The Adventure Travel Conservation Fund (ATCF) has officially announced its 2025 grant winners! These community-led initiatives span Indonesia, Ecuador, Malaysia, Panama, and Zimbabwe, with each one demonstrating a powerful commitment to protecting cultural heritage and vital ecosystems through grassroots action.
Why This Matters
Each year, the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund (ATCF) awards funding to projects that protect the cultural and natural resources at the heart of adventure travel. This year’s grant cycle is complete – learn about the profound impact of these grant winners and be inspired by their tireless commitment to environmental stewardship.
Since its founding, ATCF has supported 53 groundbreaking projects across 29 countries, with over $800,000 in awards. These projects range from safeguarding snow leopards in Central Asia to protecting Indigenous cultural heritage in South America, to restoring marine environments in Southeast Asia. Each one represents a powerful connection between local communities, ecosystems, and the travelers whose experiences depend on their vitality.
How You Can Help
The Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) has long partnered with ATCF to advance this mission, and many ATTA members are already active ATCF members, pooling their contributions to make these grants possible. Their collective support ensures that critical conservation projects not only get off the ground but can scale their impact year after year.
Adopt a Project!
Each year, ATCF funds the top-voted conservation projects, but many strong initiatives remain unfunded; by adopting a project, you support efforts that have been rigorously vetted for viability, long-term impact, and alignment with ATCF’s guidelines. Adoption can take the form of direct contributions, community fundraising with ATCF-provided materials, matching models, or partnerships across your value chain to advance shared conservation goals.
The ATCF is calling on you to step in and help adopt a project that has not yet received full funding! Explore the projects and get involved:
The 2025 Grant Winners
1. Community Coral Keepers
Location: Malaysia, Indonesia
Org: GaiaOne Life
This project restores coral reef ecosystems in Borneo and Sulawesi by training local fishers, boat captains, and women in diving, coral planting, and marine conservation, while creating sustainable livelihoods in ecotourism. Over four months, participants will plant at least 3,000 corals and graduate as certified Ocean Gardeners, ready to pursue conservation-based careers and lead future reef restoration efforts.
2. Migratory Route of Whale Sharks
Location: Galapagos, Ecuador
Org: Galapagos Whale Shark Project
This project will satellite tag whale sharks in newly discovered aggregation sites in the southern and western Galapagos, combining cutting-edge research with citizen science to map migratory routes across the Eastern Tropical Pacific. By engaging local fishers, guides, and communities in data collection and marine stewardship, the project will generate critical conservation insights while strengthening local investment in protecting this endangered species and the ecotourism economy it supports.
3. Integrating Women into the Cobras Unit
Location: Tsholotsho District, Zimbabwe
Org: The Water4Wildlife Trust
The Community Rhino Conservation Initiative (CRCI) is a collaborative effort to reintroduce white rhinos to communal lands bordering Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park, creating a buffer zone that reduces human-wildlife conflict while generating conservation-based livelihoods. Now in Phase 2, the project seeks to expand its network of sanctuaries, engage more communities—especially women—in rhino protection, and scale its model of responsible tourism, ecological restoration, and community empowerment.
4. Kapawi Ecolodge
Location: Pastaza, Ecuador
Org: Asociacion de Servicios Turisticos Kapawi Ecolodge
The organization will use the funding to install a solar energy system at Kapawi Ecolodge, train local community members, and expand clean energy access across 10 Indigenous communities in the Amazon, helping reduce fossil fuel use and protect over 50,000 hectares of critical biodiversity.
5. Sea Turtle Conservation and Sustainable Tourism
Location: Veraguas, Panama
Org: Fundación Agua y Tierra
This project conserves four threatened sea turtle species along Panama’s Pacific coast through community-led nest protection, eco-tourism development, and environmental education. By empowering local women and youth and improving tourism infrastructure tied to the Eco-Ruta Tortuga, it creates a replicable model for regenerative tourism that benefits both biodiversity and community livelihoods.
Check out the full list of winners here: ATCF 2025 Grant Winners
For any questions about how to adopt a project or support the ATCF, contact Soraya at [email protected].