Strategic Partners

Acacia Conservation Fund (ACF) – the philanthropic operation of Acacia Partners, ACF makes conservation investments to address the declining biological diversity of life on Earth. ACF supports results-orientated, entrepreneurial organisations that maximise the impact of their philanthropic dollar and focus on proving, and then expanding, their impacts over time. Since 2015, ACF has provided unrestricted support to African Parks, while also investing in African Parks’ Incubator Programme, which assists select NGOs with the implementation of the African Parks’ model.

The Government of Benin – the Government made a significant 5-year commitment of US$6m when President Patrice Talon invited African Parks to assume management of Pendjari National Park in the W-Arly- Pendjari (WAP) Complex that spans Benin, Burkina Faso, and Niger. The aim of the partnership is to preserve, manage, and develop this unique landscape. In addition, the Government of Benin has been instrumental in expanding our footprint into W Benin through a funding commitment of US$5m. Their contribution has been critical in attracting other private and institutional funding to support the management of Pendjari and Park W-Benin in Benin, which represents a significant portion of the largest intact wild ecosystem in West Africa.

Bill Pope – over a 2-week period in February 2022, Bill travelled to four parks under African Parks’ management – Zakouma and Ennedi in Chad, Odzala in the Republic of Congo, and Chinko in the Central African Republic (CAR). It was an ambitious trip to some of our most remote parks in central Africa and the Sahel. During this trip, Bill was able to meet some of the incredible people who are working, day in and day out, to protect and preserve these extraordinary landscapes. Inspired by the people and work of African Parks, Bill made a generous multiyear commitment at the strategic partner level.

The Dhanam Foundation – established in 2004 the Foundation is an independent non-profit private organisation based in Palo Alto, California. It focuses, primarily, on education, child welfare and human services. In 2015, the Foundation began to include nature conservation and land protection as part of its philanthropic portfolio. In 2021, the Foundation made a significant commitment to African Parks, to support the restoration of Matusadona National Park in Zimbabwe as a wildlife sanctuary and safari destination with globally significant populations of elephant, buffalo and rhino. The Foundation has also provided supplemental funding to support translocations for the park’s ongoing restoration.

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) – The GIZ is Germany’s leading provider of international cooperation services. As a federal enterprise, the GIZ supports the German Government in achieving its objectives in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development. Since the start of African Parks’ engagement in the W-Arly-Pendjari Complex, the GIZ has provided funding to support the aerial survey in 2019 and a feasibility study for the rehabilitation of the Arly and W Burkina Faso national parks in 2020. In 2021, the GIZ made a significant contribution to the implementation of conservation and community development activities in Pendjari and W in Benin and cofounded a Priority Intervention Plan in W Niger.

DOB Ecology – a Dutch foundation, DOB Ecology believes that strong and healthy ecosystems are vital ingredients for life, wellbeing, and sustainable development. The mission of DOB Ecology is to support partners that work to protect and restore threatened ecosystems and (re)build the conditions for resilient livelihoods of local communities. The multiyear partnership between DOB Ecology and African Parks revolves around intelligence-based conservation in Odzala-Kokoua National Park.

Extraordinary advocates for conservation and animal-related causes, Donna and Marvin have a special interest in, and strong commitment to, saving elephants and other large species threatened by poaching. The Schwartz’s relationship with African Parks began in 2012 and they have provided critical support to our anti-poaching work in central Africa. Their generosity has supported diverse efforts in Garamba, Chinko and Odzala- Kokoua, as well as other parks with significant elephant populations, such as Zakouma National Park in Chad.

The Dutch Postcode Lottery – the Lottery has been raising funds since 1989 to support organisations working towards a fairer and greener world. At least 40% of every ticket sold goes to charity. The Lottery has steadily grown to become the biggest charity lottery in the Netherlands, supporting 148 non-governmental organisations. Since its founding, the Lottery has dispensed over €7.5b. Over the last five years, African Parks has received €7.5m. In 2018, we received a multiyear Extra Project award for Ennedi Natural and Cultural Reserve. In 2020, we were the recipient, together with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Peace Parks, of €16.9m for a Dreamfund project to boost the ecological and socio-economic development of the world’s largest terrestrial transfrontier conservation area, the Kavango Zambezi (KAZA), which helped us fund operations in developing Kafue National Park. In 2022, African Parks received €900,000 in unrestricted funding.

The Elephant Crisis Fund (ECF) – a joint initiative of Save the Elephants and the Wildlife Conservation Network, the ECF is a flexible and responsive fund that supports the best efforts ofthe most trusted organisations globally, working to secure a future for elephant in Africa. Since 2015, the ECF has not only contributed more than US$4.7m to African Parks, but also expertise on best practices in elephant conservation. This has benefitted critical surveillance, intelligence-based protection, and human-elephant conflict mitigation activities for some of our most threatened elephant populations.

The Fondation des Savanes Ouest- Africaines (FSOA) or West African Savannah Foundation (WASF) – the Foundation is a conservation trust fund promoting the preservation of protected areas of the WAP Complex, while advancing education, science, and local economic development. The Foundation was set up by the Benin Government and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with financial contributions from the Benin Government, Global Environment Facility (GEF), and Financial German Cooperation (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau – KfW). The Foundation has been providing significant annual financial contributions towards management of Pendjari National Park since 2017. In 2019 to 2020, it provided 85% of funding to implement a Priority Action Plan to secure the Beninese W National Park, which evolved into a full management mandate to African Parks in June 2020. The Foundation also committed to cover full funding to establish the first 3-month plan from the African Parks mandate for the management of Park W-Benin, up to December 2020. In 2021, the FSOA contributed US$1.5m to Pendjari and W in Benin. Its larger vision is to create a sustainable source of funding and to support the synergy of activities within the W-Arly-Pendjari Complex.

The EU has been a crucial long-standing partner of African Parks, working together towards joint conservation and development objectives in central Africa. Since 2005, this partnership has helped create areas of stability in a volatile region and attract additional funding and partners. The EU’s support has been critical in managing large landscapes, namely Garamba National Park and its periphery, Chinko Conservation Area, Ennedi Natural and Cultural Reserve, the Greater Zakouma Ecosystem, Odzala- Kokoua National Park, and W National Park in Niger. Through improved management of these ecologically important landscapes; striving towards safety and security for people and wildlife; and strengthening opportunities in green sectors, we will continue to work towards our common goals, in alignment with the EU’s NaturAfrica initiative.

Fondation Segré – a Swiss foundation established in 1996, it is committed to helping protect the biodiversity of our planet through active conservation of threatened species and their habitats, and restoration of degraded ecosystems. Fondation Segré became a strategic funding partner of African Parks in 2016 and has contributed over US$7m to support a range of parks. In 2022, Fondation Segré assisted African Parks in Ennedi Natural and Cultural Reserve, Akagera National Park and the newly added Boma- Badingilo landscape.

The Head and Heart Foundation – the Foundation supports organisations that protect and promote the earth’s biodiversity and conserve the natural resources and climate that species need to survive and thrive. The Foundation generously supports African Parks’ mission to conserve Africa’s national parks for current and future generations.

The Howard G. Buffett Foundation – the Foundation views its resources as rare risk capital that can improve conditions and create change in the most difficult circumstances and geographies. Since 2014, the Foundation has supported a range of habitat and animal conservation projects, as well as operational and security improvements, at Rwanda’s Akagera National Park. The Foundation also contributed to security and operations at Garamba National Park in support of its anti-poaching efforts and, in 2020, donated all proceeds from the sale of its Ukulima Farm in South Africa to African Parks’ ongoing operations. In 2021, the Foundation was the lead supporter of the historic translocation of 30 white rhino to Akagera National Park.

Legacy Landscapes Fund (LLF) – an ambitious new financing instrument, the LLF aims to protect the world’s most outstanding natural places and close the funding gap for biodiversity conservation in the Global South. It is a joint initiative by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), KfW Development Bank (KfW), Agence Française de Développement (AFD), Campaign for Nature (CfN), Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The LLF provides financing for a period of 15 years to protected areas, with a long-term, flexible programme approach, in partnership with a philanthropic partner who provides match-funding of US$1m a year for the first five years. LLF funding commences from year six at the same rate for a further 10 years. Two protected areas managed by African Parks are among the pilot sites receiving funding from the LLF: Odzala-Kokoua National Park in the Republic of Congo and Iona National Park in Angola.

The Lion Recovery Fund (LRF) – an initiative operated and managed by the Wildlife Conservation Network, the LRF is a nimble and flexible fund investing in the most innovative and effective projects across Africa to recover lion and restore their landscapes. Since 2017, the LRF has contributed more than US$3.98m to African Parks. This funding has benefitted nine different African Parks sites, with a particular focus on several parks in West and central Africa, given the extreme vulnerability of lion populations in these regions. The LRF has invested heavily in Chinko in the CAR, part of a vast 65,000 km² wilderness that has immense potential for lion recovery.

Oppenheimer Generations Foundation provides catalytic, flexible and discretionary funding in support of their commitment to building sustainable and prosperous societies. The Foundation began funding Bazaruto Archipelago National Park in 2018, committed US$2 million over five years to bring this marine area under African Parks’ management and unlock the value for its communities.

PATRIP Foundation – a nonprofit organisation, the Foundation channels multi-donor funds into cross-border projects aimed at increasing stability and Kafue National Park, Zambia, is one of the last expanses of the iconic Zambezian ecoregion and home to abundant wildlife, including stable numbers of lion integration in fragile regions. PATRIP has been dedicated to improving the security, conservation and social development of the border regions of northern Benin, through funding €1.7m worth of infrastructure inside and outside W National Park. This project is financed by the German Federal Foreign Office through the PATRIP Foundation and the German development bank KfW.

The late Paul Fentener van Vlissingen provided the bulk of the initial funding that established African Parks in 2000. In 2010, his daughters Alicia and Tannetta Fentener van Vlissingen committed €25 million to the African Parks Endowment Fund in accordance with their father’s final wishes. Income from this Fund is earmarked primarily for African Parks’ overhead costs. During 2020 the Fund contributed US$1.8 million towards African Parks Network.

People’s Postcode Lottery – the Lottery manages lotteries on behalf of 20 postcode trusts. A minimum of 33% from each ticket goes directly to charities and good causes across Britain and internationally. Since 2015, African Parks has received more than £8.2m awarded by Postcode Planet Trust, thanks to funds raised by players of the Lottery. In 2022, we were awarded £1.5m through the Postcode Planet Trust, which was used to support the three Malawi parks and Garamba National Park in the DRC. African Parks UK is registered as a charity under OSCR, the Scottish regulator under nr.SC050047, and licensed and regulated in Great Britain by the Gambling Commission under account number 57119. For more details on our license granted by the Gambling Commission please visit: https://beta.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/public-register/business/detail/57119.

The Rob Walton Foundation (RWF) – the RWF supports initiatives that advance its founder’s passion for environmental conservation and creative coalition building. Rob Walton has been an invaluable partner to African Parks since 2003, providing support to safeguard the long-term survival of parks and wildlife across the continent. In 2021, operating as the Rob and Melani Walton Foundation, the RWF made a transformational US$100m 5-year commitment, the largest endowment gift in African Parks’ history. Portions of the Foundation’s annual contributions have supported the reintroduction of species such as lion and black rhino to Akagera National Park, as well as sparked matching grants to Iona and Odzala-Kokoua, in conjunction with the Legacy Landscapes Fund.

Stichting Natura Africae – a charitable foundation established in 2017 by Jan Verhagen, a Dutch entrepreneur, Natura Africae is dedicated to the conservation of national parks and protected areas in Africa, recognising the reciprocal relationship between the livelihoods of local communities and the successful protection of an ecosystem’s wildlife. The Foundation provided €4,75m in 2022, supporting park operations in Liuwa Plain, Odzala-Kokoua, Matusadona, Nyungwe and Ennedi. The grant also provided catalytic funding to strengthen African Parks’ organisational costs and institutional platform.

Stichting Nieuwgeluk Philosophy - supports large and small change-oriented initiatives that are sympathetic to people, animals and nature. The Foundation’s goal is to make heartwarming contributions that make a difference to the preservation of a liveable world for current and future generations. In 2022, Stichting Nieuwgeluk Philosophy supported Akagera National Park, Zakouma National Park and the Malawi elephant translocation.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) – the Agency operates the Central Africa Regional Programme for the Environment (CARPE), with the aim of conserving the ecological integrity of the Congo Basin Forest for the benefit of local people and the global community. With a commitment of US$28.9m since 2018, we have been able to carry out the core protected area management of Garamba National Park and Chinko Conservation Area. In addition, African Parks, in a consortium with African Wildlife Foundation, is improving community resilience and wildlife conservation in the Garamba Complex, which includes communities in the periphery of the park and in the Mbomou-Uele border region. Apart from a myriad of conservation and sustainable livelihood outcomes being achieved, this USAID partnership is contributing towards the establishment of a foothold for governance, security and stability for the surrounding communities, and the wider DRC-CARSouth Sudan transboundary landscape.

The United States Department of State, through the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), advances good governance, peace and security, which are prerequisites for sustainable economic development and the protection of natural resources. Since 2017, the INL has committed over US$9m to African Parks for critical law enforcement support in protected areas particularly in Chad, the DRC, Malawi, Zambia, the Republic of Congo and Benin. This support has focused on provision of ranger uniforms and patrol equipment, therefore motivating and increasing their efficiency, professionalization of law enforcement operations through refinement of law enforcement standard operating procedures, leadership development, human rights and other core training infrastructure. Intelligence units have been established to guide law enforcement operations and for more robust collaboration with national and regional security agencies, and conservation partners. INL also supports technology development, communication and information management, air surveillance, mobility equipment and canine units, as well as training of national government institutions such as the judiciary to enhance wildlife crime prosecution. Finally, INL is supporting the refinement of the organization’s Human Rights Statement of Principles, to align with the national laws of various governments, refinement of the training curriculum and training of law enforcement teams across the AP portfolio of parks on human rights to minimize violations. These interventions have strengthened parks’ capacity to counter poaching and illegal wildlife trade in these protected areas while promoting regional stability and the security of neighbouring communities. In 2023, INL has awarded AP an additional $2.8m to cover similar interventions in Odzala-Kokoua National Park in ROC, Pendjari National Park and W National Park in Benin, and the Greater Zakouma Ecosystem in Chad, over a period of two years.

The Wildcat Foundation – Wildcat is a private philanthropic foundation, whose purpose is to help save, and provide for the long-term conservation of, endangered wildlife and wild places in Africa. It supports innovative new approaches that disrupt traditional wildlife protection paradigms, focusing largely on medical training, aircraft, equipment, and technology for rangers. The Foundation first partnered with African Parks in 2014, supporting the historic 500 elephant move in Malawi. Over the years, Wildcat has invested in seven parks across six countries. In 2022, Wildcat continued its critical support for the development and implementation of law enforcement strategies at Garamba, which has resulted in a 95% reduction in elephant poaching. In addition, Wildcat’s support was key to a special initiative to strengthen security in Pendjari and W in Benin during 2022.

The UBS Optimus Foundation – a grantmaking organization, the Foundation offers UBS clients a platform to use their wealth to drive positive social and environmental change. The Foundation selects programmes that improve children’s health, education and protection, those with the potential to be transformative, scalable and sustainable, as well as programmes that tackle environmental and climate issues. In 2022, the Foundation awarded African Parks a multiyear grant in support of Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve in Malawi.

WWF has been supporting African Parks since 2007, with the goal of promoting the African Parks management model across Africa. WWF Belgium became a strategic funding partner in 2017, supporting the Malawi parks and Liuwa Plain National Park. WWF Zambia contributes to core operating costs and conservation projects in Liuwa Plain National Park and Bangweulu Wetlands, while WWF Netherlands provides support to the Zambian parks and Odzala- Kokoua National Park.

The Wyss Foundation is a private charitable organisation dedicated to supporting innovative, lasting solutions that improve lives, empower communities and strengthen connections to the land. The Foundation’s relationship with African Parks began in 2015 with a grant to support the restoration of Akagera National Park, followed by a significant investment in Malawi’s Liwonde National Park and Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve. In 2017, the Foundation made a groundbreaking commitment of US$65m to provide ongoing support for Akagera and the Malawi parks, along with startup funding for five new parks. This enabled the addition of Pendjari and W in Benin, Bazaruto Archipelago National Park in Mozambique, Iona National Park in Angola and Matusadona National Park in Zimbabwe. In 2021, the Foundation furthered its support of African Parks with another extraordinary commitment of US$108 million, which will provide for the continued support of current Wyss-funded parks, as well as startup funding for another five new parks. Two new parks in our portfolio – Kafue National Park in Zambia and Badingilo National Park in South Sudan – are benefitting from the Wyss Foundation’s latest commitment.

Rainforest Trust – the Trust raises funds to support the creation and expansion of protected areas critical for biodiversity, saving endangered wildlife through partnerships and community engagement. For over 30 years, the Trust has successfully implemented conservation models that are cost-effective and engage a range of partners, including donors, leading experts, and communities. In 2021, Rainforest Trust partnered with African Parks to support a 6-year project to enhance the legal statute of the conservation area to create the Chinko National Park in the CAR, which functions as a catalyst for regional conservation initiatives. Not only does this increase our biodiversity footprint, it has moved more landscapes to protected area status. African Parks is grateful to have the Rainforest Trust as a partner for this US$8m commitment.