Grant Application Process

Find out how to apply for a grant with Forest Foundation Philippines.

Apply for a Grant

How To Apply for a Grant

The first step to applying for a grant is to develop a project that protects and conserves Philippine forests. Once you have a fully-developed project to propose, you may proceed to apply for a grant following these steps:

Step 1

Create an account on our grant portal and log in.

Step 2

Fill out the proposal form within the grant portal. Once completed, submit the form for evaluation.

Step 3

A designated Project Officer will update you on the status of your proposal, whether it is accepted, requires revisions, or rejected. Small grant proposals are evaluated within a month, while medium to large grant proposals are evaluated within a quarter.

Step 4

Ready to apply for a grant?

Frequently Asked Questions

A grant is a sum of money or technical assistance given by the Foundation to individuals or organizations to implement projects that may contribute to the protection and conservation of Philippine forests.

Duly-registered individuals, organizations, and firms, such as professionals, non-government organizations, businesses, and consultancy groups, among others, working on projects related to forest protection and conservation in the Philippines.

Since we are using public funds for our grant programs, we are discouraged from awarding grants to government agencies to avoid conflict of interest.  However, we can work with them through partnerships. We have ongoing partnerships with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, among others.

Since we are using public funds for our grant programs, we can only support projects that protect and conserve public lands. However, we recognize that the involvement of private tree farmers is important to the advocacy. In 2018, we partnered with the Sustainable Tree Farmers of the Philippines to publish the Sustainable Tree Farmers Guidebook, which helps teach landowners how to start, maintain, and sustainably harvest tree farms. You may download it here.

We currently support projects that contribute to the protection, conservation, and sustainable management of Philippine forests and its biodiversity. Our areas of interest include: forest protection, forest restoration, law enforcement, capacity-building, sustainable livelihoods, conservation research, urban biodiversity, research, and advocacy, among others.

Generally, we are strongly supportive of projects that enable us to protect and conserve the country’s most critical forest landscapes (focal landscapes): Sierra Madre, Palawan, Samar and Leyte, and Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental. Outside our landscapes, we are committed to protect and conserve small islands, mangroves, critical habitats, and urban forests.

For more information about the list of projects that we are supporting, please visit our Projects page.

A proposal outlines your project’s conservation value proposition. Following our templates, it informs the Foundation what the project is about, specifically:

  • What are the project’s objectives?
  • How can the project achieve its objectives?
  • Where will the project be implemented?
  • When will the project be implemented?
  • How much funding does the project require to achieve its objectives?
  • Who is the proponent?
  • Who are the proponent’s implementing partners for the project?
  • How will the gains of the project be sustained beyond project implementation?

Proponents may apply for small, medium, and large grants. Small grants may support projects amounting up to PhP 500,000 for a year. Medium grants may support projects amounting up to PhP 6,000,000 for a year. Large grants may support projects amounting up to PhP 24,000,000 for a year.

Project proposals are evaluated based on the following criteria:

  • Design – Are the objectives, methods, and outcomes coherent?
  • Capacity – Given their expertise and experience, can the proponent successfully implement the project?
  • Impact – To what extent will the project contribute to the protection and conservation of the Foundation’s focal landscapes and/or priority areas?
  • Relevance – Is the project responsive to the conservation challenges in the site and/or to the needs of the community?
  • Efficiency – Will the project be implemented in a timely and cost-effective manner?
  • Sustainability – How will the project be sustained, scaled up, replicated, or institutionalized after its implementation?
  • The proponent must be a duly-registered entity in the Philippines.
  • The proponent must be able to inform us of the project’s conservation value proposition through the proposal and supporting documents.
  • The proposal must be submitted to our grant portal using our templates. 
  • The proposal must be aligned with our program priorities.
  • The proposal must be linked with conservation actions in our focal landscapes.

Yes. However, please note that grantees are only allowed to work on two projects simultaneously. Per grantee, we only allow: 

  • Two small grants
  • One small grant AND one medium grant


The proposal  will be evaluated based on the capacity of the grantee to implement multiple projects.

We see proposal development as a collaborative process. We believe that grants are products of the combined efforts of the grantee and the Foundation to craft a project proposal that is responsive to both the conservation challenges of the focal landscape/s and the communities. 

To manage expectations, please expect multiple revisions in the proposal. This doesn’t happen because we want our proponents to have a tough time. We simply want to ensure that the projects that we will be implementing can achieve their objectives effectively and efficiently.

Generally, proposals for small grants are evaluated within a month. Meanwhile, proposals for medium and large grants are evaluated within a quarter.

For small grants, proposals are evaluated by the Program Team and Executive Director. For medium and large grants, proposals are evaluated by the Program Team, Executive Director, and Board of Trustees. The results of the evaluation will be communicated to the proponent through the designated Project Officer.

Yes. Upon submission of your proposal in our grant portal, a Project Officer will be assigned to evaluate your project.

In case you project development assistance, you may send an email to proposals@forestfoundation.ph.

We understand that proponents spend time and effort crafting the proposals that we receive, so we evaluate each proposal carefully. Please coordinate with your assigned Project Officer regarding the matter. He/she should be able to share why we were unable to support your proposal.