Please find here links to the French and Spanish versions of our Launch and Further Information pages.

How Do I Apply?

1. Review The Boring Fund: Terms and Conditions
2. Ensure you have thoroughly read the Launch Page, Further Information Page, and Discussion Thread
3. Complete The Boring Fund 2025 Application Form. A preview of the questions can be found here.

Apply by 23:59 BST on 19 August 2025.

Eligibility

We welcome applications for projects that may be considered “boring to fund” by traditional standards, as long as they address a relevant need within the conservation technology space.

We are looking for proposals that strengthen the core, often-overlooked components of the following conservation technologies: 

• AI / Machine learning
• Bioacoustics
• Bio-loggers / Animal tracking
• Camera traps
• Data management and processing platforms (e.g., Movebank, Wildlife Insights, Zooniverse)
• GIS and remote sensing (satellite, multispectral, and thermal imagery, LiDAR)
• eDNA & genomics
• Mobile apps & citizen science platforms
• Non-AI computational tools (e.g., R, Python, statistical software)
• Networked sensors
• Protected area management tools (e.g., SMART, EarthRanger)
• Remote sensing & GIS
• UAVs / Drones 

We will also consider applications that address at least one of the following conservation challenges:

• Biodiversity and/or environmental monitoring
• Captive breeding
• Citizen science
• Climate change / Resilience
• Habitat loss or destruction (e.g., deforestation)
• Endangered species & ecosystems
• Illegal or unsustainable fishing (IUU)
• Human-wildlife conflict and coexistence
• Invasive species
• Pollution
• Protected area management and planning
• Scientific research
• Species protection
• Wildlife crime / Illegal wildlife trade / Poaching 

Please contact us if technologies or conservation challenges are missing from these lists. Alternatively, if your chosen technology is not present on our list, you can justify its inclusion in your proposal and clarify your project’s relationship with the conservation technology sector. 

We encourage all who are eligible to apply regardless of your location or career status.

Please note that you can submit multiple projects, but applicants should submit each project separately. 

How This Opportunity Differs From the WILDLABS Awards

We encourage applicants to ensure that their proposed projects are distinct from the types of initiatives typically supported through the WILDLABS Awards. Last year, among the 227 applications to the Boring Fund, a significant portion were not eligible because they were better suited for the WILDLABS Awards. 

The Boring Fund is designed to complement, not duplicate, other funding streams by focusing specifically on the essential, behind-the-scenes work that often struggles to secure financial support. While the WILDLABS Awards supports adoption, innovation, and scalability of technologies (see 2024 and 2025 winners), The Boring Fund supports the less-glamorous but vital projects that help those innovations succeed. That said, we welcome applications that seek to fund the “boring” components of WILDLABS Awards-style projects, helping ensure they’re more sustainable, accessible, and impactful in the long term.

Selection Criteria, Judging, and Further Information

Members of the judging panel will review applications, scoring them based on the following criteria:

• Is your project a unique fit for the Boring Fund?
• Is your project relevant to the conservation technology sector and community?
• Is your application high quality and is your project feasible/likely to succeed?

As with the WILDLABS Awards, we strongly encourage applications from individuals and groups who are underrepresented in the conservation technology space. We also value active engagement with the WILDLABS community and will take this into account during the review process.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about The Boring Fund, please ask them on the Q&A thread or contact [email protected].

Support Us in Scaling

We expect to receive overwhelming demand for support again this year, highlighting just how urgently the conservation tech community needs more resources to fund the “boring” but vital parts of their work. If you’re interested in helping us make a bigger impact by supporting even more of these essential projects, please reach out to [email protected].