Van Tienhoven Foundation grant

The next deadline is 14 February 2018 at 23.59 hrs CET (Central European Time).

Van Tienhoven Foundation is a small foundation that makes grants on the basis of the estate of Pieter Gerbrand van Tienhoven.

We are concerned about life on earth and the delicate balance between human life, nature and biodiversity. We believe local people are instrumental and key to conserve and restore nature and species populations. We believe that small grants can have a great impact, but only if small grants lead to change in policy and practice.

Criteria for assessment

The Van Tienhoven Foundation prioritises projects that:

1. Are practical, hands-on and directly applicable in order to generate change


2. Are initiated, owned or widely supported by local stakeholders, in order to ensure sustainability


3. Are focusing on threatened species and ecosystems and/or key biodiversity areas


4. Are aiming to counter the human-induced causes for these threats, in order to have maximum conservation impact


5. Are exemplary for a wider problem, serve as a catalyst for raising awareness and engaging other stakeholders


6. Create leverage and can demonstrate that small grants and individual efforts can make a difference

We prioritise actions that lead to direct change in policy and practice.

Eligibility Criteria

We only accept applications:

1. From not-for-profit organisations, that are registered as legal bodies (NGOs and scientific institutions). We don’t accept applications from goverment bodies, private companies or individuals. Only 1 application per organisation will be taken into consideration each call for proposals, if the following conditions have been met: a) If an organisation has been given a grant before, a final report must have been submitted for any project previously supported by the Van Tienhoven Foundation, b) No more than 3 projects of the same organisation have been funded by the Van Tienhoven Foundation during the past 8 years (starting from the date at which a final report of the first project was received by the secretariat of the Van Tienhoven Foundation).


2. From organisations with a track record in conservation and/or social justice/sustainable development, to be demonstrated by background documentation (e.g. websites, social media, annual and/or final project delivery reports).


3. Implemented in developing countries or in countries in transition, predominantly following the most recent DAC list


4. With costs based on local rates. Costs of salaries and consultancy fees based on rates outside the countries of implementation are not covered. Travel costs (from) outside the countries of implementation are not covered. The purchase of vehicles (e.g. cars, boats) is not supported. We do not support overhead costs.


5. Where actions are not part of a study leading to any academic title and/or aimed at delivering a book.


6. Of projects that have not started yet at the time of submission, and with a project time span of maximum two years, a maximum requested budget of 10.000 euro from the Van Tienhoven Foundation and a total project budget of no more than 50.000 euro.


7. That are submitted before the designated application submission deadline and contain a completely filled out application form of the Van Tienhoven Foundation.

Additional information on the application and assessment process

The Van Tienhoven Foundation holds two Board Meetings each year. In regular years, applications must be submitted in English before the 15th of February or the 15th of August in digital form.

• Applicants will receive a decision by the Board within twelve weeks after the submission deadline; decisions are at the discretion of the Board and arguments will not be given for positive or negative decisions.


• The Van Tienhoven Foundation (co-)sponsors projects to a maximum of € 10,000. If the Board considers applications of similar importance, requests for smaller amounts of money will be given priority.


• If projects are to be co-sponsored by the Van Tienhoven Foundation, a financing plan has to be added which includes incontestable evidence of subsidies already applied for and awarded by other organisations.


• When projects request funds for equipment, we recommend to keep the costs limited and provide clear argumentation that ties the need for this equipment clearly to the action for change.


• The filling out of the online application form is sufficient for the proper submission of a project proposal. There is no need to supply additional documentation through email to the Secretariat of the Van Tienhoven Foundation at the submission stage.


• After assessment of the project proposals, the Board may form a set of shortlisted proposals. From these proposals additional information on the proposal, track record of the applicant organisation, and the names of two independent referees could be requested by Board members. This information will aid the further selection of shortlisted project proposal for funding.

Reporting

• Within six weeks after finishing the project, a preliminary report has to be submitted with a summary of activities, the first results and an account of the expenditures. Not later than one year after finishing the project, a report of the results of the project including a financial report showing how the funds have been spent has to be submitted. The final report must include one hard copy (A4 format) and a digital copy of the full report in pdf format. This report might be published on the website of the Van Tienhoven Foundation.

Applications can be made from 1 January 2018 onwards. Please use our online application form