Summary
A collaborative environmental fund for the UK Overseas Territories, which collectively host 94% of the UK’s endemic biodiversity.
Aims and activities
Aims and questions
Aims and activities
The UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs) host an incredible 94% of the UK’s biodiversity, including vital ecosystems such as rainforests, coral reefs, and tundra. Despite their global conservation importance, they receive just 0.03% of UK philanthropic funding. The UKOTs Fund, led by John Ellerman Foundation, addresses this funding gap by supporting urgent, locally-led conservation work.
Since 2021, the UKOTs Fund has distributed over £1.8 million, catalysing conservation work including invasive species eradication, habitat restoration, and the creation of national parks. By pooling resources, the UKOTs Fund ensures cost-effective, high-impact conservation, empowering local organisations and protecting globally significant species and habitats.
Our goal is to launch a new funding round in 2025 and build a long-term collaborative funding initiative. By joining us, funders can play a pivotal role in preserving these extraordinary regions and addressing urgent environmental challenges.
How to get involved
We welcome funders to join the UKOTs Fund and contribute to the 2025 funding round. Your support will directly fund transformative conservation projects, ensuring these biodiversity-rich regions receive the protection they urgently need.
The Fund simplifies participation by pooling contributions and centralising due diligence, making it an efficient and strategic choice for funders of all scales. Please contact Sufina Ahmad at sufina@ellerman.org.uk if you would like to find out more.
Beyond financial contributions, funders can advocate for the UKOTs within their networks, helping raise awareness of these critical but often overlooked regions.
Who's involved
Who was involved
John Ellerman Foundation with the support of the Environmental Funders Network
Learning and Resources
- A review into the achievements of the UKOTs Fund (2024): The UK Overseas Territories Fund: An unparalleled opportunity for environmental philanthropy (accompanied by this blog)
- Recordings and blog posts for events in our 2024 UKOTs learning series:
- The incredible nature of the UK Overseas Territories: recording and blog
- Funding the UK’s most biodiverse regions: what’s working and what isn’t: recording and blog
- Innovation in environmental funding in the UK Overseas Territories: recording and blog
- A case for support publication (2021): The UK Overseas Territories: An unparalleled opportunity for global environmental impact and accompanying video
- A podcast episode on the UKOTs, featuring Sufina Ahmad: Inspiring People: the UK Overseas Territories.
