Boring Fund 2025

Applications are open for the Boring Fund 2025, which supports essential but often overlooked aspects of conservation technology.

📖 About Boring Fund

In response to overwhelming demand in 2024, WILDLABS has partnered again with Arm to provide more funding. In 2025, a total of $80,000 in grants will be allocated to critical, foundational activities that help build a more resilient and effective conservation tech ecosystem, starting with the "boring stuff."

Supported Initiatives

The fund will support projects and initiatives that benefit the wider conservation technology community, including:

• Community management: Activities that engage and sustain active conservation technology communities.
• Cybersecurity: Implementing measures to protect digital infrastructure, data, and communities, especially against emerging threats like AI bots.
• Data mobilisation: Curating historical data, labeling or managing large datasets, or increasing discoverability of data.
• Documentation and guidance: Publishing shareable and usable documentation and guidance for the community.
• Expert intervention: Funding expert participation to enhance collective knowledge on specific topics.
• Events: Organizing webinars, meetups, workshops, and other gatherings to foster learning and networking.
• Knowledge transfer: Sharing expertise across teams, organizations, and communities.
• Maintaining existing technology: Supporting core infrastructure for the conservation technology sector (Note: The fund does not support building new features).
• Self-led learning initiatives: Providing access to online courses, certifications, or relevant literature.
• Technical debt management: Maintaining and improving technical infrastructure, servers, or backend systems.
• Training materials: Creating essential resources like online courses, instructional videos, or detailed guidelines.
• Other initiatives: Supporting activities that contribute to the growth and sustainability of the conservation technology community.

🎁 Benefits of Boring Fund

• Total Grant Amount: $80,000
• Maximum Grant Per Project: $12,500
  • Smaller grant requests are encouraged, as impactful solutions often require modest budgets.

✅ Eligibility Criteria

Project Requirements

The fund welcomes applications for projects that may be considered "boring to fund" by traditional standards, as long as they address relevant needs within the conservation technology space. Proposals should strengthen the core components of conservation technologies, such as:

• 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 (e.g., satellite 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)
• UAVs / Drones

Conservation Challenges Addressed

Applications should also 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

📅 Application Timeline

• Application Deadline: August 19, 2025
• Project Start Date: October 2025
• Funds Usage Deadline: May 2026

📝 Application Process

To apply for the Boring Fund, visit the application portal or directly fill out the application form.

🌟 Sponsor Organisation

The Boring Fund is sponsored by WILDLABS, a leading organization in conservation technology.

For more details, visit the official Boring Fund page.

• A total of $80,000 available
• The maximum amount per project is $12,500, but smaller amounts are encouraged.