When the Grant Ends

Conservation projects rarely fail because the problem disappears.

More often, the funding does.

That tension sat at the heart of the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife (AFEW) Kenya workshop held in August 2025 under the theme “Unlocking Funds for Conservation.” Conservation organizations, civil society groups and other stakeholders came together to confront a question that affects work across Kenya: how do you protect wildlife, landscapes and communities when traditional funding sources are becoming less predictable?

For CHD Conservation Kenya, the conversation was particularly relevant.

Working in Amboseli means thinking beyond individual projects. Trees planted today need care years from now. Community conservation requires relationships that outlive a funding cycle. Education, mentorship and climate-resilient livelihoods produce their strongest results over time.

Yet much of conservation funding still arrives project by project.

The workshop challenged participating organizations to think differently.

Looking beyond the traditional grant

As donor funding becomes more competitive, conservation organizations are being pushed to diversify how they finance their work.

During the two-day workshop, participants explored emerging possibilities including county government financing, carbon markets, tourism revenues, domestic capital markets, biodiversity credits, access and benefit sharing, and financing linked to human-wildlife conflict mitigation.

For CHD, that opened an important question:

Could some of the work already happening in Amboseli eventually help finance more conservation?

The report identifies tourism revenue and biodiversity credits among the areas CHD intends to assess as possible future revenue streams, alongside opportunities to engage county government financing.

Oldonyo Musa Eco Camp, for example, already creates a connection between conservation and visitor experience. As that model develops, conservation tourism could become one pathway through which people do more than visit Amboseli. They could help sustain the work protecting it.

The opportunity is significant, but so is the responsibility. New funding models have to be credible, measurable and aligned with real conservation outcomes. Nobody needs biodiversity credits invented with the enthusiasm usually reserved for PowerPoint decks.

Funding also demands stronger institutions

The workshop was not only about finding money.

Participants examined the legal and regulatory environment governing Public Benefit Organizations, including registration, tax exemption and compliance requirements. AFEW also outlined what strong funding applications require: alignment with organizational objectives, legal and financial compliance, clear communication, demonstrated impact, strong leadership and, crucially, an exit strategy showing what happens after funding ends.

For CHD, these discussions provided a practical roadmap for strengthening organizational systems and progressing its Public Benefit Organization registration process. The report notes that stronger compliance and tax-exempt status could improve both operational sustainability and attractiveness to local and international funders.

That may sound administrative.

It is also conservation.

Strong institutions are what allow field programmes to survive leadership changes, funding gaps and shifting donor priorities.

From funding projects to financing conservation

Perhaps the most important idea to emerge from the workshop was the need to move beyond short project cycles.

AFEW encouraged organizations to think about initiatives that can continue generating value after an initial grant has ended. The workshop also committed to further policy-engagement sessions, resource sharing and an information platform where conservation organizations can exchange opportunities and knowledge.

For CHD, this thinking connects directly to its long-term vision for Amboseli.

A tree nursery should eventually contribute to landscapes that can sustain themselves.

A conservation camp can create both learning and revenue.

Community livelihoods can reduce dependence on fragile natural resources and partnerships can bring together funding, expertise and local knowledge in ways that a single grant cannot.

The workshop did not provide a magic solution to conservation financing. It did, however, reinforce something fundamental:

Lasting conservation requires lasting institutions.

Protecting Amboseli is not only about designing good programmes. It is also about building the financial, legal and organizational foundations that allow those programmes to continue when one grant ends and the next challenge begins.