Earth Biodiversity Foundation

Any environmental project can apply for the support of the Earth Biodiversity Foundation (EBDF).

Our favorite donation candidates are environmental projects (protected areas or potential protected areas) with long-term focus. We like to invest our energy and afford in projects that have enthusiasm for the project's goals. We support projects around the world.

No matter where your project is located, we always evaluate a new investment with the criteria outlined below. We consider these critical to the success and sustainability of all environmental projects, young and old, protected areas or potential protected areas.

What you can expect

Initial involvement:
We do not want ownership or control of a project.

Post-acceptance participation
Our post-acceptance (after you project is qualified for our portfolio) role can range from intensive involvement to a far more detached role once the project is mature. In an early-stage project we tend to be involved with key management decisions, major changes of strategic direction, project positioning and financing. When the project's management asks us to stay involved, we do. We provide assistance when requested or needed. We do not want to run projects.

What EBDF expects

Clarity:
One test we often apply to a new candidates is the ease with which it can be explained. If someone is able to summarize his project's description on the back of a business card, it usually means that he will be able to describe its purpose to employees, natives and donors. It suggests they truly understand their long-term goal.

Who needs your project?
We sometimes ask: "Who cares?" If you cannot describe who really needs your project, it presages trouble.

Need vs. want:
We also sometimes ask: "So what?" To succeed, projects need to pick the one thing that is of burning importance to the people. The project management know the value of money and understand the difference between need and want. Their confidence is tempered by an understanding of their shortcomings.

Frugality:
Focus spending on what's critical. Why pay $5.00 per square foot when just as much can get done in space rented for $2.50 per square foot? This is not about being cheap - it's about setting an example for people involved in the project. Adopt the paper clip as a symbol of frugality. There is no need to purchase paperclips when your will receive them for free when the mail arrives each day. Use this example to think about all the other opportunities not to spend money.

Goals:
The environmental project must have at least one of the following goals:

Decrease poverty

Increase awareness for the importance of environmental issues as well as the relationship between environment and quality of life (especially health and poverty)

Educate people to understanding the importance and fascination of biodiversity and related education

Ensure environmental sustainability

Protect biodiversity in general and endangered species in particular

Protect and conserve forests, wetlands and other protected areas

Force new, future-oriented technologies (like solar energy)

How it works

Any environmental project can apply for a REP (Referred Environmental Project) qualification. The application is formless. Just send the description of your environmental project to EBDF (see also the next paragraph: "Getting started"). EBDF will review the description and by open questions will contact you. If your project qualifies for REP then EBDF will inform you and will send you information about the next steps.

REP-Projects get the support they need for a long term sustainable financiability. it means that they get EBDF's two-side financial support and support for establishing and developing an effective management team.

EBDF organizes fundraising for single REP-Projects as well as for a general EBDF fund. The donation of a single fundraising goes to the single REP-Project and the donations for EBDF goes to the REP-Projects in general. In this case the EBDF Board will decide how the fund will be distributed to the REP-Projects.

EBDF support the REP-projects with management consulting. It includes the traditional management consulting tasks like project description and financial plan, strategic direction, team building, buy-in process, etc. In addition EBDF provide for the REP-Project management teams training and seminars.

Getting started

1. Project description:
We like project descriptions that present a lot of information in as few words as possible. The topics that interest us most are a description of the need and the long- and short-term goals, information about the situation of the country where the project is, an overview of the project's initial and planned steps, a summary of the backgrounds of the management team and a five year summary of financial projections. We are very skeptical about detailed financial projections beyond the first 12-18 months of a project's operations and have a jaundiced view of reams of financial data.

We have found that the following format provides a good overview of a prospective donations.

Project background
Project description and mission
Background of the management team
Financial plan

2. Submit the project description
Send to EBDF your project description or relevant project information. Please do not forget to include your contact information! You can send your request per email info(at)ebdf.org.

EBDF needs 2-3 weeks for review. During this time you can contact EBDF at application(at)ebdf.org. EBDF organizes a meeting or a conference call with you, so we can discuss the decision and the next steps.