Apply for a Grant
Do you have a project that strives to protect and sustainably manage the forests for water, land productivity, and biodiversity—
with the overarching goal of sustaining ecosystem services and forest-related climate action? Apply for a grant today.
Grant Programs
Our Grant Programs form the core of our work. Through these Grants, we can empower our grantees with the knowledge, resources, and support needed to bring their projects to fruition.
Proponents may apply for small and medium 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.
Tropical Forest Conservation Fund II (TFCF II)
With the Results Framework 2023-2027, Forest Foundation Philippines enables collaborative partnerships to take root today to create a greater impact tomorrow—for the forests and everything connected to them.
The Foundation is guided by the sustainable landscape approach that aims to protect and sustainably manage forests for water, land productivity, and biodiversity, with the overarching goal of sustaining ecosystem services and forest-related climate action. The focus is on the four focal landscapes: the Sierra Madre, Palawan, Samar and Leyte, and Mindanao.
Learn More:
Philippines-Canada Partnership on Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for Climate Adaptation (PCP4NbS)
The Philippines-Canada Partnership on Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for Climate Adaptation (PCP4NbS), a program led by Forest Foundation Philippines and funded by the Government of Canada, seeks to contribute to strengthening the climate resilience of communities, particularly rural and indigenous women, while ensuring co-benefits from—and for— natural resources and healthy ecosystems.
Grounded in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Global Standard for NbS, the program targets the three wins of biodiversity conservation, climate adaptation, and ensuring gender equality in natural resource management (NRM). Together with the NbS Support Network, the program leads the implementation and institutionalization of high-integrity and gender-responsive NbS in the Philippines.
Learn More:
Eighth Operational Phase of the GEF Small Grants Programme in the Philippines (SGP8)
The Eighth Operational Phase of the GEF Small Grants Programme in the Philippines (SGP8) builds upon 30 years of successfully empowering local civil society organizations (CSOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) to design and lead community-driven initiatives. The objectives of SGP8 are to engage local CSOs/CBOs in landscape-seascape approaches, providing them with access to knowledge, information, and capacity-building through hands-on learning, skills development, and technical and grant assistance.
The Programme will be implemented in Aurora, Quezon, Calamianes Group of Islands, Catanduanes, Cluster 6 River Basin in Northern Samar, Siargao Island Protected Landscapes and Seascapes, and Surigao del Norte. These efforts aim to enhance well-being and socio-economic conditions while generating global environmental benefits.
Mt. Mantalingahan Protected Area Landscape (MMPL) Endowment Fund
MMPL is the largest terrestrial protected area in Palawan, covering 120,457 hectares of land. Its expansive forest area is one of the 10 sites of the Alliance for Zero Extinction in the Philippines, and one of the 11 important bird areas in Palawan. With the recent discoveries of several potentially new species of plants and animals in the area, MMPL represents a significant contribution to the known pool of Philippine and global biodiversity.
The MMPL trust fund, the first of its kind in the Philippines, provides sustainable financing for the long-term maintenance, protection, and enrichment of the biodiversity within the MMPL. It supports livelihood diversification programs for the indigenous peoples and the improvement of their well-being. It also ensures that the MMPL’s watershed can continue to provide fresh water to all residents of Southern Palawan.
BD Corridor SFM
The Integrated Approach in Management of Major Biodiversity Corridors in the Philippines, also known as the Biodiversity Corridor (BD Corridor) Project, is a national initiative led by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Through Sustainable Forest Management (SFM)-focused microgrants, the Foundation supports community-led efforts to reduce deforestation and forest degradation, conserve high-conservation-value forests, and enhance ecosystem connectivity. Grant support is implemented in priority landscapes, including the Mindoro Biodiversity Corridor and the Eastern Mindanao Biodiversity Corridor, contributing to long-term biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, and sustainable development in key forest areas.
Other Grant Programs
These Grant Programs are no longer accepting any proposals, but are indicative of the Foundation’s work over the years.
Do you have further questions about our Grant Programs?
For more information on our grant programs,
please e-mail proposals@forestfoundation.ph.
Who can apply for a grant?
You (as the proponent) must be:
Duly-registered individuals, organizations, and firms, such as professionals, non government organizations, social enterprises, and consultancy groups, among others, working on projects related to forest protection and conservation in the Philippines.
Can students apply for a grant to support their research?
Yes. Students can apply for grants to support their research, but whether you’re eligible depends on the specific Request for Proposals (RFP) you’re looking at.
Can corporations apply for a grant?
Corporations are not eligible to apply for the grant program since they have sufficient resources to implement conservation projects. You may partner with us to explore other options, such as tree growing, donations, and carbon offsetting. Please send a message to partnerships@forestfoundation.ph for more information.
Can private individual and family-owned land/farm owners apply for a grant?
No. The Foundation prioritizes providing funds and technical assistance for community based projects. Because of this limitation, we developed a sustainable tree farming guidebook for private individual and family-owned land/farm owners. You may download it here: https://www.forestfoundation.ph/publications/sustainable-tree-farming-a-guidebook/.
Can government agencies apply for a grant?
No. However, we can work with them through partnerships. We have ongoing partnerships with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, among others.
Does Forest Foundation Philippines support
Community-based Organizations (CBOs) and
People’s Organizations (POs)?
Yes, CBOs/POs can apply for a grant. Please send a message to proposals@forestfoundation.ph for project development assistance.
If you are eligible for a grant, the next step is to create a grant proposal to submit for the Foundation’s evaluation.
Here are the essentials that you need to keep in mind to develop your proposal:
Grant Programs
Ensure that your proposal falls within the requirements of the following grant programs:
- Tropical Forest Conservation Fund II (TFCF II)
- Philippines-Canada Partnership on Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for Climate Adaptation (PCP4NbS)
- UNDP GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP8)
- Mt. Mantalingahan Protected Area Landscape (MMPL) Endowment Fund
You may submit your proposal at https://grants.forestfoundation.ph. However, if you need more help with developing your proposal, please send us a message at proposals@forestfoundation.ph for project development assistance.
What Counts as a Proposal?
A proposal outlines your project’s conservation value proposition. Following our templates, it informs the Foundation what the project is about:
- 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?
Tips for Writing Proposals
Before crafting the proposal
Analyze the Request for Proposals (RFP).
The RFP includes: scope of the grants program, eligible activities, grant categories, and proposal submission timeline.
- For those who have existing development plans, align with the eligible activities in the RFP.
- For those who do not have development plans, seek project development support.
Do your research.
Familiarize yourself with the existing development plans and programs by the mandated agencies and/or local government units (LGUs). Seek possible co-financing (encouraged, but not required) and mechanisms to sustain the efforts beyond project duration.
Some questions to ask include:
- Is the proposed area forestland?
- Were there any past and/or existing projects in the area?
- Are there national/local policies, or frameworks/plans that will support your concept note?
- Are there local academic institutions, local experts, and/or extension services in the area?
Be transparent and realistic with your budget.
For example, explain how you’ll ensure financial accountability and implement transparent procurement policies.
Consult the communities and partners in your proposed project area.
Show how your project empowers local stakeholders. Include signed letters of support or partnership agreements, if possible. Some other considerations to keep in mind include:
- Tenurial instruments
- Threats to the forests
- Potential interventions to address the threats
- Capacity, willingness, and commitment of partners to participate in the project
- Need to secure consent such as Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC)
- Timeline of activities
- Areas of complementation with past, existing, and/or future programs/projects
During proposal development
Identify a clear problem statement.
Some questions to ask:
- What’s wrong?
- What’s missing?
- What do we not know, or need to know better?
- What needs to be done?
- Why is it important that the problem is addressed?
Set your objectives to solve your problem statement.
Ensure the completeness of documents and compliance with the prescribed templates.
Attachments (as applicable):
- Community endorsements
- Maps and/or project boundary points
- Photos
- Sample works and pegs for advocacy materials
- CV and/or credentials
- Endorsement for individual proponents
Tell a clear, evidence-backed story.
Use maps, visuals, and case studies where possible. Even simple charts showing forest loss trends can make your case more persuasive.
Integrate climate and biodiversity co-benefits.
Quantify co-benefits if you can (e.g., “Protecting 5,000 hectares of forest will prevent 2,500 tons of CO₂ emissions annually”) to demonstrate a broader, systems-level impact.
Include a solid Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) plan.
Based on the objectives set, select the appropriate indicators (qualitative and quantitative) to demonstrate the project’s progress and results. Ensure the plan includes how the targets will be monitored, documented, and shared. Transparency adds credibility and allows for efficient knowledge dissemination
Once you’ve ensured that your grant proposal fulfills all of the Foundation’s requirements, you can submit your proposal for review.
- Step 1: Register as a proponent in our Grant Portal and log in.
- Step 2: Fill out the proposal form in the grant portal, ensuring that you upload the relevant attachments. Once completed, submit the form for evaluation.
- Step 3: The designated staff will update you on the status of your proposal, indicating whether it has been accepted, requires revisions, or declined.
Learn more about grant proposal submissions to Forest Foundation Philippines.
The decision-making authority for proposals is as follows:
- Small grants: Executive Director
- Medium grants: Executive Committee or the Board of Trustees
The outcome of your proposal will be communicated by a Foundation staff member.
Criteria
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 forests in 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?
Timeline
We see proposal development as a collaborative process. We believe that grants are the result 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.
Generally, proposals for small grants are evaluated within a month. Meanwhile, proposals for medium grants are evaluated within a quarter.
To manage expectations, please anticipate multiple rounds of revisions during the proposal process. These revisions are not meant to make things difficult, but to ensure that each project we implement is well-designed to achieve its objectives effectively and efficiently.
Frequently Asked Questions
Forest Foundation Philippines is a non-profit organization that provides grants and technical assistance to organizations and individuals that empower the people to protect and conserve the forests.
Yes. Our designated staff can help you craft your proposal. Please send a message to proposals@forestfoundation.ph for project development assistance.
Yes, you may submit more than one proposal. However, we encourage you to focus on submitting your priority project proposal to ensure the strongest possible application.
Proposals may be declined for several reasons, such as not aligning with our results framework, being outside our priority landscapes, or not adequately addressing conservation threats to forests.
We accept proposals on a rolling basis, but their evaluation and approval are subject to the availability of the Foundation’s funds.