The World Parrot Trust

Charity Number: 800944

Annual Expenditure: £0.5M
Geographic Focus: Bolivia, Costa Rica, France, Guinea-bissau, Honduras, Indonesia, Norfolk Island, Senegal ... [1 more]

Stay updated on changes from The World Parrot Trust and other funders

Get daily notifications about new funding opportunities, deadline changes, and programme updates from UK funders.

Free Email Updates

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £485,000 (approximately, based on USA branch 2023 data)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
  • Grant Range: Up to US$5,000 per project
  • Geographic Focus: International (43 countries globally)

Contact Details

Website: www.parrots.org

Email: uk@parrots.org

Phone: 01736 751026

Address: Glanmor House, Hayle, Cornwall TR27 4HB, UK

Grants Administrator: Charlotte Foxhall

Email: [email protected]

Overview

The World Parrot Trust (WPT) was founded in 1989 at Paradise Park in Hayle, Cornwall, by Michael and Audrey Reynolds, Andrew Greenwood, and David Woolcock. Registered as UK charity 800944, the Trust has raised approximately $2.0 million USD and supported conservation and welfare projects in 43 countries for over 80 species of parrots. The organisation brings together global wildlife conservation and welfare specialists to lead science-based programs protecting parrots both in the wild and in captivity. The Trust operates through five strategic priorities: saving endangered species, protecting wild habitats, fighting wildlife trade, engaging communities, and improving parrot care. Recent success stories include establishing the Dingi Parrot Rescue Centre in DRC (receiving over 200 Grey Parrots) and supporting Alexandrine Parakeet rescues in India.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Parrot Conservation Grants Program (partnership with Natural Encounters Conservation Fund)

  • Amount: Up to US$5,000 per project
  • Application method: Rolling pre-proposal system (currently closed; reopens periodically)
  • Format: Brief pre-proposals of 300 words or less plus one-page budget

The program operates on a rolling basis with periodic open calls. Interested applicants should monitor the website for announcements of the next funding round.

Priority Areas

Primary Focus:

  • Conservation of threatened parrot species in the wild
  • Research projects with direct conservation application
  • Projects for species that have historically received little research attention
  • Expeditions to collect basic data on poorly known species
  • Fieldwork to analyse threats to species and potential mitigation strategies
  • Community engagement projects linking conservation with local populations

Strategic Priorities:

  1. Saving endangered species through restoration projects
  2. Restoring and protecting vital habitats
  3. Combating harmful wildlife trade
  4. Fostering communities that champion parrot conservation
  5. Improving welfare standards for captive parrots

Geographic Focus: Projects are supported internationally, with recent work spanning Africa (DRC, Nigeria, Liberia), Asia (India), Latin America, and Oceania.

What They Don't Fund

  • Travel to conferences
  • Vehicle purchases
  • Land acquisition
  • Projects not directly related to parrot conservation
  • General captive breeding without conservation application
Helpful Hinchilla

Ready to write a winning application for The World Parrot Trust?

Our AI helps you craft proposals that match their exact priorities. Save 10+ hours and increase your success rate.

Get Free Beta Access

Governance and Leadership

Board of Trustees

  • Alison Hales - Chairperson
  • David Woolcock - Co-founder and Trustee
  • Nick Reynolds - Trustee
  • Ruud Vonk - Trustee
  • Steve Martin - Trustee

Senior Leadership

  • Jamie Gilardi, PhD - Executive Director (since 2000). Conservation biologist specializing in behavioural and physiological ecology with focus on tropical forest birds. Earned PhD in Ecology from UC Davis studying parrot social behaviour and foraging ecology in Peru.
  • Steve Milpacher - Operations Director
  • Rachel Pinnick - Development Director

Regional Directors

  • Rowan Martin, PhD - Africa Regional Director, Bird Trade Director
  • Luis Ortiz-Catedral, PhD - Oceania Regional Director, Indonesia Regional Director
  • Jack Haines, MSc - Neotropics Regional Manager

Key Personnel Quotes

Jamie Gilardi on Conservation Priorities:

“In parrot conservation, there is always a lot more work to be done than there is funding available to do it. Ideally then, we would all be extremely careful about how we spend these limited funds, and to be sure that we prioritize our efforts to save the most threatened species first.”

“When we work to save wild parrot species, our efforts are nearly always focused on doing so in the species natural range and in their natural habitat.”

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Applications are submitted through a two-stage process:

Stage 1: Pre-Proposal

  • Submit a brief pre-proposal of 300 words or less
  • Include a simple one-page budget outlining broad categories of projected expenses
  • Both documents must fit on one printed page

Pre-Proposal Must Include:

  • Project title
  • Name and contact information
  • Institution affiliation
  • Current and potential collaborators and supporters
  • Brief description of study site
  • The compelling conservation need
  • Proposed actions
  • Period of performance
  • Why the proposed actions will work
  • How success will be measured and conservation goals achieved

Stage 2: Full Proposal (by invitation for successful pre-proposals)

Evaluation: Projects are evaluated by a panel of researchers and conservationists.

Contact for Questions: Charlotte Foxhall, Parrot Conservation Grants Administrator at [email protected]

Decision Timeline

Specific timelines are not publicly disclosed. Applicants should expect multiple months for the review process given the panel evaluation system.

Success Rates

The Trust does not publicly disclose application numbers or success rates. In 2023, World Parrot Trust USA awarded 10 grants totaling $485,351, suggesting selective but substantial support for chosen projects.

Reapplication Policy

Reapplication policies are not explicitly stated on public-facing materials. Unsuccessful applicants should contact the Grants Administrator for guidance on reapplication timing and opportunities.

Application Success Factors

Priority Project Types

WPT is “particularly motivated to support projects that creatively address conservation objectives for a particular parrot species or subspecies,” especially:

  • Species historically receiving little research attention
  • Expeditions collecting basic data on poorly known species
  • Fieldwork analysing threats and potential mitigation strategies
  • Research with direct conservation application

Recent Successful Projects

Timneh Parrot Research (Liberia): Studied relationship between local communities and parrot populations, revealing valuable cultural connections that support conservation.

Grey Parrot Rescue Centre (DRC): Established rescue facility near key trade hotspot, successfully receiving and rehabilitating over 200 parrots with many returned to wild.

Alexandrine Parakeet Rescue (India): Intercepted 82 illegally trapped parakeet chicks through coordination with Earth Crusaders Organisation.

Blue-throated Macaw (Bolivia): Multi-year project improving nest sites and chick survival through active protection from poachers and predators, designing artificial nest-boxes.

Key Terminology

The Trust uses specific language around:

  • “Conservation need” rather than general environmental concerns
  • “Direct conservation application” for research projects
  • “Threatened parrot species in the wild” as primary focus
  • “Creative approaches” to conservation challenges
  • Measurable conservation outcomes and goals

Standing Out

  • Demonstrate clear understanding of the conservation threat to a specific parrot species
  • Articulate measurable conservation outcomes
  • Show community engagement or local partnership where relevant
  • Provide evidence of cost-effectiveness (grants are modest at up to $5,000)
  • Align with WPT's philosophy prioritizing most threatened species
  • Emphasize field-based, practical conservation action over theoretical research

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. Small Grants, Big Impact: With maximum grants of $5,000, applications should demonstrate cost-effective, practical conservation work rather than large-scale programs. This is seed funding for targeted interventions.
  1. Conservation First: Priority is explicitly given to threatened parrot species in the wild. Captive breeding, general avian research, or indirect conservation work is unlikely to succeed unless clearly linked to wild population conservation.
  1. Evidence of Need: Successful applications articulate a “compelling conservation need” for a specific parrot species, ideally one that has received limited attention previously.
  1. Simplicity Valued: The pre-proposal process is deliberately brief (300 words plus one-page budget), suggesting the Trust values clarity and conciseness over lengthy applications.
  1. Scientific Rigor with Practical Application: Projects are evaluated by a panel of researchers and conservationists, requiring scientific credibility while demonstrating direct conservation application.
  1. Community Connections: Recent successful projects show value in demonstrating relationships between local communities and parrot conservation, particularly where cultural significance supports protection.
  1. Rolling Opportunities: While currently closed, the grant program reopens periodically. Interested applicants should monitor the website and can contact Charlotte Foxhall to express interest and be notified of upcoming rounds.

🎯 You've done the research. Now write an application they can't refuse.

Hinchilla combines funder's specific priorities with your organisation's past successful grants and AI analysis of what reviewers want to see.

✓

Data privacy and security by default

✓

Your organisation's past successful grants and experience

✓

AI analysis of what reviewers want to see

✓

A compelling draft application in 10 minutes instead of 10 hours

Get Beta Access NowLearn More

References