Now Open: 2018 Project Nominations for Conservation Funding

17 April 2018
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Annual project nominations for the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund (ATCF), an adventure travel industry nonprofit organization, are now being accepted through 16 May 2018.

ATCF member organizations are encouraged to submit projects in need of financial support that fulfill the project nomination criteria. In 2017, the ATCF membership elected three diverse projects that together received more than $76,500 USD in grants, and the ATCF is excited about funding more innovative projects in 2018.

WILDCOAST, one of the organizations that received funding in 2017, works on a number of initiatives related to preserving marine wildlife. Learn more about all of the 2017 grant winners.

The ATCF was founded by members of the adventure travel industry and is dedicated to protecting threatened communities, cultures, and wild places throughout the world to preserve their cultural and recreational value. Many international organizations in the adventure travel and outdoor industries seek ways to engage in conservation which protect the destinations where they work and play.

“The ATCF was specifically designed in a way to make supporting conservation efforts as easy and straightforward as possible for our members. We solicit priority conservation projects from our membership, screen the projects for viability, and monitor and measure the impacts of these projects.” said Soraya Shattuck, ATCF’s executive director. “This allows our members to focus on their core business while also providing them with a way to easily engage in conservation.”

Each year the amount of funding available is dependent upon the funds raised through membership dues, 100 percent of which go directly toward funding projects. Once the nomination period closes, the ATCF invites the nominated organizations to submit a formal application. Grants are awarded to organizations seeking funding for projects supporting the ATCF mission and meet at least one of the following:

  • Provide long-term protection of an environmental resource, wildland, waterway, or threatened species.
  • Protect the cultural assets of a tourism destination such as language, traditional knowledge, and historical sites.
  • Improve or create outdoor recreation infrastructure.
  • Develop or support business development opportunities for projects that focus on the preservation of unique cultural and natural resources.

Project nominations close 16 May! Not sure what to nominate? Check out these ATTA member projects as examples of the types of projects that could be funded. ATCF members are invited to nominate their suggested projects here.


Member organizations may nominate up to two projects for funding consideration. To nominate a project, ATCF members should complete the quick and easy nomination form by 16 May. Projects may only be nominated by ATCF members. Organizations that would like to nominate a project for 2017 funding but are not yet members of the ATCF are encouraged to sign up for membership as soon as possible.

“We as an industry are making a tangible difference through funding good projects that protect people and places. Think what we could do if hundreds more companies joined. As small and big companies alike are joining in the cause, we invite the industry to engage now!” said Shannon Stowell, CEO of the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA).

Once the deadline for project nominations closes on 16 May, nominated projects will receive a request for proposal (RFP) due mid-June. Member voting for vetted projects will begin in the early fall, with grant winners announced mid-October 2018.

For more information about the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund, visit www.AdventureTravelConservationFund.org or email [email protected].

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