Grants & awards

Young Conservation Leaders

Backing the next generation of steppe conservationists.

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Young conservationists on a field training day

About the programme

The Young Conservation Leaders programme supports people at the start of their conservation careers who are working on saigas or the steppe grasslands.

Each participant receives a modest award towards their work, alongside mentoring from established researchers and practitioners across the range.

Who it’s for

Applicants under 30 based in a saiga range state
Students, early-career researchers and community practitioners
No formal institutional affiliation required

What it supports

Fieldwork and travel costs
Basic equipment and materials
Training courses and conference attendance
Small community outreach initiatives

How to apply

Applications are made through a short online form. We ask for a clear description of the work, a simple budget and one referee — nothing longer than is genuinely needed.

Start an application

Before you apply

Do I need to be affiliated with a university or an organisation?: No. We fund individuals as well as institutions, and applications from people working independently are read on exactly the same terms.
Can I apply in a language other than English?: Yes. Applications are accepted in Russian and in the national languages of the range states, and are reviewed by panel members who read them.
Can I apply again if I have held an award before?: Yes, once the previous award has been reported on. We do give some preference to applicants who have not been funded before.
How much detail does the budget need?: A single page is enough. We want to see the main costs and roughly what each covers, not a line-by-line breakdown.