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 (BMZ / KfW)
- Funding Goal
- Support for NGO-led marine conservation projects that establish, enlarge or better manage marine protected areas (MPAs) and improve sustainable livelihoods of coastal communities in developing countries. Projects in Africa, Latin America, and Asia/Pacific region.
- Funding Amount
- Varies by call; most recent calls had funding envelopes of EUR 12-30 million per geographic call. Individual grant amounts not specified. (1.000.000 € – 20.000.000 €)
- Deadline
- Unknown — no open or upcoming Calls for Proposals currently (Unknown)
- How to Apply
- Grant-awarding based exclusively on open Calls for Proposals published on the Blue Action Fund website. Applicants must review Grant Programme documents for eligibility. No unsolicited applications accepted. Subscribe to Funding Alerts for future calls.
- Target Region
- Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America (coastal developing countries)
- Contact
- Blue Action Fund website contact form at https://blueactionfund.org/about-us/#contact
- Official Page
- https://blueactionfund.org/funding-opportunities/
- Last Checked
- 2026-03-15 13:21
Application Checklist
Eligibility
Project Scope
Required Documents
Constraints
Summary
Blue Action Fund (BAF) is a German government-funded (BMZ/KfW) international grant programme dedicated to safeguarding marine biodiversity and improving the livelihoods of coastal fishing communities in developing countries. The programme is headquartered in Germany and operated with KfW development financing. The programme's thematic scope encompasses: establishment or improved management of marine protected areas (MPAs) and networks of MPAs; Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs); sustainable livelihoods for coastal communities; and marine biodiversity conservation in the most sensitive coastal waters. Eligible activities include establishing new MPAs, expanding existing MPAs, improving MPA governance and management, and promoting sustainable fisheries and livelihoods in adjacent coastal communities. Geographic scope is exclusively developing countries in the most sensitive coastal waters of Africa, Latin America, and Asia/Pacific. The programme does not operate in Europe or the global North. Eligible applicants are NGOs, typically working in partnerships with local stakeholders and actors. Projects must demonstrate measurable outcomes in MPA establishment/management and community livelihoods. Only proposals responding to open Calls for Proposals are accepted — no unsolicited applications. Grant envelopes per call have ranged from EUR 10 million to EUR 30 million. The programme has published 11 calls since 2016. As of March 2026, there is no open or upcoming Call for Proposals. Future calls may be announced via the Funding Alerts subscription.
Historical Context
Programme launched 2016 with inception pilot. Since then, 11 calls published across regions including Western Indian Ocean, East Asian Seas, Africa's Atlantic Coast, Caribbean Sea, Asia-Pacific, and Eastern Tropical Pacific. Most recent call: Eastern Tropical Pacific, 2024 (EUR 20M, closed August 2024). No open or upcoming calls as of March 2026.
Why it was added
DE round 6 - Major German government marine conservation fund for NGOs
Sources
Similar Programs
| Program | Source | Shared Tags |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Action Fund | Philanthropic Network | 9 |
| Oceans 5 | Philanthropic Network | 8 |
| GEF International Waters Focal Area | UN / Multilateral | 8 |
| Darwin Initiative | UK | 8 |
| Blue Planet Fund (Defra) | UK | 8 |