Blue Action Fund provides grants to selected conservation projects in marine protected areas (MPAs) and their buffer zones, targeting the most sensitive coastal waters of Africa, Latin America and Asia/Pacific and focusing on projects with measurable outcomes in two areas:

• Newly established or better managed MPAs or networks of MPAs that result in conservation of biodiversity;
• Enhanced livelihood conditions and food security.

Blue Action Fund’s grant-awarding process is based on Calls for Proposals only.

Blue Action Fund’s grant-eligibility requirements concern both the project and its implementation. In summary, we support:

projects that… 

• are realised in an area with significant biodiversity that is recognised as an MPA or has the potential to achieve formal recognition as an MPA during the lifetime of the project;
• contribute to marine protection and sustainable livelihoods in coastal communities;
• are tested and scalable;
• will show a measurable impact within the duration of the project; and
• ask for a Blue Action Fund contribution of €2–5 million and have a duration of three to five years;

non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that… 

• are well-grounded in the target country;
• have experience of the size and type of project proposed; and
• are willing to fund at least 25% of the total project costs (‘match funding’).

Applicants should consider carefully whether they fulfil these requirements and have the capacity to offer and implement projects of this nature. For full details, please refer to our Grant Procedures Manual.

Blue Action Fund’s grant portfolio consists of projects that seek to establish, enlarge or better manage MPAs of regional importance and promote sustainable livelihoods in coastal communities.

The implementation of the projects is based predominantly on activities that support:

Blue Action Fund does not accept unsolicited proposals. We award our grants based on open Calls for Proposals only (see below). Each Call for Proposals may set a strategic and geographic focus that will need to be considered in addition to the general requirements. Please carefully consult the Grant Programme documents to see if your project concept will meet all requirements and will measurably contribute to the prescribed indicators.

Currently, there is no open Call for Proposals.

There are no upcoming Calls for Proposals. If you would like to receive updates on future funding opportunities, please subscribe to our Funding Alerts.

This table lists all the Calls for Proposals that Blue Action Fund has published to date. Please visit the Grant Programme section for more information on the grants awarded and their impact.