CALL FOR PROJECT PROPOSALS

For the development of a coral reef conservation programme in partnership with Coral Guardian.

About Coral Guardian

Coral Guardian is a French non-profit that was founded in order to protect and restore coral ecosystems by working hand in hand with local communities. Coral Guardian works following to 3 main pillars:

• participatory marine conservation to develop coral restoration programmes in collaboration with local communities and for their own benefit;
• raising awareness among local and international communities about the importance of coral ecosystems and the threats they face;
• participatory science to contribute to scientific knowledge of coral ecosystems and their restoration, according to the interests and needs of local partners.

 

What is the Blue Center programme?

The Blue Center is a training and support program created by Coral Guardian, addressed to local structures aiming to develop their own project for the conservation of coral ecosystems by involving local communities. 

 

Two types of support are offered to beneficiary projects, according to Coral Guardian possibilities:

Long-term support: regular support offered by Coral Guardian and adapted to the needs of the local structure, including technical, scientific, administrative, communication/marketing, and financial needs. The initial duration of this type of partnership and support is 3 years, during which the projects will be accompanied to develop mechanisms to reach greater independence.

Short-term support: one-off support from Coral Guardian on one or more issues or topics in the development of a coral restoration project. The collaborations’ perimeter is predefined with the beneficiary structure, and can include technical, scientific, communication or administrative aspects. Support for a project of this type is never financial. The initial duration is 1 year.

 

Information about the call 

This year, we are launching a call for proposals for two months, for projects that want to join our Blue Center: applications received during this period will be considered to launch a collaboration with Coral Guardian from this year/early 2024. We encourage project leaders to submit their coral conservation projects by filling out the Google form, in order to apply for support from the Coral Guardian team.

 

Date of launch of the call for proposals: 17th April 2023

Deadline for applications: 18th June 2023 (23h59 CET)

Languages accepted: English and French.

 

Who is this call for projects for?

• Locally registered non-profit organisations focusing on conservation, outreach / raising awareness or scientific research of coral ecosystems.
• The organisation may be looking for support to launch a new project, or it may be looking for support to strengthen or evolve an existing programme.
• Geographic targets: 
  • Overseas France (DOM-TOM territories), East Africa/ West Indian Ocean,  Caribbean, Pacific Ocean.

 

Prerequisites for candidate projects: 

• The application must be submitted by a locally registered non-profit organisation;
• The project must address an environmental issue concerning coral ecosystems;
• The project must involve local communities in all stages of the project’s development; 

 

The projects we will not retain: 

• Proposals made by individuals not registered in a structure;
• Proposals made by companies;
• Proposals that do not include local communities in the project;
• Proposals without a well defined and motivated project leader;
• Proposals focusing on ecosystems other than corals.

 

How to submit your project?

• Download the Word version of the application form to complete your answers, click here to download the document : Application form Blue Center EN_Modifiable

• Once your answers are ready, complete the Google Form (click here for the form), and send it to submit your application. Only complete applications will be considered.

Project evaluations will be made by Coral Guardian’s team, and you will be contacted on the 18th July at the latest with a response to your proposal.

 

If you have any questions about the call for applications or about the application document, please contact Florina Jacob at bluecenter@coralguardian.org.

 

We’re looking forward to discovering your coral conservation projects soon!

The team of Coral Guardian