Advancing Chicago’s Contributions to Global Biodiversity Science and Conservation

The Chicago region has a wealth of world-class universities, cultural, and research institutions committed to protecting, conserving, and restoring biodiversity across the world including in biodiversity hotspots, key biodiversity areas, and the global south.

Walder Foundation seeks to elevate this work and support the Chicago region’s leadership in global biodiversity science and conservation by building capacity, enhancing regional coordination and collaboration, and forging stronger links between science and application.

Applications due: August 8, 2022 by 5:00 P.M. CT

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

Walder Foundation invites Chicago-based research organizations with interests and programs focused on tackling the global biodiversity crisis to submit proposals for $1,000,000 for projects to be completed within three years. The funding opportunity is intended to go beyond support for single research projects by encouraging organizations to think about building the infrastructure, networks, and conditions that will enhance Chicago as a hub for inclusive and equitable work in global biodiversity conservation. In doing so, we seek to ensure that our region’s impact on safeguarding the world’s biodiversity is greater than the sum of its parts.

Through these projects we hope to:

• Elevate the Chicago region’s contributions to tackling the global biodiversity crisis.

• Strengthen links between biodiversity science and on-the-ground outcomes for conservation and sustainable livelihoods for local communities.

• Enhance the role Chicago institutions play in building capacity for protecting biodiversity, especially in low- and middle-income countries and global biodiversity hotspots, and link conservation outcomes and natural resource management to the development of sustainable livelihoods in local communities.

• Build a more diverse and equitable biodiversity research and conservation field by providing equitable access to biodiversity science and conservation pathways for historically underrepresented and marginalized groups.

• Foster increased collaboration, partnership, and alignment among Chicago region institutions focused on biodiversity.

• Support collaborations and partnerships between Chicago region institutions and international conservation organizations, and in-country research and conservation partners and communities.

EXAMPLES OF WHAT WE WILL SUPPORT:

We are open to creative ideas for projects that will support and elevate Chicago’s contributions to global biodiversity research and conservation. Examples might include:

• Partnerships, networks, and coordinated efforts that lead to collaborative and sustainable conservation results. Example partnerships:

  • between Chicago region institutions and local (in-country) science and conservation organizations

  • between Chicago region institutions and global organizations and conservation NGOs or other partners

  • between Chicago region institutions

• Exchange and training programs between Chicago region institutions, researchers, or practitioners and those in low- and middle-income countries aimed at building capacity and translating science into on-the-ground results.

• Science-based conservation recommendations for biodiversity conservation that are aligned with the goals of local communities and can be adopted by a range of stakeholders (including governments, corporations, and local communities), and taking steps to facilitate timely implementation of these recommendations.

• Science-based community-led conservation efforts and participatory planning and implementation of conservation efforts that help develop and sustain livelihoods.

• Developing and implementing conservation actions that boost resilience and enable ecosystems to adapt to climate change.

• Cross-sector work that links biodiversity research with different fields or areas of expertise; for example, social science and traditional ecological knowledge that lead to lasting conservation results on the ground.

• Application of conservation technology to protect threatened and endangered species, including those in global biodiversity hotspots and key biodiversity areas.

• Increase the capacity for Chicago-based experts to lead and/or contribute to national or international policy initiatives.

• Infrastructure, facilities, and strategies that enhance science and conservation partnerships and collaborations in ways that elevate Chicago’s contributions to tackling the global biodiversity crisis.

• Enhance links between rigorous science and practical application in ways that enable local communities and practitioners to help define research questions and ensure research findings are effectively disseminated to local stakeholders.

WHAT WE WILL NOT SUPPORT THROUGH THIS FUNDING OPPORTUNITY:

• Basic research with no links to conservation outcomes

• Support for one-off events or event sponsorship

• Projects led by organizations outside the Chicago region

• Projects working in other countries that do not meaningfully engage local stakeholders

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

• Organizations that are governmental units or a registered Section 501(c)3, 509(a)(1) or 509(a)(2) public charity, or is working with a fiscal sponsor that meets this requirement.

• Applications must be submitted by a Project Lead or co-Project Lead based at an institution(s) in the Chicago region.*

• Multi-institution partnerships and collaborations are encouraged where appropriate, but grants will be made to a single lead institution.

• Institutions may only submit one application as the lead institution; however, they may be a partner in more than one application.

• Awardee institutions at their discretion may sub-grant a portion of the funds to collaborating organizations. All decisions regarding sub-grants will be made by awardee institutions and not by Walder Foundation.

• Project leads may only be the lead on one application.

• Project leads are limited to requesting up to 20% of their annual salary.

• Indirect costs are limited to 15% for lead organizations and sub-awardees.

• Funding will be granted to institutions rather than individual researchers.

*The Chicago region is defined as the Illinois counties of Cook, DuPage, Lake, McHenry, Kane, Kendall, and Will.

SELECTION CRITERIA

In addition to financial and governance due diligence, the following criteria will be used to determine which organizations will receive grant funding:

• Proposed work addresses an important or critical conservation need.

• Proposed work is rooted in strong science.

• Proposed work is informed by local communities, engages them equitably, and helps build their capacity for conservation.

• Efforts are taken to ensure the proposed work will have a sustainable, long-term impact and consider the adaptability and or resilience of the project to a changing climate.

• Proposed work appropriately leverages Chicago’s existing expertise and resources.

• Potential of the work to build capacity and key resources for global biodiversity conservation in Chicago.

• Project is feasible considering the resources, time and capacity needed.

Walder Foundation is committed to diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion. We encourage applicants from under-represented backgrounds and/or projects that improve outcomes for those from under-represented backgrounds.

APPLICATION PROCESS

HOW TO APPLY

A complete application requires submitting an online application form and uploading documents. You will need to create an account in foundationConnect, our grants management system. To create an account, you will need your organization’s EIN.

1. Create an account in foundationConnect and save an application.

Click on the link below and choose “Create New Account”:

Advancing Chicago’s Contributions to Global Biodiversity Science and Conservation

You will receive a confirmation email from grants@walderfoundation.org. Click on the link in the email to verify your email address. You will receive a second email from grants@walderfoundation.org. Click the link in the second email to create your password, sign in to your account, and start and save a new application. To save an application, complete the first field, Project Title (you can change this later), and then choose Save. If you do not enter and save a Project Title, your application will not save.

IMPORTANT: If you do not start your application immediately after receiving the confirmation email, you will need to return to this page and click the link above to be directed to the research application form.

If you are already registered in our grants management system, click on the link above and choose “Sign In” and you will be directed to the application form.

2. Continue to work on and submit your application

Once you have saved an application, use the link below to resume work and submit your application:

Walder Foundation Grantee Portal

To continue work on a saved application, scroll to the right, click on the arrow, and choose “Edit” from the drop-down menu.

You can log in any time (up until the deadline) to work on your application and save your progress. We recommend creating your account early to familiarize yourself with the system and the application form.

>> VIEW A SAMPLE APPLICATION FORM FOR COMPLETE REQUIREMENTS

An automated email confirmation is generated upon submission of the application. If you do not receive a confirmation within 24 hours of submitting your application, please check your spam folder and then contact: grants@walderfoundation.org

GUIDELINES FOR PROPOSAL AND BUDGET NARRATIVE

PROJECT PROPOSAL

The proposal is an uploaded document that consists of an Executive Summary, Project Narrative, and Budget Narrative.

Executive Summary (500 words)

The summary should indicate the specific problem that the project seeks to address, the approach proposed to solve this problem, and the expected impact of the project (if successful) at the end of the grant period.

Project Narrative (Not to exceed 10 pages)

The page limits noted below are only guidelines for the individual sections. The entire research proposal should not exceed 10 pages.

• Project Background (1 page) - Describe the background and previous work that has led to this project. Include a brief review of the literature and, if relevant, any examples of similar projects that have been successful elsewhere. Explain why the project is needed, the specific problem/s you are trying to solve, and the solutions that the work aims to provide. If applicable, briefly present any relevant preliminary data.

• Project Aims and Objectives (0.5 - 1 page) – Describe the specific goals of the project

• Anticipated Outcomes and Potential Impact (1-2 pages) – Describe how your project might impact your field. Place your work in the wider societal context and describe who might benefit from this work and how. Describe how this work will elevate the Chicago region’s contributions to tackling the biodiversity crisis.

• Project Plan (2-3 pages) - Describe your planned approach and design for specific project aims and objectives, including key milestones, as well as any supporting services (e.g., community engagement) you may need to complete your work. If applicable, outline any key dependencies between activities or interim milestones that will influence project decisions or directions. Describe your approach to ensuring your work will result in on-the-ground outcomes.

• Communications Plan (Up to 1 page) – Describe how you will communicate the results of your project and which audiences and/or communities you aim to engage

• Collaborations and Partnerships (Up to 1 page) - Describe the key collaborations and partnerships in this work and their roles. Indicate which partners (if any) you might consider for sub-grants or sub-contracts through this work, and which have their own sources of funding.

• Works Cited (not counted in the total 10-page limit) List any published works cited in the project proposal. Citations should include all authors’ names, article/journal title (or preprint server name), book/article title, and publication year.

BUDGET NARRATIVE (Up to 1 page)

Summarize the budget needs of the project. Include a description of any sub-grants/sub-contracts you are considering, naming any organizations, if they are known. (Sub-grant/subcontract budgets are informational only, as all such decisions are at the discretion of the awardee institution.) Indicate whether any match funding is committed or pending (a match is not required).

ADDITIONAL REQUIRED UPLOADS

1-Budget Worksheet

Download the required budget worksheet. The spreadsheet contains several tabs:

• Instructions: Detailed instructions for how to complete the spreadsheet

• Budget: Enter your overall project budget here.

• Optional Sub Budget 1: Enter budgets for any significant sub-awards.

• Milestones and Payment Schedule: Enter a proposed schedule for payments.

• Progress Update: To be used for progress reports, if your grant request is approved.

2-Bios of Key Project Personnel

3-List of Co-funders

4-Any co-funding for this project and other current support for work in your research group.

5-Demographics Form

Download the demographics form.

DOCUMENT FORMATTING

Uploaded documents must follow the formatting guidelines. Files must be saved as Word or PDFs, except the budget worksheet and the demographics form, which should be produced in the provided templates.

Documents should be formatted as follows:

• Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman font

• 11-point font or larger

• At least 0.5” margins all around

• Single-spaced document

• Standard character spacing (neither expanded nor condensed)

TIMELINE

Application due: August 8, 2022 by 5:00 P.M. CT

Grantees notified: November 2022

CONTACT INFORMATION

For inquiries about the content of your application, send an email to environment@walderfoundation.org.

For inquiries about the grants management system, send an email to grants@walderfoundation.org.