Small Grants for Big Impact: African CSOs and Donors in Dialogue [starts at 10.30am]

12/10/2025
11:00 - 12:00
IUCN Programme 2026-2029 Pavilion - R2
Session with interpretation

Why attend

Hear directly from grassroots African CSOs—from North, West, East, and Southern Africa—supported by IUCN grant programmes and key donors. This interactive fishbowl session offers real-world insights into how small and medium grants unlock impact, shift power, and build lasting partnerships for locally led conservation.

Session Description

This session explores how small (€10,000–50,000) and medium (€50,000–150,000) grants can support the growth and long-term impact of African civil society organisations (CSOs) in conservation. Representatives from North, West, East, and Southern Africa will share grounded stories of how such funding helped them overcome structural challenges, strengthen their operations, and amplify local leadership for nature and communities. Through a dynamic fishbowl format, this session creates space for horizontal dialogue between CSOs, donors, and partners. Participants will hear first-hand experiences from the field and are invited to join the inner circle to react, share their own perspectives, and co-develop ideas for more accessible, equitable, and effective conservation funding models. The discussion will also reflect on donor practices and how funding strategies can better support grassroots actors across diverse African contexts.
Organised by
Headquarters
Partners
Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation logo
Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation
Eastern and Southern Africa Region logo
Eastern and Southern Africa Region
Headquarters logo
Headquarters
Comité national de l'UICN, France logo
Comité national de l'UICN, France

Speaker

Speaker Nicolas ROSSIN

Head of Biodiversity projects, FFEM

Speaker Albert TAXONERA AMOROS

Executive Director, Project Biodiversity

Speaker Christine Mentzel MENTZEL

Senior Programme Officer, IUCN ESARO

Speaker Anne Wambeti MUGO

Grants Coordinator, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Speaker Basilia SHIVUTE

Senior Operations Manager, Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC)

Speaker Paul ESTEVE

Coordinateur PPI, Comité national de l’UICN, France

Speaker Hayfe CHAMKHI

Field biologist, NAWT

Speaker Laure MONTCHAMP

Senior Grants Officer, Species Conservation Action, IUCN

Speaker Godfrey NYANGARESI

Protection Manager, Southern Tanzania Elephant Program (STEP)

Moderator

Speaker Maher MAHJOUB

Director, IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation