Blue Action Fund (BMZ/KfW) - Marine Protected Areas Funding
Enriched Federal (DE) · Found: 2026-03-10 21:07
Joint BMZ/KfW initiative funding marine protected area establishment and management. Directly funds national and international NGOs. Focus on developing countries.
Source: https://www.blueactionfund.org/
Funding Details
- Funder
- Blue Action Fund
- Funding Goal
- Grants to NGOs for marine conservation projects in developing countries, specifically for establishing, enlarging, or better managing marine protected areas (MPAs) and Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) that conserve biodiversity, and for enhancing livelihood conditions in coastal fishing communities. Activities supported include MPA creation/management, sustainable fishing practices, coastal habitat protection, and community-based marine resource management.
- Funding Amount
- EUR 10-30 million per Call for Proposals envelope; individual grants typically in the range of several million EUR for multi-year NGO projects
- Deadline
- Upcoming Call for Proposals planned Q2/2026 for Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, and India (mangroves, blue carbon markets, 30x30). No current open call. (periodic)
- How to Apply
- Grant-awarding is based on open Calls for Proposals only. No unsolicited proposals accepted. Sign up for Funding Alerts on blueactionfund.org to be notified of upcoming calls. Each Call for Proposals specifies geographic focus, strategic priorities, and eligibility requirements. Full Grant Procedures Manual available at blueactionfund.org/documents.
- Target Region
- Developing countries with sensitive coastal waters: Africa, Latin America, Asia/Pacific. Upcoming call focused on Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, India (mangroves, blue carbon, 30x30).
- Contact
- Contact via blueactionfund.org/about-us/#contact. Funded by BMZ (German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development) and KfW Development Bank.
- Official Page
- https://www.blueactionfund.org/funding-opportunities/
- Last Checked
- 2026-05-07 06:04
Application Checklist
Eligibility
Project Scope
Required Documents
Constraints
Summary
Blue Action Fund is a joint initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and KfW Development Bank, providing grants to NGOs for marine conservation in developing countries. Its overarching goal is to reduce marine biodiversity loss and improve livelihoods of coastal fishing communities. Thematically, Blue Action Fund focuses on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs). Priority activities include establishing new MPAs, expanding or improving management of existing MPAs, reducing impacts of unsustainable fishing practices, and promoting sustainable livelihoods in coastal communities. The upcoming Q2/2026 call will focus specifically on mangroves, blue carbon markets, and the 30x30 conservation target in Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, and India. Eligible activities are exclusively conservation-focused: MPA creation and management, sustainable fisheries practices, coastal habitat conservation, community-based natural resource management. Projects must deliver measurable conservation and/or livelihood outcomes. Research, awareness-raising, and advocacy can be components but are not the primary eligible activities. Geographically, Blue Action Fund targets the most sensitive coastal waters of Africa, Latin America, and Asia/Pacific. Projects must be in developing countries within these regions. The fund does not operate in Europe, North America, or other developed-country contexts. Eligible applicants are international or national NGOs with demonstrated capacity to implement large-scale marine conservation projects in partnership with local communities and government. The fund works through open Calls for Proposals; unsolicited proposals are not accepted. Each call has its own specific geographic focus and strategic priorities. Budget scale: Grant envelopes per Call range from EUR 10-30 million, with individual NGO grants typically amounting to multiple million EUR for multi-year projects. The fund requires NGOs to have the organizational capacity to manage projects of this scale.
Historical Context
Blue Action Fund was established by BMZ/KfW as a public-private conservation finance mechanism. It has run Calls for Proposals since 2016, covering Small Island Developing States (2016-2017), Western Indian Ocean (2018, 2020-2021), East Asian Seas (2019), Eastern Tropical Pacific (2019, 2024), Wider Caribbean Sea (2022), and Asia-Pacific Region (2023). Grant envelopes per call range from EUR 10-30 million. Total funding committed over multiple rounds is substantial. Upcoming Q2/2026 call focuses on mangroves, blue carbon markets, and 30x30 in Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, and India.
Why it was added
DE round 6 - Major German government marine conservation fund for NGOs
Sources
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