Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Eligibility
Q. Are undergraduate expeditions eligible for a Rufford Small Grant?
A. No, undergraduate expeditions are not eligible.
Q. I would like to apply for a RSG for a conservation project related to my PhD work. Am I eligible?
A. Due to our finite resources we can only award a RSG to a few post graduate applications. There need to be a strong emphasis on field-work with clear conservation applications. Any award will be for the field based element. Moreover, our judging panel will scrutinise how any application sits within our general criteria. If a RSG of up to £6,000 is considered it will need to be a pivotal part of the PhD’s overall cost.
Q. Do I have to work overseas in order to qualify for a Grant?
A. No, working abroad is not a requirement, but preference is likely to be given to projects which bring new skills and conservation education opportunities to the area where conservation is taking place, rather than those working in areas where the project makes a lesser impact. Projects in less wealthy areas are likely to take priority over those in well-off areas; those which offer opportunities to train local team members in the running of the project and those with an educational element for local communities are strongly preferred.
Q. So with the right project, I could qualify by working in my home country?
A. Yes. However, we almost never fund projects in "first world" countries.
Project type
Q. What sort of conservation work would qualify for funding from the Rufford Small Grants Foundation?
A. The Foundation has a broad scope of interest. As well as the conservation of animals in their habitat, it is also keen to support conservation work focusing on threatened habitats, and on other organisms such as plants, fungi, or insects. Beyond this, the overriding requirement is that the work must be of a pragmatic nature, and make a substantial and long lasting impact on the issue in question. There will often be a significant human element to a successful proposal, with community education / involvement being very important.
Q. Does the Rufford Small Grants Foundation give grants based on conservation work with a single species?
A. In general, the Foundation favours work at a habitat or ecosystem level rather than species-specific work. However we recognise that data gathering may be a critical element in developing a conservation or management strategy.
Q. How long should my project last?
A. The Foundation seeks to fund those project leaders who intend to make a significant and long lasting impact on their chosen subject. This means that the applicant should intend to devote a considerable period of time to the project, and set it up in such a way that it can have a long term future - hence local team members are an essential part of the equation, so that the project can carry on functioning usefully once the team leader moves on to other work.
Q. How big can my project be, and still allow me to apply for a RSG?
A. Rufford Small Grants are designed to support small projects or pilot projects, rather than providing a small amount of funding for a large-scale project.
The Application
Q. I am not an accountant! How much detail has to go into the financial summary?
A. We are looking for a sensible summary of your expected income and expenditure over the period of your proposed project. Whilst we do not want huge amounts of detail, it would be helpful to see expenditure by category such as food, fuel, equipment (state purpose), subsistence payments for local team etc. In terms of income the Panel would like to see income split by expected sources, and it would be helpful to note any other grants or awards applied for. You should give us too much rather than too little information as the assessment process is not long enough to allow the Panel to request further information. Please note that if you lead or are part of an organisation you should submit financial information about that organisation as well as for your specific work, so that we can understand the context better.
Q. What sort of items should I put in the budget?
A. The budget needs to be broken down into clearly identifiable parts - what equipment is required, what is being spent on subsistence, travel etc. Salaries other than essential subsistence payments are generally not favoured unless well justified in the application. We also need to understand what other sources of income there are. Give enough detail on budget items so that we can get a clear picture of what is needed and be able to assess whether the costs are reasonable.
Q. I have not published any papers yet. Am I at a disadvantage to more experienced scientists who have already published a considerable number of papers?
A. No, not at all. We are interested to know if papers have been published as this can give us further background on an applicant, however if you have not published this does not have to be a disadvantage to your application.
Q. You need me to provide three referee statements. What sort of person should I approach?
A. We ask that at least one of the three should be a person in the country where you will be working. This person needs to be able to comment with authority as to the usefulness, validity and practicality of your work, and preferably will be able to comment on the level of support given by the host country to the project - whether through government or non- governmental organisations. At least one of the other two should be an international referee ie be from a different country from where you will be working. All the referees should know about you and your work.
Q. Are these referee statements important?
A. They are absolutely critical to your application. We rely very heavily on these objective opinions of your project, so please make every effort to ensure that all three statements are submitted to us in good time so that they can be considered with your application.
Q: If our proposal has been unsuccessful, can we appeal?
A: Whilst we sympathetically consider all applications which meet our criteria, with limited funds available we are unable to give comprehensive reasons why applications are not successful nor can we enter into dialogue or correspondence regarding projects which have been refused funding.
Q. If our application is not successful, may we re-apply at a later date?
A As long as the application meets our criteria, re-applications can be made a minimum of 12 months after the initial application. Applications which fail to meet our criteria are rejected and informed.
Q. May I apply by email?
A. Yes, by all means. Send your completed application as an attachment to your email. For Rufford Small Grants, use the RSG application form and send it to jane@rufford.org
Q. If I am successful, do you have a copy of the Rufford Small Grants logo I can download to use in relation to my project?
A. Yes, if you are the recipient of a Rufford Small Grant, The Rufford Small Grants Foundation (“RSGF”) hereby grants you a non-exclusive, royalty free permission to use its name and logo (the “Logo”) in the form that can be downloaded as directed below), subject to acceptance of the following terms. You shall be deemed to have accepted such terms by virtue of your use of the Logo:
1. you shall display the Logo in a prominent position on all your publications and materials relating to the project for which we have made the grant (the “Project”) and for no other purpose, you shall not alter the Logo in any way nor do or permit anything to be done in connection with your use of the Logo that could jeopardise the goodwill in the Logo, and you shall use the Logo only in relation to and for the duration of the Project;
2. you acknowledge that use of the Logo pursuant to this permission does not confer on you any right, title or interest in or to the Logo; and
3. RSGF reserves the right on demand, and as it in its absolute discretion thinks fit, to revoke this permission, following which you shall remove the Logo from all your publications and materials.
You can download the Logo by right-clicking (control click on Macintosh) this link and selecting “Save target as …”
The Reporting Process
Q. When do you expect a report from me?
Throughout the period of your work we welcome, by email, ongoing feedback and photographs from the project to be used on the RSG website. A year after receiving your grant we request that you provide a full formal report detailing how the grant has been used. The report will include an account of all relevant expenditure in the period covered by the report. We have a report template that you must use for this purpose, a copy of which can be downloaded here.