1. ELIGIBLE PROJECT TYPES

The submitted project must focus on actions planned for the year 2026. It must be a biodiversity conservation project aimed at protecting an ecosystem or endangered species, or raising awareness for their protection, through sports practice or organizing a sporting event.

An endangered species is defined here by its presence on the IUCN Red List, under the statuses Vulnerable (VU), Endangered (EN) or Critically Endangered (CR). Any project that would not have an impact on an endangered species will not be considered.

The proposed project must place biodiversity conservation at the center of its objectives, by clearly targeting endangered species or threatened ecosystems. It must also integrate the involvement of local populations in the actions implemented within the project framework, whether through awareness-raising actions, education, or through their direct participation in activities conducted by the association.

Sport must be integrated into a global biodiversity conservation project, particularly through educational actions and awareness-raising among citizens and local authorities. This may include the following categories:

Setting up sporting events, existing or newly created, by the project-carrying organization;
Partnership with an existing sporting event organized by a sports organization, in favor of the conservation project of the project-carrying organization.

All projects must also aim to raise awareness among as many people as possible about biodiversity protection, whether through the preservation of endangered species, ecosystem conservation or promoting sustainable use of natural resources. This awareness-raising can target participants in the proposed sports activities, but also other audiences located in the project intervention area: students, citizens, local authorities, or participants in concrete actions such as ecosystem restoration.

Project leaders can present annual or multi-year events. In the case of a multi-year event, it will be considered as one single project.

2. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

The eligibility criteria are defined as follows:

Only CSOs dedicated to the conservation of endangered species and ecosystems will be selected, alone or in coalition with a sports organization.
Projects must concern the conservation or awareness-raising for the protection of at least one species listed on the IUCN Red List, in one of the following categories: vulnerable, endangered, critically endangered.
The organization must have a minimum legal existence of 3 years.
The amount of support requested must not exceed 50% of the association's annual budget.
All mandatory documents must be present.

3. NON-ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Play for Nature does not finance:

Sports projects that do not present a clear objective of biodiversity conservation and/or awareness-raising for its preservation, involving at minimum one endangered species as defined in point 2.
Only the organization's structural costs. Human resources covered must be exclusively allocated to project implementation.
Care or rescue centers for species if there is no reintroduction objective.

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Biodiv'Sport - Call for proposals Play for Nature 2025

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