April 21, 2023

Hala Al Khayyat (Abu Dhabi)
During the current year, the “Mohammed bin Zayed Fund for the Preservation of Living Species” provided grants, benefiting 62 projects dedicated to protecting 51 endangered species. With this new batch, the number of grants provided by the Fund since its inception in 2008 has reached 2,566 projects that have contributed to preserving 1,625 species of species threatened with extinction or at risk of extinction.
During the current year, the fund announced the expansion of the categories of beneficiaries of the grants to include funding for soil organisms and threatened soil types, as the grants will be for multicellular species and will not include bacteria and viruses.
For the past 14 years, the Trust has been making grants to support the conservation of threatened species that are often overlooked and less attractive. This included conservation grants for fungi and invertebrates of many different species, as well as small mammals, frogs and reptiles that would not normally receive conservation funding.

The fund indicated that grant applications can be submitted to finance soil organisms and threatened soil types during the current period until the end of this year. Over the past years, the Mohamed bin Zayed Fund for the Conservation of Living Species has become one of the leading entities in the world in providing this type of financial grant aimed at protecting endangered species, whether mammals, reptiles, birds, plants or invertebrates.
According to the fund’s annual reports, more than 80% of the grants awarded have been allocated to help preserve critically endangered, threatened or endangered species, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List classification.
The fund receives requests for financial support from activists to preserve living organisms from all over the world, and works to support projects directly interested in preserving any of the endangered species of plants, animals and fungi.

Since October 2020, the fund has expanded its criteria for awarding grants to include meeting basic operational needs in emergencies, as part of its efforts to ensure the continued operation of local environmental resource conservation institutions.
The fund is particularly concerned with supporting projects and initiatives that take place at the field level, and that make a difference on the ground in preserving the survival of endangered species. It also provides support to individuals whose commitment, dedication and knowledge make an effective and significant contribution to the conservation of living species.
The fund aims to contribute to efforts to protect species, enrich biodiversity and vital balance, prevent species extinction, restore the ecological balance of nature, provide material and logistical assistance to scientists, researchers and specialists, and establish a mechanism for international communication and cooperation with parties of common interest, whether governmental or international organizations, Or civil society organizations, or individual institutions concerned with this, and support efforts to protect species and honor personalities working in enriching this field scientifically and academically.