Conservation Impact Grants 2025

Indentifying and safeguarding Blue Corridors: Enhancing marine connecitivity conservation for whales and dolphins in the Caribbean and Coral Triangle Seascapes.

DEADLINE: Friday November 19, 2025

In 2025, WWF and partners established the Blue Corridors Initiative (bluecorridors.org), a global collaboration dedicated to safeguarding the migratory routes of whales by harnessing the power of innovative visualizations and co-designed conservation strategies. The mission is to advance global whale conservation by building a collaborative community that uses data-driven insights, compelling visual storytelling, and science-based solutions. By addressing growing threats, mapping key migration corridors, and protecting critical habitats, we aim to support global biodiversity and ocean sustainability goals.

To help boost these efforts, WWF is inviting individuals, organisations and institutes to submit tconservation project ideas to help fill gaps in knowledge and inform a policy action or management outcome to better conserve and safeguard blue corridors for whales and dolphins.

Output from projects can include helping to add data and visualisations to BlueCorridors.org, help inform reduction of a specific threat, impplement inclusive conservation, and/or contribute to local capacity building. This year, a total of A$120,000 is available with two grants available for the following seascapes:

  • Carribbean Region (A$60,000). WWF is a partner on the CAMAC project (CAribbean marine Megafauna and anthropogenic ACtivities) which aims to improve knowledge of these interactions and strengthen regional collaboration. The aim is to provide Caribbean governing bodies and environmental stakeholders with recommendations and tools to reduce the negative impacts of interactions between marine megafauna and human activities., help identify opportunities for applied conservation efforts in the region. CAMAC is being delivered as part of the Agoa Marine Mammal Sanctuary, situated in the French West Indies, is a marine protected area designated in 2010 and recognized under the SPAW (Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife) protocol of the Cartagena Convention in 2012.

  • Coral Triangle Region (A$60,000) with a focus on filling gaps in knowledge of cetaceans in the region and identify opportunities to mitigate threats. WWF

Our main goal is to help contribute to achieving IMPACT. Tell us how your project will make a difference for whales, dolphins and porpoises and how we can work together to communicate it and the outcomes to the public and policymakers.  Funding can contribute a range of projects including testing new ideas or long-term studies. Previous funding by the Initiative has been awarded a range of activities including providing field equipment such as satellite tags and drones for conservation science projects, analysis to identify critical habitats, working with local communities on co-developing solutions to mitigate bycatch for small cetaceans and help inform major marine protect area proposals. 

Funding grants will be assessed by the WWF team of experts from the Protecting Whales and Dolphins Initiative – a global conservation programme to equip experts, industry, policy makers and governments with tools and solutions to safeguard cetaceans for future generations. WWF has a long track record in supporting cetacean conservation efforts worldwide investing in developing safe field research techniques, building capacity of next generation researchers, and advising Governments on conserving ocean habitats. These efforts have resulted in major shifts in policy and practice from local to global levels. Our focus of conservation is on:

  • Safeguarding whale, dolphin and porpoise species or populations at risk through reducing human impacts. Key areas include working to reduce bycatch, shipping, underwater noise, and climate change.

  • Securing critical cetacean habitat, including migration routes, through informing marine protected areas or identifying key biodiversity area design and management.

Application form can be found here:

Download application form (WORD)

To submit the application form, please email it to Chris Johnson at: whales@wwf.org.au

For any questions please get in touch via our contact form.

Application deadline: Friday November 28, 2025. Application outcomes will be notified by email.

Additional Information:

  • Applications and expressions of interest will be reviewed by members of the WWF Protecting Whales & Dolphins Initiative team.

  • Funding will be dispersed in the form of a contract agreement with World Wildlife Fund, Australia (WWF Australia). Chris Johnson, Global Lead of the Protecting Whales & Dolphins Initiative, hosted by WWF Australia, will be the contract coordinator.

  • Administration costs cannot be more 12.5% of the funding agreement.

  • Any research results to be published open source and available via open data platforms including BlueCorridors.org. Collaborative communications are a key deliverable of the funding.

  • For more information about World Wild Fund for Nature, Australia (WWF-Aus) policies, please visit this link: https://www.wwf.org.au/about-us/policies

Photo © Richard Barrett/WWF-UK