Free Online Conservation Leadership Programme
- Organization: CoalitionWILD (The WILD Foundation)
- Type: Workshop
- Location: Global
- Deadline: October 29, 2026
- Funding: No Funding
CoalitionWILD, an official programme of The WILD Foundation, runs a six-month course that helps young conservationists plan, launch or scale their own environmental project. It is fully online and free, built on the internationally recognised Conservation Standards, and moves from project planning through stakeholder engagement, fundraising and storytelling to a final five-minute pitch. The 2027 edition, its tenth, runs from 7 January to 1 July 2027, on either a live cohort track or a self-paced one. **What you get:** - A free place: participation is 100% virtual and offered at no cost, thanks to WILD's partners and donors - 12 pre-recorded sessions led by conservation experts, released every two weeks, covering project development and management, fundraising and grant writing, and effective communication - On the LIVE track: 13 live sessions every other Thursday, personalised tasks and templates, and one-on-one support - Templates, toolkits and a curated resource list on the programme's learning platform, open from January to August 2027 - Discussion forums to share progress, ask questions and network with fellow participants - The chance to earn an official Certificate of Completion - Access to funding and networking opportunities, and the chance to have your project highlighted on WILD's social media and its WILD Voices blog - A finished project plan for your own idea, with a budget, stakeholder engagement and a communications plan **What you'll do:** - Plan your project with the Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation, a Theory of Change and SMART goals - Map your stakeholders and learn behaviour-centred design, project management and progress monitoring - Learn the basics of fundraising, conservation budgeting and practical grant writing - Build a communications plan and finish with a simulated five-minute pitch - Give the programme at least 2 hours a week on LIVE, attending at least 10 of the 13 live sessions, or at least 1 hour a week on FLEX, with short quizzes and feedback surveys at the end of each phase **Key dates:** - Applications opened 1 October 2026 and close Thursday 29 October 2026 at 23:59 UTC - All applicants get confirmation of receipt by 30 October 2026 - Applications are reviewed from 2 to 20 November 2026 - LIVE shortlist: 20-minute interviews between 23 November and 11 December 2026 (FLEX applicants are not interviewed) - Outcomes by 14 December 2026; selected participants confirm by Friday 18 December 2026 - LIVE kick-off Thursday 7 January 2027 at 12:30 UTC; the programme breaks in April and ends on 1 July 2027 **More information:** - Two tracks with limited places: 30 on EXCELerator LIVE and 50 on EXCELerator FLEX, and you choose your track in the form - The application asks for a link to a 90-second self-recorded video on what inspired your project, plus written answers of up to 1,500 characters each - Full details are in the 2027 Information Pack (PDF), linked from the CoalitionWILD page - CoalitionWILD asks that AI be used only to support your writing, with answers that reflect your own experience and goals - Questions go to info@coalitionwild.org
