Partners

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 by the most trusted organisations globally, working to secure a future for elephant in Africa. Since 2015, the ECF has not only contributed more than $6.6 million to African Parks, but also expertise on best practice 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.

A charitable foundation established in 2017 by Dutch entrepreneur Jan Verhagen, 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 conservation of an ecosystem’s wildlife. The Foundation provided €4.25 million in 2024, supporting park operations in Liuwa Plain, Odzala-Kokoua, Iona, Ennedi, and a special drought relief programme in Matusadona. The grant also provided catalytic funding to strengthen African Parks’ community development work, in particular related to education.

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 in Rwanda, followed by a significant investment in Malawi’s Liwonde National Park and Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve. In 2017, the Foundation made a ground-breaking commitment of US$65 million to provide ongoing support for Akagera and the Malawi parks, along with start-up funding for five new parks. This enabled the addition of Pendjari and W in Benin, Bazaruto Archipelago in Mozambique, Iona in Angola, Matusadona in Zimbabwe and Nyungwe in Rwanda. 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 start-up funding for a further five new parks. Three parks recently added to our portfolio – Kafue in Zambia, and Badingilo and Boma in South Sudan – are benefitting from the Wyss Foundation’s latest commitment and five others from renewal commitments: Bazaruto, Pendjari, Majete, Nkhotakota and Liwonde.

Thomas and Sara are long-time supporters of African conservation, with a strong focus on protecting large landscapes and biodiversity hotspots. They have contributed to African Parks’ conservation efforts since 2018. In 2025, Thomas and Sara elevated their partnership through targeted support for the protection and restoration of Matusadona National Park in Zimbabwe, Thomas’ home country, including the planned reintroduction of black rhino to the landscape. As Strategic Partners, their continued commitment is instrumental in advancing the long-term resilience of this vital ecosystem.