Frequently Asked Questions

We define sport as any organised physical activity with rules, practised individually or in groups, including traditional or popular forms recognised locally. If you are unsure whether your project qualifies, contact us before applying.

Play for Nature funds projects worldwide, with the exception of areas affected by armed conflict or instability. If your country does not appear in the dropdown list on the application form, your project is not eligible.

Please note: projects located in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are not eligible due to the security situation in that area.

Applications are only accepted during the open call period: 1 July to 16 August 2026. It is not possible to submit a project outside of this window.

Applications are submitted exclusively online via our grant management platform. Before applying for the first time, you must create a user account with a valid email address. Only one application per organisation per 12-month period is accepted.

Your organisation must have been legally registered for at least 3 years at the time of application.

No. Generalist organisations or organisations whose primary mission is sport are not eligible, even if the proposed project includes a conservation component. As a general guideline, your organisation should dedicate at least 50% of its budget to conservation activities.

No. Projects must not have begun at the time of application. Note that the full process, from submission to final decision, can take up to 4–5 months. We therefore recommend planning for a project start at the beginning of the year following the call.

No. Only one application per organisation per edition is accepted.

Selection takes place in two stages. First, all applications are checked against the eligibility criteria — ineligible applications are not reviewed further. Eligible applications are then assessed on the following criteria:

• Sport-conservation link — how meaningfully and demonstrably sport is integrated into the conservation strategy
• Conservation impact — clarity of threats addressed, species targeted, and measurable outcomes expected
• Innovative and replicable approach — does the project offer a model that could inspire or be adapted by others?
• Monitoring and evaluation — is there a credible system to track and document results?
• Financial sustainability — what happens to the project after the grant period ends?
• Inclusion — does the project take into account gender, youth, and vulnerable or marginalised populations?
• Organisational credibility — track record, local embeddedness, and capacity to deliver

Yes. There is no restriction on reapplying in a subsequent edition.

You will receive an email notification when your application has not been successful. Please check your junk folder. Detailed individual feedback is not systematically provided.

• Call opens: 1 July 2026
• Deadline: 16 August 2026
• Results announced: late October 2026
• Projects start: 2027

From submission to final decision, the process takes approximately 4–5 months.

For a first collaboration with Play for Nature, your project must be designed around a maximum grant of €5,000. The requested amount must also represent ≤ 50% of your organisation’s annual budget and ≥ 10% of the total project cost.

The Biodiv’Sport grant covers a maximum period of 12 months. Your project may be part of a multi-year strategy — in that case, we fund one annual phase of the project. A new application may be submitted in subsequent editions for the following phases.

If your project is selected, you will be expected to maintain regular communication with our team (including interim reports) and submit a final report using our template. Failure to submit a final report will make your organisation ineligible for future funding.

If you need to make significant changes to your project design or budget, you must contact Play for Nature before proceeding. Unauthorised changes may result in a request to return the grant in full. If in doubt, contact us.

Contact us as soon as you anticipate a delay, do not wait until it becomes critical. Projects must remain within the framework of the signed agreement (MoU). In exceptional circumstances where the original terms can no longer be met, a meeting will be arranged to discuss a formal amendment to the contract.

Play for Nature prioritises organisations locally based in the country where the project will be implemented. If your organisation has a local branch, we strongly encourage that branch to apply in its own name. Applications from organisations based abroad are accepted only if they have a genuine operational presence in the project area. In all cases, funds must go directly to the organisation implementing the project — any transfer of funds or re-granting to another organisation is excluded.