Grant Application
You have been nominated by a member of the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund (ATCF) to apply for funding through our annual grant program. The ATCF supports community-led conservation initiatives that protect biodiversity, strengthen climate resilience, and empower local communities in destinations connected to adventure travel.
We invite you to formally submit your project proposal for consideration by April 15, 2026.
Funding requests may be up to $15,000 USD.
After all applications are submitted to the ATCF, we will conduct a thorough review and select 10-15 projects to be placed on a ballot which is then circulated to our membership to vote for the projects they would like us to fund. We anticipate funding 5-7 projects this cycle.
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Deadline to apply: April 15, 2026
Language: Applications must be submitted in English
Completeness: All sections of the application must be complete to be considered
Support: We encourage you to work with your nominating ATCF member company to help provide any insight and possibly help review your application
Time to complete: We estimate that it will take organizations approximately 5-6 hours to complete the application
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When filling out your application, consider strongly how your responses address the following project criteria:
Intersects tourism and at least two of the three focus areas: biodiversity protection; climate resilience; community resilience;
Clearly articulates the root cause of the issue/problem and how the project addresses it;
Demonstrates measurable and sustainable impacts;
Collaborates with the local community, and is driven by local stakeholders.
Applicants should clearly explain the problem being addressed, the proposed solution, expected outcomes, and the role of local communities in the project.
Read more about the grant criteria here to ensure that your project fully aligns.
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To start and edit this application, sign in with the same email address you used when you first started the application, as the form auto-saves periodically but requires this email for access to your entered information. You can return to it, using the same email address, to edit as you complete the application.
The form auto-saves periodically, allowing you to return and continue working on your application at any time. Be sure to use the same email address each time you access the form to retrieve your saved responses.
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Application Period: March 30- April 15, 2026
Voting Period: June 29 - July 27, 2026
Grant Winners Announced: August, 2026
Funding Awarded: December, 2026
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Once your application is submitted, it will move through the following review and selection process:
Step 1: Application Review - The ATCF team reviews all submitted applications to ensure they are complete and aligned with the program’s funding criteria.
Step 2: Evaluation by Technical Advisors and Board - Eligible applications are evaluated by ATCF staff, members of the Board of Directors, and technical advisors. Projects are assessed based on their potential conservation impact, community leadership, measurable outcomes, and alignment with tourism.
Step 3: Shortlist Selection - From the full pool of applicants, approximately 10–15 projects will be selected to move forward. *You will be notified regardless of whether your project moves to the next stage or not.
Step 4: Member Voting - Shortlisted projects are placed on a ballot and shared with the global ATCF membership. Members vote to determine which projects will receive funding.
Step 5: Grant Awards Announced - The projects receiving the highest number of votes will be selected as grant recipients. We anticipate funding 5–7 projects during this grant cycle.
Step 6: Funding and Partnership - The winning grantee organizations will work with the ATCF team to finalize the grant agreement. Funds will be distributed in December 2026. All grantees are required to complete a brief quarterly progress updates and photos to share project impact with the ATCF community.