Tusk Trust Limited

Charity Number: 1186533

Annual Expenditure: £130.0M
Geographic Focus: Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Comoros, Congo (Democratic Republic), Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya ... [16 more]

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £130 million+ (since 1990)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: Not publicly available
  • Grant Range: Varies by programme (Conservation Awards: £30,000 - £100,000)
  • Geographic Focus: Africa (24+ countries)

Contact Details

Overview

Founded in 1990 in response to the poaching crisis that threatened African wildlife, Tusk Trust has grown into a leading conservation charity with Prince William as its Royal Patron. Since its inception, the organization has generated more than £130 million to support over 250 local partner organizations and wildlife ranger teams across more than 25 African countries. Tusk's mission is to amplify the impact of progressive conservation initiatives across Africa by partnering with the most effective local organizations, investing in their in-depth knowledge and expertise. The charity currently supports approximately 80 dynamic community-based conservation projects across 24 countries, protecting over 50 million hectares of wild ecosystems and supporting over 9,000 ranger livelihoods. In 2023, Founder Charlie Mayhew OBE received an OBE from His Majesty The King in recognition of his services to conservation in Africa.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Tusk Conservation Awards - Annual awards recognizing exceptional African conservationists:

  • Prince William Award for Conservation in Africa: £100,000 - For distinguished individuals with exceptional lifetime achievement in African conservation
  • Tusk Award for Conservation in Africa: £75,000 - For individuals demonstrating considerable commitment and significant impact
  • Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award: £30,000 - Recognizing field-based individuals protecting Africa's wildlife

Project Partnership Funding - Long-term funding for grassroots conservation organizations across Africa. Tusk does not operate an open grant application process; rather, they identify and develop strategic partnerships with vetted conservation organizations showing high impact potential.

Priority Areas

Tusk focuses on four main conservation categories:

  1. Species Protection - Protecting endangered species including elephants, rhinos, lions, painted dogs, gorillas, vultures, chimpanzees, bonobos, sea turtles, and Grévy's zebra (41+ threatened species)
  2. Human-Wildlife Conflict - Promoting co-existence between communities and wildlife (3,600+ conflicts mitigated annually through 45 projects)
  3. Habitat Conservation - Preserving critical habitats across diverse ecosystems from savannas to tropical rainforests and marine environments
  4. Conservation Education - Community development and environmental education programmes, including the Pan African Conservation Education (PACE) programme reaching 200,000 children

Tusk prioritizes:

  • Community-driven conservation initiatives
  • Local African leadership and traditional knowledge systems
  • Under-recognized, in-country organizations that lack resources to grow
  • Projects that combine wildlife protection with community development and poverty alleviation
  • Organizations working in areas of critical biodiversity across sub-Saharan Africa

What They Don't Fund

Specific exclusions are not publicly documented. However, based on their mission, Tusk focuses exclusively on:

  • Conservation projects in Africa (not other continents)
  • Grassroots, community-based conservation
  • Projects that integrate wildlife protection with community needs
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Governance and Leadership

Leadership Team

Charlie Mayhew OBE - Founder & President

  • Founded Tusk in 1990
  • Helped raise over £130 million for conservation projects
  • Awarded OBE in 2023 by His Majesty The King
  • States: “I co-founded Tusk in 1990 at the height of the ivory and rhino horn trade, but our aim was always to support conservation in its broadest form – all species and their natural environment. To achieve that we recognised that our projects had to embrace the needs of people too.”

Nick Bubb - Chief Executive (appointed January 2024)

  • Previously Global Business Development Director at Fauna & Flora International

Sarah Watson - Chief Conservation Officer

  • Based in Kenya
  • Over 20 years with Tusk
  • Raised over $25 million for ranger-led initiatives
  • Oversees more than 70 community-led conservation projects
  • BSc in Biological Sciences from Bristol University

Dan Bucknell - Chief Operating Officer

  • Background in wildlife conservation since 2000

Dean Chown - Head of Finance

  • Over 13 years of finance experience

Board of Trustees

Alexander Rhodes - Chairman (since 2020)

  • Head of Purpose at Mishcon de Reya
  • Provides strategic ESG advice
  • Joined Tusk's Board in 2014

Other Trustees: Dr Susan Canney, Patrick Harverson, Beatrice Karanja, Nick Maughan, Jill May, Deborah Meaden, and Mark Tyndall

Royal Patron: HRH Prince William (since 2005)

Funding Philosophy

Charlie Mayhew explains Tusk's approach: “Our philosophy has always been to try and maintain our funding for these initiatives before embarking on new ones.” He emphasizes that “since its inception, Tusk has championed both community-driven conservation and a partnership approach” and that “expert voices from local organisations, combined with traditional knowledge systems, are best positioned to address the threats facing their continent.”

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Conservation Awards: Nominations are accepted through the Tusk Conservation Awards website (www.tuskawards.com/nominations). The 2024 ceremony was held on 27th November.

Project Partnership Funding: Tusk does not operate an open grant application process. The organization identifies and develops strategic partnerships with vetted conservation organizations. Capacity-building grants are administered by Tusk's experienced Programmes team, who provide clear guidance to partner organizations for sound implementation.

Organizations seeking partnership funding should contact Tusk directly at info@tusk.org or call 01747 831005 to inquire about potential collaboration opportunities.

Decision Timeline

Specific decision timelines are not publicly available. Given Tusk's strategic partnership approach, the process likely involves multiple stages of due diligence, project assessment, and relationship building before funding commitments are made.

Success Rates

Not publicly available. Tusk works with carefully vetted partners selected for their impact potential rather than processing high volumes of applications.

Reapplication Policy

Not publicly documented. As Tusk focuses on long-term partnerships rather than one-off grants, successful partners receive ongoing support. The organization states they prioritize “maintaining funding for existing initiatives before embarking on new ones.”

Application Success Factors

Partnership Approach

Tusk seeks organizations that demonstrate:

  • Local leadership and expertise - African-led organizations with in-depth knowledge of local contexts
  • Community integration - Projects that successfully engage communities and use conservation to alleviate poverty
  • High impact potential - Under-recognized organizations capable of growing their conservation impact
  • Field data capacity - Ability to implement sound data collection, analytics, and reporting to strengthen conservation strategies

Recent Funded Projects (2024)

2024 Conservation Award Winners:

  • Nomba Ganamé (Mali) - Prince William Award for protecting Mali's unique desert elephants
  • Edward Aruna (Sierra Leone, RAP-SL) - Tusk Award for marine turtle protection work along Sierra Leone's Atlantic coast, addressing threats including by-catch, sand mining, and habitat loss
  • Claver Ntoyinkima (Rwanda) - Wildlife Ranger Award for primate and bird conservation

Current Partner Organizations Include:

  • Big Life Foundation (Kenya/Tanzania) - Combating poaching in Amboseli-Tsavo-Kilimanjaro ecosystem (partner since 2003)
  • Conservation Through Public Health (Uganda) - Promoting gorilla conservation through community healthcare and economic opportunities
  • Grumeti Fund (Tanzania) - Wildlife conservation in western Serengeti corridor
  • Cheetah Conservation Fund (Namibia) - Working with farmers in Eastern Communal Conservancies
  • Friends of Bonobos (Democratic Republic of Congo) - Protecting bonobos in Congo River Basin peatland/rainforest
  • Northern Rangelands Trust (Kenya) - Community conservancy work
  • Blue Ventures - Locally led marine conservation and fisheries rebuilding

Key Terminology and Approach

Tusk emphasizes:

  • “Community-driven conservation”
  • “Partnership approach”
  • “African-driven conservation”
  • “Grassroots conservation organisations”
  • “Amplifying impact”
  • “Local leadership”
  • “Traditional knowledge systems”
  • “Human-wildlife coexistence”
  • “Capacity building”

Strategic Guidance

Charlie Mayhew's advice: “The long-term success of conservation depends on successfully engaging communities, using conservation as a tool to alleviate poverty and to improve livelihoods.” Prince William's support was influenced by “the fact that we had a strong ethos of using conservation to support communities and livelihoods.”

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Partnership over applications: Tusk develops long-term strategic partnerships rather than accepting open applications. Building a relationship and demonstrating alignment with their mission is essential.
  • Community integration is critical: Projects must demonstrate how conservation benefits local communities, alleviates poverty, and improves livelihoods - not just protect wildlife.
  • Local leadership matters: Tusk prioritizes African-led organizations with deep local knowledge and traditional conservation practices over international interventions.
  • Geographic focus: Work must be in sub-Saharan Africa across 24+ countries where Tusk currently operates.
  • Capacity for growth: Tusk seeks under-recognized organizations with potential to increase their conservation impact with proper support and capacity building.
  • Long-term commitment: Tusk maintains funding for existing partners before taking on new initiatives, indicating preference for sustained partnerships over short-term projects.
  • Contact directly: Without an open application process, organizations should reach out to Tusk's programmes team at info@tusk.org to explore partnership opportunities, clearly articulating local leadership, community benefit, and conservation impact.

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