Free Rivers Fund: Regular Grant
Application is open Nov. 1st 2025 – Jan. 10th 2026.
More Information can be found here.
Note: You have missed the deadline? There also exists the Emergency Grant.
The Free Rivers Fund (FRF) supports initiatives and direct action in defense of free flowing rivers. The FRF provides grants for activists and conservation groups that work to protect rivers from dams and development. No matter if you have been an organization for several years already or if you are just starting out with no results to show yet – we are looking forward to receiving your application: If you are fighting for free flowing rivers: please apply!
What does the Free Rivers Fund do?
The Free Rivers Fund collects donations from adventure sports companies and distributes funds to conservation groups. FRF partners with companies in the paddle sports industry, but is also building up co-operations with kayak clubs, and accept private donations as well.
Grassroots conservation projects seeking support can apply once a year. A jury then carefully selects the projects where the funding will make the biggest difference for river protection. That means that the small, community-run projects have just as good a chance of receiving funding as the large, established organizations. To apply the project does not need to be a registered NGO or organization, they can just as well be individuals who are ready to step up to help their local, endangered river. Selected projects will be funded by the Free Rivers Fund for a full year.
Requirements and Application procedure
Requirements
To apply for a FRF grant you just need a river and a plan of how the money will be used to help this river become or stay free flowing. This could be either action towards undamming rivers (removing existing structures that prevent a natural flow in a river bed, natural transport of sediments and barriers to migrating fish), or action to preserve free flowing rivers (fighting against new dams or hydropower projects).
Anyone can apply: You do not need to be a registered non-profit organization but you must have a clear plan or already be in action to protect rivers in some capacity. Sadly, we currently cannot process applications from Africa.
What we fund: projects that have the general aim to preserve or reinstate a river in it’s free-flowing state. As long as that general goal is met – the kind of project or action is up to you. In the past we have funded: costs for lawyers & legal fees, protests, equipment to conduct research, photography, film & art projects & equipment, travel costs and much more.
We do not fund: Clean-Ups, general research projects, general renaturalisation and reforestation projects and any projects that have not the general aim to preserve or reinstate a river in it’s free-flowing state.
Funding
The total amount of funding depends on the total incoming donations and the number of eligible applications. We favor the projects that are most urgent and/or where the grant possibly makes the biggest difference. Generally you can expect between 1000€ and 2000€.
