Inspiring Organism Fund

This fund focuses on the conservation of inspiring organisms such as a particular species, through measures such as protecting and restoring habitat, reducing overhunting, and fostering conservation indirectly by supporting sustainable livelihood development. For instance, the Inspiring Organism Fund might help purchase additional habitat areas to ensure the connectivity of a targeted species’ migratory path, or invest in permaculture training for agriculturists living in a protected area buffer zone to minimize park encroachment.

Ecosystem Fund

This fund focuses on the conservation of inspiring ecosystems, such as endangered marine ecosystems, tropical or old growth forests, disappearing prairies habitats, etc., through protection, restoration, and sustainable livelihood development. For instance, the Ecosystem Fund might invest in the restoration of degraded forest areas to provide benefits to biodiversity while also sequestering carbon and improving water catchments for local communities.

Biodiversity Fund

This fund focuses on the conservation of biodiversity in general. This fund is used in cases where the organism that inspired a particular innovation is abundant and not endangered. The funds are used to help protect highly endangered areas with high biodiversity value, support policy initiatives to protect biodiversity, or support other biodiversity conservation initiatives, recognizing that biodiversity is ultimately the reservoir of future biologically-inspired innovation.

Nature’s 100 Best Fund

Innovation for Conservation also supports Nature’s 100 Best (N100B). N100B is a research project that identifies the most promising of Nature's technologies that humans can emulate to solve the most pressing sustainability challenges.  The goal is to spur radical reinvention of products, processes, and ways of living while increasing respect for and conservation of biodiversity. Products, services and savings derived from the development of N100B technologies, in turn, help provide support to the Innovation for Conservation program.