Bears in Mind is committed to the conservation of all eight bear species, with a main focus on Brown bear, Asiatic black bear, Sun bear, Sloth bear, Andean bear, and their habitat.

Hence, Bears in Mind allocates a significant part of its budget to bear projects with a main focus on conservation, scientific research, education and captive bear welfare-related projects.

The total budget allocated for projects varies from year to year. Since Bears in Mind is dependent on donations, the yearly budget can fluctuate. The maximum amount of funds that can be applied for depends on the budget of that specific year. Every February 1^st we will announce the maximum amount available per project, through this page:

For 2025, the maximum budget available per project is €10,000 EUR.

Please consider;

• Geographically, our main focus lays in Europe, Asia and South America.
• Funding can only be awarded to a legal entity, not a private person.
• Regular reports on project progress and a financial account are conditions to the grant agreement.
• Only one application per year per organization can be submitted.
• A new (different) project proposal can only be evaluated for funding once the ‘current’ project has been finished.
• We encourage attracting co-funders in a project.
• We do not fund Western salaries.
• Funding of a project will be guaranteed for 1 year only, applying for a continuation is possible.

Application process:

Submit a fully completed Project Proposal form (see forms below).

Within eight weeks from the deadline, the Project Committee of Bears in Mind will decide whether funding is awarded and inform the applicant.

First call

• Submission of proposals by March 1^st (23:59 CET)

• Decision on awarding the proposal by May 1^st (23:59 CET)

Second call:

• Submission proposals by September 1^st (23:59 CET)

• Decision on awarding the proposal by November 1^st (23:59 CET)

Project Proposal form:

To be used for the application of funding of a new project.

Send the fully completed form to projects@bearsinmind.org:

Project Proposal Application Form 2025Download

Project Continuation Form:

To be used for the application of a continuation of funding, after initial funding had been approved by Bears in Mind and reports on progress have been submitted. Send a fully completed form to projects@bearsinmind.org

Project Evaluation Continuation From 2025Download

Selection Criteria:

Project proposals will undergo a selection process by the Project Committee and scored based on a set of criteria which are part of the application form(s) including, but not limited to the following focus areas:

• Proposed objectives and goals

• Project impact

• Project measurability

• Project scalability and transferability

• Collaborations and co-funding