$10M in Biodiversity Grants Open for Indo-Burma Conservation Groups
March 2, 2026 · 2 min read
Arthur Griffin
Conservation organizations in Southeast Asia have until March 16 to submit letters of inquiry for the first round of a $10 million, five-year investment in one of the world's most threatened biodiversity hotspots.
The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), a joint initiative of the World Bank, Conservation International, and several bilateral donors, launched Phase IV of its Indo-Burma program in February. The funding targets conservation corridors across Cambodia, China (southern Yunnan and Guangxi), Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam — a region that contains over 15,000 plant species found nowhere else on Earth.
Grant Sizes and What Gets Funded
Two tiers are available: small grants up to $50,000 and large grants ranging from $50,000 to $250,000. IUCN serves as the regional implementation team and will manage the application review process.
Phase IV marks a strategic shift from pilot-scale conservation to longer-term interventions. The updated investment strategy explicitly prioritizes organizational development for grassroots groups, including start-up support and seed funding for organizations led by Indigenous peoples and local communities. CEPF is also emphasizing policy integration — projects that can embed conservation outcomes into public policy or private-sector supply chains will be favored.
This first call covers Strategic Directions 3 through 8, which span species conservation, corridor management, and community-based natural resource governance. A second call later in 2026 will cover the remaining strategic directions and be open to international organizations.
How to Apply Before the March 16 Deadline
Applicants must submit letters of inquiry through the CEPF online portal. The fund has invested $37.5 million in the Indo-Burma hotspot since 2008, so reviewing past grant portfolios for the region will help calibrate expectations. Local and national civil society organizations are the primary target, though partnerships with research institutions are welcomed.
For organizations tracking international conservation funding opportunities alongside domestic grants, Granted monitors deadlines across federal, foundation, and multilateral sources.