SUPPORTING A NETWORK OF CONSERVATIONISTS
We find the best entrepreneurial organizations and invite them to receive in-depth, ongoing support by joining our Network of Conservation Partners. We provide our Partners with the financial resources, tools, and services they need to effectively protect wildlife while also offering critical, but less intensive support to a broader group of conservation organizations in our Extended Network. As all organizations in our Network go through a rigorous vetting process, donors can invest in them with confidence.
Conservationists in our Network work within local communities to find solutions that address the needs of both wildlife and people.
100% of designated donations to Conservation Partners in our Network go directly to the field with no overhead removed.
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African Elephants
Andean Cat
Bats
Bornean Elephants
Cheetah—Botswana
Cheetah—Namibia
Corals
Cotton-Top Tamarin
Dolphins and Dugongs
Ethiopian Wolf
Grevy's Zebra
Grey Crowned Cranes
Lion—Ewaso
Lion—Niassa
Macaws
Mountain Gorillas
Okapi
Orangutans
Painted Dog
Penguins
Saiga Antelope
Sharks and Rays
Small Wild Cats
Snow Leopard
Spectacled Bear
Spider Monkey
PROTECTING SPECIES ACROSS THEIR HABITATS
Our Wildlife Funds offer flexible grants to projects in order to protect threatened species across their habitats. The Wildlife Funds invest in effective projects from a wide range of organizations, kickstarting new approaches and bolstering tried and true conservation efforts. Each fund amplifies donor support by combining contributions, allowing for the biggest impact possible.
In addition to our Wildlife Funds, WCN’s Emergency Relief Fund supports conservationists, wildlife, and communities in times of crisis.
100% of donations to our Funds go directly to the field, with zero overhead removed.
ELEPHANT CRISIS FUND
ELEPHANT CRISIS FUND
The Elephant Crisis Fund’s (ECF) goal is to end the ivory crisis and secure a future for elephants. The ECF funds the best ideas and most urgent actions to safeguard the future of elephants, working with a coalition of individuals, scientists, conservation organizations, and governments to:
- End the ivory crisis
- Promote human-elephant coexistence
- Protect elephant landscapes
The ECF is a joint initiative of Save the Elephants and WCN.
LION RECOVERY FUND
LION RECOVERY FUND
Lion populations have declined by half in just a quarter century. But, lions can return. The Lion Recovery Fund (LRF) was created by WCN to give conservationists the support they need to address the biggest threats to lions.
The LRF invests in projects designed to:
- Protect lions from poaching, incidental capture in snares, retaliatory and ritual killings, and other threats.
- Protect habitats from destruction by unsustainable development practices such as farming, mining, logging, and charcoal production.
- Protect prey from poaching for bushmeat, excessive competition with domestic livestock, destruction of migratory pathways, and other threats.
Lion recovery is within our grasp.
Painted Dog Fund
Painted Dog Fund
Painted dogs have experienced an almost 99% decline in their populations in the past century; they are now very endangered and face the real risk of extinction. The Painted Dog Fund (PDF) is a joint initiative of the Painted Wolf Foundation (PWF) and WCN to invest in the best initiatives to:
- Protect Painted Dogs by investing in the conservation of existing painted dog rangelands and support proven measures to protect dogs in these areas.
- Recover Territory by suppoting the rehabilitation, protection, and conservation of appropriate former painted dog rangelands to allow their expansion into safe and well-managed areas.
- Support Collaborations by investing in initiatives that disseminate ideas and learning to benefit painted dog conservation as a whole and support field-based collaborations between conservation organizations, communities, and land management initiatives.
Pangolin Crisis Fund
Pangolin Crisis Fund
Pangolins are the most illegally trafficked wild mammals on Earth. They are hunted to supply a rampant and illegal global trade of their scales, meat, and body parts. Because of demand—mostly in Asia, but also growing across Africa—all eight species of pangolins are threatened with extinction.
The Pangolin Crisis Fund (PCF) was created by Save Pangolins and WCN to invest in the best initiatives to:
- Protect pangolins and their habitats so that all eight species have a chance to recover.
- Disrupt illegal wildlife trade networks through intelligence led investigations with local law enforcement and legislative reform.
- Eliminate the demand for pangolin scales and bushmeat in Asia and Africa by working with communities and raising awareness.
Rhino Recovery Fund
Rhino Recovery Fund
Thousands of African rhinos have been killed for their horns, which are prized for false medicinal purposes and as status symbols, and Asian rhinos have dwindled to near extinction. Additionally, rhinos are losing their habitat to unsustainable development. But there is still hope for rhinos.
The Rhino Recovery Fund has two primary investment strategies:
- Rhino Guardians – We invest in projects designed to stop rhino poaching and disrupt the trafficking and demand for rhino horn.
- Rhino Landscapes – We invest in projects that restore functioning habitat and provide strong protected area management to support wild rhinos and make them relevant to society.
SUPPORT THE RRF VISIT THE WEBSITE
California Wildlife Program
California Wildlife Program
Pumas are a cornerstone of a robust wild California. While they can live across a wide range of landscapes, their habitat is fragmented by urban sprawl and other human development. The pumas’ fragmented habitat must be restored and connected to maintain healthy wildlife populations.
WCN’s California Wildlife Program (CWP) aims to restore and connect fragmented habitat, benefiting pumas and other wildlife throughout California.
Emergency Relief Fund
Emergency Relief Fund
When emergency crises generate devastating health, social, economic, and political challenges, they often also lead to increased pressure on wildlife and natural resources, disruptions in fundraising for conservationists, and destabilization of security for communities.
WCN’s Emergency Relief Fund (ERF) supports conservationists, wildlife, and communities to turn crisis into an opportunity to respond.
ELEPHANT CRISIS FUND
ELEPHANT CRISIS FUND
The Elephant Crisis Fund’s (ECF) goal is to end the ivory crisis and secure a future for elephants. The ECF funds the best ideas and most urgent actions to safeguard...
LION RECOVERY FUND
LION RECOVERY FUND
Lion populations have declined by half in just a quarter century. But, lions can return. The Lion Recovery Fund (LRF) was created by WCN to give conservationists the support they...
Painted Dog Fund
Painted Dog Fund
Painted dogs have experienced an almost 99% decline in their populations in the past century; they are now very endangered and face the real risk of extinction. The Painted Dog...
Pangolin Crisis Fund
Pangolin Crisis Fund
Pangolins are the most illegally trafficked wild mammals on Earth. They are hunted to supply a rampant and illegal global trade of their scales, meat, and body parts. Because of...
Rhino Recovery Fund
Rhino Recovery Fund
Thousands of African rhinos have been killed for their horns, which are prized for false medicinal purposes and as status symbols, and Asian rhinos have dwindled to near extinction. Additionally,...
California Wildlife Program
California Wildlife Program
Pumas are a cornerstone of a robust wild California. While they can live across a wide range of landscapes, their habitat is fragmented by urban sprawl and other human development....
Emergency Relief Fund
Emergency Relief Fund
When emergency crises generate devastating health, social, economic, and political challenges, they often also lead to increased pressure on wildlife and natural resources, disruptions in fundraising for conservationists, and destabilization...
Empowering Local Leaders
Creating a healthy future for wildlife relies on the leadership of local people who are shaping conservation in their home countries. Through Rising Wildlife Leaders, WCN empowers local conservationists by providing them with financial support, educational resources and professional training, hands-on experiences, invaluable mentorship opportunities, and access to peer support networks. By helping these leaders either start or sustain their conservation careers, we will have a greater and more lasting impact for wildlife around the world.
100% of donations to Rising Wildlife Leaders are used for Rising Wildlife Leaders programs.
Amazonia Program
The Amazon basin is critical to our planet’s health and is home to unique biodiversity found nowhere else on earth. To invest in the future of this unparalleled landscape, WCN’s Amazonia Program is supporting a new generation of highly skilled conservation leaders working together to protect the Amazon and its incredible wildlife.
This two-year training program builds local conservationists’ leadership skills and fosters collaboration amongst conservationists in the region. Tailored to their individual needs and goals, emerging leaders in the program will gain the skills, networking opportunities, and confidence to fuel their long-term conservation careers.
Career Program
WCN’s Career Program enables conservationists who are saving wildlife in their home countries to thrive in their careers. Focused primarily on those who are early or mid-career, we offer multi-year financial support, tailored access to training opportunities, facilitated peer learning, and mentorship to give talented conservationists the tools to succeed.
Internships
The path to a career in conservation is often obstructed by a towering barrier—the scarcity of hands-on learning opportunities. These invaluable opportunities allow burgeoning conservationists to gain real-life experience, mentorship during their formative years, and a chance to build professional networks.
As part of our work to support Rising Wildlife Leaders, WCN fosters internships designed to be more than mere stepping stones; they are immersive gateways into the applied learning and professional development that early-career conservationists need to secure employment, while simultaneously fueling vital conservation work.
Scholarship Program
WCN’s Scholarship Program is empowering a new generation of local conservationists to take charge of wildlife protection in their home countries. Offering both conservation and veterinary scholarships, WCN is safeguarding a more diverse range of wildlife while supporting those who are shaping conservation’s future.
Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders (EWCL)
To ensure Rising Wildlife Leaders can jump-start their careers in conservation, WCN has supported the Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders (EWCL) training program since its inception. Via a two-year program, EWCL offers skills training, networking opportunities, mentoring, and an opportunity for conservation professionals who are early in their careers to collaboratively design and implement a global wildlife conservation initiative. EWCL takes participants from all around the world, many participants and alumni are current, past, or future WCN Conservation Partners.
Amazonia Program
The Amazon basin is critical to our planet’s health and is home to unique biodiversity found nowhere else on earth. To invest in the future of this unparalleled landscape, WCN’s Amazonia Program is supporting a new generation of highly skilled conservation leaders working together to protect the Amazon and its incredible wildlife.
This two-year training program builds local conservationists’ leadership skills and fosters collaboration amongst conservationists in the region. Tailored to their individual needs and goals, emerging leaders in the program will gain the skills, networking opportunities, and confidence to fuel their long-term conservation careers.
Career Program
WCN’s Career Program enables conservationists who are saving wildlife in their home countries to thrive in their careers. Focused primarily on those who are early or mid-career, we offer multi-year financial support, tailored access to training opportunities, facilitated peer learning, and mentorship to give talented conservationists the tools to succeed.
Internships
The path to a career in conservation is often obstructed by a towering barrier—the scarcity of hands-on learning opportunities. These invaluable opportunities allow burgeoning conservationists to gain real-life experience, mentorship during their formative years, and a chance to build professional networks.
As part of our work to support Rising Wildlife Leaders, WCN fosters internships designed to be more than mere stepping stones; they are immersive gateways into the applied learning and professional development that early-career conservationists need to secure employment, while simultaneously fueling vital conservation work.
Scholarship Program
WCN’s Scholarship Program is empowering a new generation of local conservationists to take charge of wildlife protection in their home countries. Offering both conservation and veterinary scholarships, WCN is safeguarding a more diverse range of wildlife while supporting those who are shaping conservation’s future.
Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders (EWCL)
To ensure Rising Wildlife Leaders can jump-start their careers in conservation, WCN has supported the Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders (EWCL) training program since its inception. Via a two-year program, EWCL offers skills training, networking opportunities, mentoring, and an opportunity for conservation professionals who are early in their careers to collaboratively design and implement a global wildlife conservation initiative. EWCL takes participants from all around the world, many participants and alumni are current, past, or future WCN Conservation Partners.