#TG Life
The Habitats Trust, which works towards the protection and conservation of natural habitats and their indigenous species, announced that its application portal for The Habitats Trust Grants 2019 has been opened on April 1.
The Habitats Trust Grants was established in 2018 to recognize and support individuals and organizations doing seminal work in the field of conservation. Any organization working to conserve India’s biodiversity can apply for the grants in their specific categories, which will include the Strategic Partnership Grant; the Lesser-known Habitats Grant and the Lesser-known Species Grant. The Habitats Trust Grants has also increased the grant amount by Rs. 5 Lakhs each, for two categories - the ‘Lesser-known Habitats’ and ‘Lesser- known Species’ grants.
This year, the Habitats Trust Grants has introduced a new category specifically for individuals - The Conservation Hero Grant - to identify and support grassroots conservationists who protect India’s endangered and fragile biodiversity and natural habitats.
Along with awarding the grants to the winners across the four categories, The Habitats Trust will also give 10 percent of the grant amount in each category to the other finalists to ensure that their efforts and work is recognized. With this, the Trust will award a total of Rs 84 lakhs as grants in 2019 for projects with a duration of approximately one year. Like last year, every application will be evaluated through a multi-level screening process by sector specialists, external auditors, The Habitats team and a jury of eminent conservationists from India and abroad. Post first-level screening and shortlisting, 24 applicants, six in each category, will move to the field verification round, and applicants clearing this round will face the final jury round. The four winners, one in each category, of The Habitats Trust Grants 2019 will be announced at a felicitation ceremony in November.
To ensure that the Trust is able to share the knowledge and insights collected during the evaluation process of the grants with the larger community, the Habitats Trust plans to create an annual compendium starting this year, detailing out the work of the finalists and past winners. This compendium can then become a point of reference for other organizations or individuals looking to support conservationists across India.
