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

Background

Last year, we launched The Boring Fund to address a challenge we’d heard time and again from our community: The foundational elements of conservation technology work, such as developing training materials, maintaining critical infrastructure, curating historical or large amounts of data, or writing proper documentation, are too often dismissed or deemed unworthy of funding. While they’re not flashy or attention-grabbing, they’re essential to the progression of our sector.

We received 227 applications for just five grants, clearly demonstrating the scale of need. Applications came from every region, with especially strong demand from the Global South, including 77 applications from Africa, 36 from Asia, and 22 from South America. These applications highlighted the depth of innovation happening in under-resourced regions and the critical importance of supporting this foundational work on a global scale. (Learn about the grantees here.)

This year, we're responding to the overwhelming demand by expanding the fund. With the continued support of Arm, the company building the future of computing, we’re increasing the number of projects we can support by expanding the total grant funding to $80,000.

Our goal remains the same: to fund the "boring" but vital work that makes conservation technology more accessible, sustainable, and effective for everyone. If you have an idea that strengthens the foundations of this field, whether through training, documentation, infrastructure, or beyond, we want to hear from you.

Applications are now open. Let’s build a better conservation tech ecosystem, starting with the boring stuff.

What Are We Looking For?

This fund will support often-overlooked projects and initiatives in our sector that will benefit the wider conservation technology community. 

These include: 

• Community management: Activities that engage and sustain active conservation technology communities through WILDLABS.NET and other communities of practice.
• Cybersecurity: Implementing cybersecurity measures to protect digital infrastructure, data, and communities, especially against emerging threats like AI bots.
• Data mobilisation: Curating historical data, labelling or managing large datasets, or increasing discoverability of data.
• Documentation and guidance: Publishing documentation and comprehensive guidance that is shareable and usable by the community.
• Expert intervention: Funding the participation of experts to enhance the collective knowledge of the conservation technology community on specific topics.
• Events: Organising webinars, in-person or virtual meetups, workshops, and other gatherings that foster learning and networking with the community.
• Knowledge transfer: Sharing expertise across teams, organizations, and communities.
• Maintaining existing technology: Supporting core, existing technology infrastructure to benefit the conservation technology sector and community. Note: The Boring Fund does not support building new features and components. Please apply to the WILDLABS Awards for support for this work.
• Self-led learning initiatives: Providing access to online courses, dedicated experts, certifications, or relevant literature.
• Technical debt management: Maintaining and improving technical infrastructure, servers, or backend systems that benefit communities of users.
• Training materials: Creating essential training resources such as online courses, instructional videos, or detailed guidelines.
• And much more, including other initiatives that contribute to the growth and sustainability of the conservation technology community.

Boring Fund 2025 Details

For more information about eligibility, selection criteria and judging, visit the Further Information page. Please also consult our discussion thread for more helpful information.

• A total of $80,000 available
• The maximum amount per project is $12,500, but we encourage applications requesting smaller amounts. We acknowledge that not all essential solutions require large budget to make a big impact
• Grant period timeline:
  • Projects should begin by: October 2025
  • Funds should be spent by: May 2026

In addition to funding, awardees will have access to our public platform to share project coverage through WILDLABS communications channels, supported by Arm. These channels will include virtual events, case studies, and interviews. The WILDLABS team will provide additional support to ensure that project updates and results are widely shared throughout our community and beyond. 

Key Dates

• Launch: 2 July 2025
• Applications Close: 19 August 2025, 23:59 BST
• Selection: August - September 2025
• Award Given: September 2025
• Anticipated Project Start: October 2025
• Project Completion: No later than May 2026

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.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about The Boring Fund, please ask them on the Q&A thread or contact awards@wildlabs.net.

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 talia.speaker@wildlabs.net.