Science for Nature and People Partnership (SNAPP)
2023 Request for Proposals to fund expert teams to deliver rapid solutions to the most critical challenges facing humans and our planet.

Open now to 15 December 2023

Website: https://snappartnership.net/
For inquiries email: snapp@snappartnership.net

Overview and Criteria

SNAPP, a first-of-its-kind scientific joint venture between The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), is a tool for developing sustainable solutions to global conservation challenges. Since inception, SNAPP, through its working groups, has provided science and user-friendly tools backed by hard data to identify and quantify nature's role and value in preventing and solving some of the most complex challenges the world faces around food and water security, climate change, and energy.

Each year, SNAPP provides up to US $1 million total across 4-6 approved working groups, led by academic, governmental agency, multilateral, or nonprofit institutions. SNAPP funds teams of 12-15 people from diverse organizations to gather for 3-4 collaborative sessions over the course of 12-24 months. Between sessions, members collaborate remotely; work with long-term implementation partners; identify emerging opportunities for tangible, lasting change; develop and test tools and products; and publish research. Please see the "What we fund" tab for more details.

SNAPP proposals are evaluated on the following criteria

Mission Relevance: The question(s) that the proposal will address is clearly at the intersection of sustainable economic development, human well-being and nature conservation.

Urgency: It is clear why this question(s) is critically important right now, and how the work will add value both to current state of knowledge and other work currently underway in this area.

Interdisciplinary Science: The proposed methods are inclusive of both biophysical and socioeconomic sciences, and datasets or sources of information the applicant anticipates using for this project are comprehensive and appropriate.

Short-term Outcomes: The proposal presents SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) objectives that articulate the project's expected outcomes through the funding period.

Long-term Outcomes: The plan for ongoing implementation of the work after the SNAPP working group concludes is well-articulated. Implementation partners (e.g., TNC, WCS, and/or other conservation and sustainable development/humanitarian organizations) are clearly committed to working toward longer-term outcomes based on the project's outputs and outcomes.

Diversity: The group composition includes confirmed members representing diversity in sectors and disciplines. This is a collaborative effort with no one or two organizations dominating. Group demographics and experiences are varied and inclusive of the Global South and other groups less dominant in academic literature.

Efficiency: The proposal presents a well-justified argument for cost-effective use of SNAPP funding.

Unique Contribution: Describes how this work may build on a previous SNAPP working group(s) or occupies a niche that has not yet been explored by a SNAPP working group.

How to Apply

You can confirm receipt of your proposal and track its progress using this portal. Please email snapp@snappartnership.net with any other questions. You may also submit a brief (less than one page) concept note to this email describing your proposal idea for early feedback on whether it might be "SNAPPable". Instructions are available here. Please allow two-weeks for a substantial response. Late or incomplete submissions will not be reviewed.

Leaders of approved projects should plan to begin their proposed work starting 1 July 2024. Please review information about ongoing and completed SNAPP teams prior to starting your application: https://snappartnership.net/our-work/teams/.

Questions? Contact SNAPP at: snapp@snappartnership.net

What We Can and Cannot Fund

SNAPP welcomes all proposals! Here is a list of what we can and cannot fund to help you determine if your project is a good fit for SNAPP funding.

We fund:

Working groups (as described on the Welcome tab; note these are very different from the IUCN species survival "working groups")
Salary, benefits and other direct costs of postdoctoral researchers and research assistants
Independent contractors or the actual time of employees conducting analysis, graphic design, web development, and similar activities for the working group
Virtual and in-person meetings, including third-party neutral facilitators, meeting planners, hotel, catering, meeting venue and technology, as well as individual attendee travel expenses

Among what we cannot fund:

Salary for Principal Investigators (this includes postdocs if they are listed as a PI)
Primary data collection or fieldwork unless clearly justified to fill a critical gap in an existing dataset (should be no more than 5-10% of the total budget)
Equipment, vehicles, building infrastructure
Lobbying
Research without a direct link to implementation and vice versa
Overhead or indirect costs

SNAPP recognizes that items we cannot fund may be legitimate and necessary part of your research and implementation expenses. We provide this reference to help you self-select if SNAPP is the right fit for you.

Indirect Costs

Since its inception, SNAPP has maintained a published Indirect Cost Policy that funds awarded by the program are subject to a 0% indirect cost rate. This guidance is a contingency of SNAPP funding and applies to both the primary recipient and any sub-awardees. SNAPP funds may be applied to fringe benefits and other direct costs associated with conducting the work.

Please reach out to snapp@snappartnership.net with any questions, or if you would like clarification on the appropriate tratement of costs.

Upcoming 2023 Request for Proposals Concept Note Instructions

Before developing a full proposal for the 2023 SNAPP RFP, we strongly encourage applicants to submit a "concept note" for review. SNAPP will begin accepting concept notes for 2023 through a form available in our online portal. To create a concept note and submit it for review, please see the "My Dashboard" menu, available after creating an account and/or logging-in to the system using the link to the right.

By submitting a concept note you will receive direct feedback on your idea from the SNAPP Management Team on what aspects of your ideas could be the best fit for SNAPP's scope and what would need to be strengthened to make your proposal competitive. All concept notes submitted as final will receive written feedback within 10 business days. Please note only concept notes submitted through this portal will receive feedback.

If you have questions about the concept note or encounter any technical issues while using this portal, please reach out to snapp@snapppartnership.net and allow 5 business days for a response.

In the concept note form we ask that you provide the following information:

Please provide a summary of your project idea. What are the potential data sources, and research methods?

Who is eager to use the outcomes or products of this proposed work?

Who will serve on your proposed working group and what will they contribute to the team?

What is the proposed budget for your working group and what are the proposed actitivities for the duration of the project?

Use of Information in SNAPP Proposals

SNAPP is a partnership between The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). All information submitted through the SNAPP proposal portal may be viewed by staff at the partner organizations supporting the SNAPP RFP, board of directors and affiliates for the express purpose of consideration for SNAPP funding. The information submitted is kept confidential and will not be shared outside this group. As an exception, SNAPP may occasionally share a proposal confidentially with an interested co-funder. Applicants may opt out of having their application shared with other funders by so indicating at the end of the “Consent” tab in the application. Contact information is not shared outside the SNAPP review and administration process.

SNAPP Records, including proposals and other records mentioned above, are stored on TNC systems. More information about TNC’s privacy practices can be found here.

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Science for Nature and People Partnership (SNAPP) Secretariat

Email: snapp@snappartnership.net