Quick Response Fund for Nature | Science Network for Conservation Opportunities in Crisis Landscapes

In the financial world, investors respond quickly to promising opportunities that arise one day but may vanish the next.  In conservation, opportunities to purchase important lands -- and hence save rare and endangered species -- may arise abruptly and require an immediate financial commitment to compete with commercial interests. Often, the chance to complete a critical land purchase is lost because of the slow pace of arranging conservation investments. The Quick Response Fund for Nature (QRFN) – launched in partnership with One Earth and RESOLVE – is providing a solution-oriented approach towards saving the world’s most important sites. 

QRFN is a rapid response mechanism that matches scientific expertise, funds, and urgent needs with a speed unparalleled in the funding community. The goal is to ensure that any globally significant land deal – one that protects one of the last homes for rare and endangered species – has access to the necessary funds. Importantly, applications are accepted at any time, and the turn-around from proposal to decision averages one week. While the funds that go to any one project are rarely large enough to complete a transaction, QRFN seeks to provide a funding amount that can secure the property, show commitment and investment so that the conservation buyer has the ability to make a down payment, and hold the property while remaining funds are raised. 

The scientific expertise draws from an Advisory Council of fifty-five top global biodiversity specialists who serve on the review panel. A key criterion in award selection is how the investment will help avoid extinction for rare species. The QRFN Advisory Panel work on an all-volunteer basis, ensuring that all donations go to funding land acquisition.