Sumatran Orangutan Society

Charity Number: 1158711

Annual Expenditure: £0.7M
Geographic Focus: Indonesia

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £680,010 (2023-24)
  • Total Income: £840,226 (2023-24)
  • Success Rate: Not applicable (no public application process)
  • Decision Time: Not applicable (works with established partners)
  • Grant Range: Not publicly disclosed
  • Geographic Focus: Sumatra, Indonesia (funds local Indonesian conservation organizations only)

Contact Details

Address:

Sumatran Orangutan Society

6 Lombard Street, Abingdon

Oxfordshire, OX14 5BJ

United Kingdom

Phone: 01235 530825 (UK) / +44 1235 530825 (International)

Website: https://www.orangutans-sos.org/

Email: Contact via online form on website

Partnership Inquiries: Liz McLelland, Trusts and Foundations Manager (via website contact form)

Overview

Founded in 1997, the Sumatran Orangutan Society (SOS) is a UK-registered charity (No. 1158711) dedicated to protecting critically endangered Sumatran orangutans, their forests, and their future. With annual expenditure of £832,466 (2023-24), of which 88% goes directly to conservation projects and grants, SOS works exclusively with grassroots Indonesian conservation partners on the ground in Sumatra. Led by CEO Helen Buckland since 2005 and chaired by Lauren Smart (Chief Commercial Officer at S&P Global), SOS is a proudly women-led organization employing 7 staff and supported by 11 trustees. The charity co-founded the Orangutan Information Centre (OIC) in 2001 and helped establish TaHuKah in 2022, demonstrating a long-term commitment to building local conservation capacity. SOS receives significant funding from the UK government's Darwin Initiative and raised £100,000 in their most successful Big Give Christmas appeal to date.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

SOS does not operate open grant programs for UK charities or general conservation organizations. Instead, they provide strategic funding and capacity-building support to a small number of established Indonesian conservation partners working specifically on Sumatran orangutan conservation.

Current Funding Partners:

  • Orangutan Information Centre (OIC) / Yayasan Orangutan Sumatera Lestari - Co-founded by SOS in 2001, works across Leuser Ecosystem and Batang Toru on forest regeneration, wildlife conflict mitigation, sustainable livelihoods, and law enforcement
  • TaHuKah (Tangguh Hutan Khatulistiwa) - Established with SOS support in 2022, focuses on community-based rainforest conservation, sustainable livelihoods, land management, and biodiversity conservation
  • Nature for Change (NfC) - Works with communities around eastern border of Gunung Leuser National Park on forest rehabilitation, anti-poaching patrols, and sustainable agriculture
  • PETAI (Yayasan Pesona Tropis Alam Indonesia) - Medan-based NGO (established 2007) focusing on sustainable natural resource management, community-based forest management, social business development, and capacity building

Priority Areas

SOS funds projects that:

  • Protect and restore Sumatran orangutan habitat
  • Mitigate human-orangutan conflict
  • Support community-led conservation initiatives
  • Develop sustainable livelihoods for forest-edge communities
  • Build capacity of local Indonesian conservation organizations
  • Implement social forestry schemes that empower communities as forest custodians
  • Conduct forest regeneration (e.g., OIC cultivated 55,000 seedlings of 34 tree species in 2023-24)
  • Install wildlife crossing infrastructure (e.g., canopy bridges)
  • Develop technology platforms for geospatial data and conservation mapping

What They Don't Fund

  • UK-based charities or organizations
  • Organizations outside Indonesia
  • Conservation projects unrelated to Sumatran orangutans and their habitat
  • General wildlife conservation programs
  • Organizations without established track record in Sumatra
  • Projects not aligned with community-centred conservation approach
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Governance and Leadership

Key Personnel

Chair of Trustees: Lauren Smart - Chief Commercial Officer at S&P Global, internationally recognized expert in sustainable finance, member of World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Energy Nexus

CEO: Helen Buckland - Leading SOS since 2005 (20 years), responsible for developing programs and partnerships

Conservation Director: Koen Meyers - Over 20 years' experience in natural environment management, 15+ years working in Indonesia

Trusts and Foundations Manager: Liz McLelland - 24 years' experience raising funds for woodland conservation

Programme Manager: Lala Amiroeddin - Sustainable development project management

Corporate Partnerships Manager: Emma Cowley

Individual Giving Manager: Rhia Docherty

Finance & Operations Manager: Sarah Blake - 20 years' experience in accountancy and not-for-profit sector

Marketing and Communications Manager: Roisin Claridge

Leadership Quotes:

Helen Buckland, CEO: "We're thinking long-term, big-picture, striving to bring about fundamental changes to the way that Sumatra's forests and wildlife are valued, managed and protected."

Koen Meyers, Conservation Director: “The mission of SOS... is critically important for sustaining both ecosystem health and human wellbeing in Sumatra.”

How to Apply to Sumatran Orangutan Society

How to Apply

There is no public application process. The Sumatran Orangutan Society does not accept unsolicited grant applications from UK charities or international organizations.

SOS works exclusively with established local Indonesian conservation partners on the ground in Sumatra. The organization takes a highly strategic, long-term partnership approach, having co-founded OIC in 2001 and helped establish TaHuKah in 2022. These partnerships are built over years, not through application rounds.

Partnership Model

Rather than making grants through an open application process, SOS:

  • Identifies or helps establish grassroots Indonesian conservation organizations
  • Provides multi-year strategic funding and technical support
  • Builds organizational capacity through training and development
  • Collaborates on program design and implementation
  • Facilitates access to other funding sources (e.g., Darwin Initiative)

The charity's approach emphasizes that “long-term, sustainable change must come from within communities” and prioritizes empowering local Indonesian leadership.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - no public application process.

Success Rates

Not applicable - partnerships are established through direct relationship-building over extended periods, not competitive application processes.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - not a grant-making organization open to external applications.

Application Success Factors

This section is not applicable as SOS does not accept applications from UK charities or external organizations.

For organizations working on Sumatran orangutan conservation in Indonesia, the pathway to partnership involves:

  • Demonstrated commitment to community-led conservation
  • Established track record working in Sumatra
  • Alignment with SOS's values of empowering local communities
  • Capacity for long-term partnership and organizational development
  • Shared vision for orangutan and forest conservation

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. Not a funding source for UK organizations - SOS fundraises from UK donors but grants exclusively to Indonesian partners working on the ground in Sumatra
  1. Highly specialized focus - Only funds Sumatran orangutan conservation; not appropriate for general wildlife, UK conservation, or other geographic areas
  1. Partnership over grants - SOS builds long-term partnerships with local organizations rather than making discrete grants through application processes
  1. Community-centred approach - All funding emphasizes community empowerment, local leadership, and sustainable livelihoods alongside conservation
  1. Capacity building focus - 88% of income goes to conservation projects and grants, with significant emphasis on strengthening partner organizations through training, technical support, and access to other funding sources
  1. Darwin Initiative leverage - As a Darwin Initiative recipient, SOS can help partners access UK government biodiversity funding
  1. Consider as a model, not a funder - UK conservation charities should view SOS as an example of effective partnership-based conservation funding rather than a potential funding source for their own work

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References

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