Whitley Fund for Nature

Who we are

WFN is a UK-registered charity that champions and funds outstanding grassroots leaders working to conserve wildlife and support communities across the world. Since our founding in 1993, WFN has channelled £26 million to more than 230 conservation leaders in 84 countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Our Award winners are courageous, locally-rooted changemakers delivering science-based, community-driven solutions that create lasting benefits for wildlife, landscapes and people. We provide more than funding. Through Awards, training and strategic communications support, we raise the profile of our winners and amplify their impact internationally. We maintain close, long-term relationships with our grantees, helping to strengthen local NGOs and build conservation leadership capacity where it is needed most. We fund in regions where financial resources are often hardest to secure but where investment can deliver transformative impact.

Our annual income of £2.7m is raised through a diverse portfolio of family foundations, trusts, individual donors, corporate partners and international NGOs. WFN is governed by a dedicated Board of Trustees and delivered by a dynamic, mission-driven team committed to excellence and measurable impact. The charity benefits from the high-profile support of our Patron, HRH The Princess Royal, and Ambassadors including David Attenborough, Kate Humble, Tom Heap, Miranda Richardson, Danielle de Niese and Alastair Fothergill.

Together, we work to spotlight proven conservation solutions and ensure grassroots leaders receive the recognition, resources and networks they need to thrive.

Our culture and values

Vision:
A future where communities and wildlife thrive together on a healthy planet.

Mission:
To halt and reverse the loss of Earth’s biodiversity and wild places, working alongside local people. We achieve our mission by:

• Providing funding, recognition, and training to proven grassroots conservation leaders working across the Global South.
• Supporting the long-term growth and scale up of impactful conservation solutions backed by science.
• Raising the profile of conservationists' work and their ability to effect positive environmental change.

Values:

Integrity – At WFN we act with integrity in all we do, fostering a culture that is responsible, uplifting, transparent, inclusive, and unified in achieving our mission while holding ourselves to the highest standards. We are accountable to the conservation leaders we champion and to the partners who support us.

Science-driven - We support evidence-based conservation work across the Global South that is informed by the latest science and founded on community involvement. We monitor and evaluate the impact of our activities, publish our results, and use them to drive our future actions.

Collaborative - We work collaboratively, actively seeking to partner and exchange learnings with others who share our vision. We foster collaboration among our international network of Whitley Award winning conservationists to enable the growth of proven conservation solutions and nurture their ability to effect positive change.

Ambitious - We are ambitious; a pioneer in the field of funding grassroots conservationists, we seek to continually move the dial for environmental protection. We actively listen and respond to the needs of our award winners and think outside the box to catalyse impact on the ground. We aim high, celebrate conservation success, and remain optimistic about our future and the difference we can all make.

Equality, diversity and inclusion policy

At WFN we are committed to developing an inclusive and diverse organisation, in which everyone feels supported, valued, and able to be their full selves. We celebrate and respect diversity in nature and among the people and partners with whom we work. The environment sector needs to become more diverse, and so do we, if we are to achieve our vision.

As a small organisation we are committed to progressing and continuing development across EDI. We therefore strongly encourage applications from people who are Black, Asian or from minority ethnic backgrounds, disabled, LGBTQIA+, or from lower socio-economic backgrounds.  Under the Disability Confident scheme, we guarantee a first-round interview for disabled candidates who meet the essential criteria.

Applications will be anonymised as part of our standard recruitment process so considered solely on your demonstrated suitability for the role. Please contact [email protected] to discuss any additional support you may need to complete your application.