Conservation Scholarships | Training & Study
Training is often necessary to get your foot in the door of the conservation field and make you competitive. To date we have listed over 1,300 conservation training opportunities across the globe on our conservation training board, including everything from short online courses to multi-year master’s programmes.
We know that when you’re starting out, switching careers and developing professionally, these opportunities can sometimes make all the difference in your career.
We’ve listed nearly 150 conservation scholarships for conservation training and study. Explore some of our favourites below, or dive into the full list.
If you’re ready to look for a conservation training opportunity, check out our Conservation Training Board, or our list of top conservation training opportunities, based on transparent reviews from current and past students.
Top Conservation Scholarships | Training & Study
Here are 10 conservation scholarships for training and study that we know and love. Be sure to explore the full list here!
CLP Future Conservationist Awards | Conservation Leadership Programme
Each worth $15,000, Future Conservationist Awards are granted to teams of early-career conservationists who are conducting high-priority projects focused on protecting species listed as Data Deficient, Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Eligibility: Projects must take place in an eligible country, be led (or co-led) by a national of one of these countries, involve at least three people and last between three to 12 months.
EDGE Fellowships | Zoological Society of London
The EDGE (Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered) of Existence programme awards two-year Fellowships to future conservation leaders (EDGE Fellows) working on poorly-known EDGE species.
The EDGE Fellowship programme identifies, trains, and mentors local conservation leaders and supports the implementation of targeted initiatives to protect EDGE species. Under the supervision of internationally renowned scientists at ZSL and partner organisations, EDGE Fellows receive support (via two training courses, online learning, project visits and mentoring) in project design, data collection and analysis, monitoring and evaluation, community outreach, education, leadership and fundraising.
WCS Graduate Scholarship Program | WCS
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Graduate Scholarship Program (GSP) is part of a WCS strategy to invest in developing individual conservation leaders around the world. The GSP provides access to international graduate education opportunities (masters or doctoral programs) to exceptional conservationists from Asia/Pacific, Africa, Latin America, and North American indigenous groups. Scholars are nominated by WCS global conservation staff and are selected based on their exceptional abilities and potential to become leaders of the conservation movement in their home countries.
Eligibility: Only nominated applicants will be considered. WCS country program directors, or other agreed and designated nominators, may nominate one applicant per year per country, using the nomination guidelines.
Global Grants | The Rotary Foundation
Global grants support large international activities with sustainable, measurable outcomes in Rotary’s areas of focus. Global grants can fund:
- Scholarships for graduate-level academic studies.
- Vocational training teams, which are groups of professionals who travel abroad either to teach local professionals about their field or to learn more about it themselves.
Global grants have a minimum budget of $30,000 and a maximum World Fund award of $400,000.
Eligibility: You’ll need to work with your club and district Rotary Foundation chairs to apply.
Chevening Scholarships | Chevening
Fully-funded scholarships to undertake any master’s course at any UK university. And so much more…
Chevening Scholarships enable outstanding emerging leaders from all over the world to pursue one-year master’s degrees in the UK.
Because these scholarships are fully-funded (flights, accommodation, and course fees are all included), you are free to focus on achieving your professional goals and maximising the experience of a lifetime. You will live and study in the UK for a year, during which time you will develop professionally and academically, network extensively, experience UK culture, and build lasting positive relationships with the UK.
Eligibility: People who have the passion, ideas, and influence to provide the solutions and leadership needed to create a better future.
Young Darwin Scholarship | Field Studies Council
The Young Darwin Scholarship is an FSC initiative to encourage and support young people who have a real interest in the natural world – to develop the next generation of ‘Darwins’.
The scholarship starts with a heavily subsidised 5-day residential trip, or series of days, at an FSC location (in the UK) which involves a lot of time outdoors in environmentally engaging locations.
During the week or series of days the scholars:
- Practice a wide range of field and identification skills.
- Gain practical observation, planning, and recording skills through a series of real-life application tasks.
- Explore a range of landscapes and learn how these areas are managed and conserved.
- Meet inspirational speakers and experts from different environmental backgrounds.
- And more!
Eligibility: ‘Young Darwins’ aged 16-25.
The Carl Jones Scholarship | Durrell Conservation Academy
We are proud to launch a conservation scholarship programme under Carl Jones’ name to support the professional development of the most promising early career conservationists. The scholarship provides full financial support (except the cost of travel to Jersey, Channel Islands) to attend the Graduate Certificate in Endangered Species Management (DESMAN) course at Durrell Conservation Academy.
Selected individuals may be offered follow-on places on Durrell’s Professional Development Programme for Conservation Managers. This involves a further 18-21 months of remote learning and training, back in the workplace, facilitated through Durrell’s online learning management system. They will then benefit from long-term career support from Durrell’s Conservation Academy team.
Eligibility: Conservationists at early to early-mid career stages working in priority regions and/or on priority species.
Training Grants | Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland
Grants of up to £250 (or € equivalent for applicants from the Republic of Ireland) are available for aspiring botanists who want to go on short training courses. Applications for Training Grants open on 1st January each year and close on 28th February.
You do not need to be a BSBI member to apply for one of our Training Grants, although members are favoured in the award process.
Eligibility: Typical applicants would include recent graduates looking to start a career in botany or amateur botanists looking to take part in interest-led botanical recording.
London NERC Doctoral Training Partnership | Natural Environment Research Council
The London NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) DTP (Doctoral Training Partnership) is a partnership of eight prestigious research organisations across London, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council. Our aim is to attain new standards of excellence in environmental science research training, and deliver a transformative inter-disciplinary experience for PhD students in the heart of London. We currently fund over 140 PhD students in the natural sciences.
Our students are trained at World-leading research centres, which cover a the breadth of environmental science research, from those driven by contemporary environmental challenges to those exploring complex questions about the evolution of planet Earth. Our PhD programme is focussed on eight key research themes: Biodiversity, Ecology & Conservation, Earth, Atmosphere & Ocean Processes, Environmental Hazards & Pollution, Environmental Physics & Mathematical Modelling, Evolution & Adaptation, Past Life & Environments, Solid Earth Dynamics and Pan-disciplinary studies.
Eligibility: The London NERC DTP aims to recruit PhD students from a diverse range of backgrounds. Our selection process looks at both academic and professional experience, and we do not consider a Masters degree a requirement for application to a London NERC DTP studentship.
Graduate Research Fellowships | Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
The Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program offers opportunities for independent research or study related to Smithsonian collections, facilities, and/or research interests of the Institution and its staff. Fellowships are offered to graduate students, predoctoral students, and postdoctoral and senior researchers to conduct independent research and to utilize the resources of the Institution with members of the Smithsonian professional research staff serving as advisors and hosts.
Eligibility: Students formally enrolled in a graduate program. Before appointment, students must have completed at least one full-time semester or equivalent of their graduate program.
WCN Scholarship Program | Wildlife Conservation Network
The WCN Scholarship program was founded in 2006 to discover and nurture emerging young conservationists so they can one day take up the fight for wildlife.
WCN’s Scholarship Program funds graduate education and applied training for conservationists dedicated to working in their home countries.
Eligibility: Students from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America who are committed to working on wildlife conservation in their home countries. Interested applicants must be nominated by a pre-approved/eligible nominator.
Search all conservation scholarships for training & study
Search all conservation scholarships for training and study on our Conservation Scholarships Board.
All Conservation Scholarships
At Conservation Careers we’re on a mission to help conservationists achieve career success, and create a world where wildlife thrives. We believe all conservationists should be able to pursue the best training opportunities, have the best experiences, conduct meaningful research and lead impactful conservation projects to boost their careers and ultimately help wildlife thrive.
But we know that, especially early in your career, money can be a big barrier, and sometimes even prevent talented conservationists from pursuing and growing their careers. That’s why we’ve reviewed some of the top conservation scholarships around the world.
Whether your next career step is training, research, an experience or a project, we hope the following list helps you make it a reality.
Explore funding that helps build your skills or knowledge –
whether via a short course, undergraduate degree, master’s or PhD.
Explore funding that helps you carry out research or conduct a project –
whether in the field or at your desk, locally or abroad.
Explore funding that helps you gain real-life experience – such as volunteering, internships, traineeships and expeditions.
Useful links & free stuff
To help you navigate your options, please select which best describes you:- You want to work in conservation but you’re feeling lost, disillusioned or confused?!? Check out our Kick-Starter training designed to help you understand the job market, to navigate your career options, and to get hired more quickly. It’s designed for students, graduates, job-seekers and career-switchers. We’re proud to say it also has 100% satisfaction and recommendation ratings. We know you’ll love it. Find out more about our Kick-Starter – Online Course.
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- You’re submitting applications, but failing to get many interviews? Check out our FREE eBook Conservation Jobs: The Step-by-Step System to Get Hired as a Wildlife Conservationist – available on Kindle, EPUB and PDF. We can also review your applications, and provide 1:1 advice on how to improve them. Check out our application support here.
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