The Free Rivers Fund (FRF) is now accepting applications for its 2025–2026 Regular Grant, offering financial support for activists and conservation groups working to protect free-flowing rivers. The grant is designed for individuals, grassroots organisations, and community groups committed to defending rivers from dams, hydropower development, and other threats that disrupt natural river ecosystems.

Whether you are an established initiative or a new group just beginning your work, the Free Rivers Fund encourages you to apply if your project contributes to keeping rivers wild, healthy, and unrestricted.

What the Grant Supports

The FRF funds projects with a clear aim of preserving or restoring a river’s free-flowing state. Eligible activities include:

• Actions that remove or challenge structures preventing natural water flow
• Efforts to stop new dams, hydropower plants, or similar developments
• Direct action, advocacy, and grassroots mobilisation
• Legal costs and campaign expenses
• Research equipment needed for river protection work
• Photography, film, or art projects supporting anti-dam activism
• Travel and documentation costs directly tied to river protection

Past grants have supported legal fees, protest actions, field research equipment, awareness campaigns, and artistic projects that promote river conservation.

What the Grant Does Not Fund

The Free Rivers Fund does not support:

• General clean-up activities
• Purely academic research projects
• Renaturalisation or reforestation unrelated to stopping dams or restoring river flow
• Any work not directly connected to maintaining or reinstating a river’s free-flowing condition

Who Can Apply?

Anyone with a river to protect and a plan to take meaningful action can apply. Applicants do not need to be registered nonprofit organisations. However, applicants must have a clear strategy or be actively involved in river protection efforts.

Due to current limitations, the Free Rivers Fund cannot process applications from Africa.

Funding Structure

Because of its legal framework, the Free Rivers Fund cannot transfer money directly to grantees. Instead, the organisation pays project-related expenses and invoices on behalf of grantees.

The exact amount awarded varies each year depending on available donations and the urgency of applications. Typically, projects receive between €1,000 and €2,000.

Application Timeline and Process

Applications open annually on November 1. For the 2025–2026 cycle:

• Application Opens: November 1, 2025
• Application Deadline: January 10, 2026
• Selection Announcement: End of January 2026

The application process is intentionally simple and non-bureaucratic. Applicants must complete the online application form only; additional documents should not be sent unless requested.

Reporting Requirements

The FRF aims to support activists without placing administrative burdens on them. Grantees are required to provide only:

• One project update during the grant period
• One high-quality photo
• A short summary (maximum four sentences) describing progress and activities

This update allows the FRF to inform donors about how their contributions are being used.

Why Apply?

The Free Rivers Fund offers a rare opportunity for grassroots environmental defenders to receive targeted support for direct action. With flexible funding, minimal reporting requirements, and a focus on urgent conservation work, the grant is ideal for groups fighting to protect wild rivers and resist harmful development.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted through the online form available between November 1, 2025, and January 10, 2026.

For additional questions, applicants may contact the Free Rivers Fund directly here.

For more opportunities, click here.