APPLICATION PROCEDURES FOR
PRO NATURA FUNDOVERSEAS GRANTUNDER THE 35th(2024) TERM“PRO NATURA FUND” is a conservation grant program managed by Pro Natura
Foundation Japan (PNFJ).
PNFJ welcomes your application for the fiscal year 2024 (October 2024 – September2025) that fulfills the following requirements.

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1.

SUMMARY OF ORVER SEAS GRANT

Purpose of grant
The projects carried out by local communities in overseas developing regions* are qualified to be granted.
These projects must focus on the protection of wild animals and plants, as well as ecosystemconservation. The activities supported include research and surveys conducted by the local people, as
well as educational and awareness-raising initiatives. Projects that integrate both research andinitiatives are also eligible.
*“developing regions” refers to countries or areas explicitly listed in the list of Development AssistanceCommittee (DAC) recipients.
Grant duration
1 yearGrant amountUp to 1 million yen. (one-time payment)

2.

SCHEDULE
Application start:

3 June 2024

Application close:

11 July 2024 18:00（Japan）

Announcement of the result:

End of September 2024

Funding term:

1 October 2024 - 30 September 2025

Remittance of the grant:

Early in October 2024
(after the confirmation of memorandum)

Interim report:

31 March 2025

Submission of final report:

30 November 2025

Final session (presentation):

Late November or early December in 2025

3. QUALIFICATIONS FOR APPLICANTS
The grant is applicable for groups only (consists of at least 3 members). The applicant
group needs to fulfill the following criteria:
1) The applicant group must be capable of carrying out researches and/or conservation activities ina local field.
2) The applicant group should have an excellent achievement in researches and/or activities that
contribute to nature conservation in the area concerned.
3) The applicant group must include a project leader and an accountant. An accountant must be aJapanese member.

24) The representative applicant (project representative) should have a deep understanding of thefield and the community in the area, and have built up a good relationship with them.
5) The applicant group must include at least one Japanese member who knows the group members
well, understands the details of the project, and is capable of being a liaison between the groupand PNFJ. Please refer to “4.” for more detail about Japanese member.

The following groups are not eligible for application:
Groups conducting activities for profit.
Groups with specific purposes related to politics, ideology, religion, etc.
Anti Social Forces (e.g. crime group) or similar organizations.
Groups carrying out activities commissioned by other institutions.
Groups including members of PNFJ’s officers or judges.
The following research and activities are not eligible for application:
Being conducted for profit.
Focusing on the aspects of economics and consumption.
4.

ROLE OF JAPANESE MEMBER(S)Japanese members are essential to help communications between the project group andPNFJ.
Japanese members must be capable of making contact with the project group and thePNFJ secretariat in any circumstances, even when the project becomes no longer
continuable due to unpredictable accidents such as political turmoil.
Obligations of the Japanese member(s):1) To translate an application form and send it to the secretariat of PNFJ.
2) To write the interim and final financial reports in consultation with the project representative.
3) To translate the summary of final outcome report and the Pro Natura News manuscript.
4) To ensure all documents are prepared in a proper way.
5) To support the representative to ensure the timely submission of all necessary documents.
6) To attend the final session for the presentation of outcomes being held in Tokyo, Japan in lateNovember or early December 2025. Japanese member must make a presentation. When it isdifficult to come to Japan at that time, submission of the presentation video is also acceptable.

5. RESTRICTION OF EXPENDITUREThe grant is to be used to carry out the project in the area concerned and to make report(s)on the project. The grant should NOT be used as salary for the applicants. Expenditure for3

food and beverages is not allowed, except lunches in meetings. Please refer to theexpenditure item list for further information. International travel expense must be within
30% of whole project expense.
6.

SELECTION OF APPLICATIONS
All applications are to be reviewed fairly by the judging committee. The judging criteria
are as follows:
1) Validity of the plan
Are the final goal, methods to achieve the goal, budget and term reasonable?
2) Importance in terms of conservation
Does the project deal with important objects and/or places in terms of nature
conservation in the area?
3) Efficacy of the outcome
Will the data and outcomes to be gained in the project be useful for further research,
conservation activities and sustainable development of local communities?
4) Contribution to the project area
Will the outcome of the project significantly contribute to the conservation of thenatural environment in the project implementation area?
5) Collaboration with the project area
Is the project planned to be carried out in collaboration with individuals, organizations,or groups from the project implementation area?
6) Necessity for obtaining grant
Is obtaining the grant necessary due to the economic situation in the project
implementation country?
After the final decision made by the board of trustees, we will notify the result throughthe Japanese member(s) by the end of September 2024. The secretariat of PNFJ will notanswer any questions regarding the process of selections.

7．APPLICATION PROCEDURE(1) How to apply
All the application must be done through the application system by the Japanese member
by following process.
1. Email Registration (Japanese member)

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The Japanese member accesses the link(https://sys.pronaturajapan.com/app/) and register
his/her email address. *All process will be in Japanese. Registration of Japanese
member’s email address is strongly recommended.
2. Obtain the Application URL (Japanese member)
The “Application URL” will be sent to the registered email address. Click on the“Application URL” to access the application form. Be sure to save the email containing
the “Application URL.”*If you don’t receive the email, please check your spam folder.
3. Enter Application Information (Japanese member)
The Japanese member accesses the “Application URL”, downloads required formats
which are “Application Form A”, ”Application Form B” and “Expenditure Schedule(ES)”, and gives them to the project representative.
4. Fill in the formats in English (Representative)
The project representative fills in the formats listed in 3. in English.
5. Translate English into Japanese and fill in the system (Japanese member)
The Japanese member inputs the translations of “Application Form A” and “Expenditure
Schedule” into the application system, and translates “Application Form B” into “プロジェクト計画書”.
6. Submit all the documents including original English versions (Japanese member)
Japanese member uploads all the documents of “Application Form A”, ” Application
Form B” , “Expenditure Schedule(ES)” and “プロジェクト計画書”.
7. Complete the Application (Japanese member)Once all fields are filled and files uploaded, review the content and click “Submit” in theconfirmation page. After successful submission, confirmation email will be sent to theregistered email address automatically.
Please note that no change can be made to the application after completed the application.
(2) Application Content
The representative should pay attention to the following points when filling out theapplication.
*Define the project objectives clearly and provide specific plans.
*Use a font size of more than 10 points (any font type).
*Remember that judges’ specialties are various. Avoid specific complex technical term.
*Specificity of the plan is the important evaluation criterion. Provide detailed informationin the expenditure plan and annual schedule.
*Relatively new technology must be explained with a brief explanation.
*Judges decide the appropriateness of adoption by reviewing the proposal project.

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Therefore, plan cannot be changed after approval.
*The application including deficiencies are not be accepted.
(3) Application Deadline
The application deadline is July 11th at 24:00 (midnight) in Japan time. Applications
submitted after the deadline will not be accepted regardless of reasons.
13．OBLIGATION OF THE GRANTEE:
1) Comply with Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which includes the nomination of the Japanese
member who acts as the representative and deals with all procedural matters regarding this project.
2) Submit the receipt of grants immediately via Japanese member when the payment is confirmed.
3) Submit the interim and final financial reports in consultation with the project representative.
4) Submit the final outcome report after the grant period ends.
5) Attend the final session for the presentation of outcomes, which will be held in Tokyo, Japanin late November or early December 2025.

If failed to fulfill the above responsibilities, the grantee may be asked to return the funds.

Pro Natura Foundation Japan
Shoto Annex 2F, 1-25-8 Shoto, Shibuya,
Tokyo 150-0046 Japan
Phone: +81-3-54541789
URL: https://www.pronaturajapan.com
E-mail : office@pronaturajapan.com

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