INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES

About Us

The Project AWARE Foundation, established in 1992, is the dive industry's leading non-profit organisation committed to conserving the underwater environments through education, advocacy and action. Grant program funding is made possible by direct contributions from divers and water enthusiasts and operates on a quarterly funding cycle.

Project AWARE Foundation provides grants to a variety of nonprofit organisations, institutions and individuals involved in activities directly related to the conservation of underwater environments - both marine and freshwater. We work to accomplish our mission through support of programs in selected focus areas including:

• Coral reef conservation
• Shark protection
• Sustainable fisheries
• Ecotourism (as related to underwater environments)
• Aquatic education with a special interest in children
• Direct activities to conserve underwater resources such as shoreline and underwater cleanups, mooring buoy installations and maintenance

Within these focus areas, projects may include:

• Public education (formal and informal)
• Grass roots conservation and enhancement projects
• Environmentally focused research that leads to conservation measures
• Public awareness initiatives
• Environmental assessment and monitoring projects
• Volunteer-supported community activism

We do not fund:

• Legislative advocacy to influence policy; political campaigns
• Projects whose methods are not environmentally accepted
• Overhead expenses including salaries, stipends, benefits or tuition
• Capital expenses including computer hardware/software or office furnishings
• Travel and living expenses
• Dive equipment or instruction
• Products designed for resale
  

FUNDING LIMITATIONS
Funding requests will be accepted up to a maximum of US $10,000, AU $2,500 or UK £5000 depending on the location of your service area office. Project AWARE Foundation funding is limited and very competitive. Therefore, we cannot provide support for every project. Grant proposals requesting funds for projects falling outside the program focus areas will not be considered. The Board of Directors reserves the right to make all funding decisions at their discretion. In some instances, partial funding may be awarded.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

To apply for a Project AWARE Foundation (International) grant, please submit a completed Grant Application Form (available in MsWord or PDF), along with a proposal no longer than three pages. Proposals must include the following components in this order:

• Title of the Project
• A summary of your project - use this section to elaborate on the information you provided in the grant application, if necessary.
• Project goals:
  A. Specific goals of the project
  B. Methods for accomplishing these goals
• Statement of specific environmental benefit - use this section to elaborate on the information you provided in the grant application, if necessary.
• Significance of the project
• Time frame of the project
• Budget:
  A. Itemised project budget
  B. Total amount requested from the Foundation
  C. List any additional sources of funding (currently seeking or secured)

The Board of Directors meets quarterly to consider grant proposals. The meetings are typically scheduled during the third week of the month. To be considered at an upcoming quarterly meeting, proposals must be received at our office by the following deadlines:

Proposals received after these deadlines will be considered at the next quarterly meeting. All applicants will be notified by mail immediately following the meeting. Projects awarded funds are not eligible for repeat funding until the following year. Due to our lean staff, inquiries on the status of your proposal are discouraged.

Please send your proposal and application form to:

Project AWARE Foundation (International)
Unit 7, St. Philips Central, Albert Rd., St. Philips,
Bristol BS2-0PD, United Kingdom
info@projectaware.org.uk.

Faxed proposals will not be accepted.

Emailed proposals will only be accepted from applicants outside the UK.

Please do not submit duplicate proposals.