ensure it addresses an at-risk habitat or species through research and/or action.
4. Prepare the total project budget and CLP request. The request must be no more than US$15,000 and at least 50% of the total budget.
5. Complete the downloadable concept-note template in English, following the template’s own directions.
6. Email the completed note to [email protected] before 23:59 GMT on 30 October 2026.

The checks above reflect the stated requirements. Keeping a copy of the sent email and submitted file is optional record-keeping advice. No separate portal submission is listed for Stage 1. After concept notes are assessed, only the highest-scoring applicants per region will be invited to submit a full application through the online portal. The brief does not say how many teams will be invited from each region, and it does not say that every Stage 1 applicant proceeds. 2027 guidelines

Timeline and deadlines

The 2027 call is open. Stage 1 concept notes are due Friday, 30 October 2026 at 23:59 GMT. Plan around the published GMT cutoff; the corresponding local time depends on where the team is submitting from. Confirm the current deadline on the official call page in case CLP posts an update.

The next step is conditional: only the highest-scoring concept-note applicants per region will be invited to submit full applications online. Full-application requirements are provided to shortlisted teams. The supplied brief confirms no dates for shortlist announcements, full applications, award decisions or project starts. If invited, use CLP’s Stage 2 message to confirm the deadline and required materials rather than assuming a date or document list. 2027 guidelines

Preparation and common mistakes

The following are optional preparation steps, not extra CLP requirements. Before filling in the template, write a brief internal outline of the conservation problem, the at-risk habitat or species, the actions or research planned, and how those activities support an intervention. Check that the work fits within the six-to-twelve-month period. The brief does not prescribe a theory-of-change format or a particular set of impact indicators.

Review the budget against both funding rules. Calculate the CLP request as a share of the complete project budget: the grant cannot exceed US$15,000 and must cover at least 50% of the total. The supplied information does not state a minimum or maximum total budget apart from the constraint created by those two rules, or define acceptable co-funding sources. Ask CLP if a proposed structure is unclear.

Check the rules for every team member rather than only the team lead. In particular, resolve uncertainties about paid conservation experience, current PhD candidacy and nationality before submission. If the team relies on the one-person non-national exception, confirm that the case and the member’s nationality meet the guideline. The supplied material does not describe proof documents or exception procedures, so do not invent them or attach extra personal records unless the template or CLP requests them.

Common preventable errors include using a different document instead of the concept-note template, submitting in a language other than English, leaving the note incomplete, missing the GMT deadline, proposing a project outside the six-to-twelve-month range, or requesting a grant outside the budget limits. Another mistake is treating Stage 2 as automatic: it is by invitation after regional concept-note scoring. These are checks against the published instructions, not predictions of the scoring outcome. 2027 guidelines

Frequently asked questions

Can an individual apply?

No. The award is for teams of at least three eligible early-career conservationists. The supplied guidelines do not describe an individual application route. 2027 guidelines

Can a current PhD candidate be a team member?

No. Current PhD candidates are ineligible. If a person’s enrollment status falls into an unclear edge case, check with CLP rather than infer an exception. 2027 guidelines

Does a project need both research and conservation action?

The stated requirement is conservation research and/or action, so the brief does not say every project must include both. A project still needs to address at-risk habitats or species and fit the call’s conservation purpose. CLP call page

Is every team awarded US$15,000?

No. US$15,000 is the maximum, not a guaranteed amount. The grant request must also cover at least half of the total project budget. The brief does not specify a standard award amount. 2027 guidelines

What happens after the concept note?

Only the highest-scoring applicants per region will be invited to submit a full application online. CLP provides Stage 2 requirements to shortlisted teams; later dates and the full application materials are not confirmed in the supplied brief. 2027 guidelines

How can I verify a country or eligibility question?

Start with the current call page and its linked guidelines. For a question they do not resolve, use the published application contact, [email protected], and identify the specific country or team circumstance. The brief confirms this address as the Stage 1 submission email; it does not list a separate enquiries contact.

Official sources and unconfirmed details

Use the CLP Future Conservationist Award call page and the 2027 guidelines and concept-note instructions as the authoritative sources. They confirm the grant limits, team and project eligibility, concept-note language and submission method, Stage 1 deadline, benefits and conditional progression to Stage 2.

The full-application requirements are provided only to shortlisted teams. The supplied brief also does not confirm later selection dates, the award announcement or project start date, exact concept-note fields and formatting limits, Stage 1 supporting documents, the full scoring rubric, awards below the maximum, or continuation-award terms. Check the live template and official call materials for updates; if a missing detail affects the proposal, ask CLP instead of assuming a requirement or carrying over terms from an earlier call.