Kampagnen (Campaigns – GMO & Biodiversity) Grant

About this grant

Stiftung GEKKO supports civil society groups and non-profit associations in preparing and running non-partisan political campaigns that aim to secure a GMO-free agriculture and food production and to preserve peasant and ecological land use. The foundation's campaign funding prioritises strategic, longer-term campaigns in the public sphere, which may operate at regional, national, or in exceptional cases European or international level, and which should serve the public formation of political opinion and will. The foundation asks applicants to pair a far-reaching long-term goal (for example a full ban on genetic engineering in agriculture) with achievable near-term objectives (for example a nationwide moratorium on cultivation of a particular GM crop). Public actions and protests, including demonstrations, signature collections, petitions and online and social media activity, are a core focus because the foundation considers these forms of action to provide movements with the necessary attention and because few other foundations fund them. The campaign page lists numerous past and current projects, including demonstrations such as the 'Wir haben es satt!' agriculture demonstrations, campaigns against gene drive release, country-level anti-GMO campaigning in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland and Bulgaria, and campaigns on glyphosate and corporate concentration in agriculture.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants are civil society groups and non-profit associations (gemeinnützige Vereinigungen) that prepare or carry out non-partisan political campaigns. Campaigns must be overparteilich (cross-party) and aligned with the foundation's purpose of GMO-free agriculture and food and preservation of peasant and ecological land use. Campaigns may be regional, national, or in exceptional cases European or international in scope.

How it's scored

The page states that applications should set out a long-term vision together with realistic near-term goals, and that the foundation prioritises campaigns using public actions and protests. No scoring weights or panel composition are disclosed on this page.

Key requirements

• ✓Campaign must focus on biodiversity protection and/or critical engagement with agro-GMO developments
• ✓Political advocacy or campaign orientation required
• ✓Alignment with Gekko Foundation's environmental mission

Recent past awardees

Knowing who's won the last rounds tells you whether you're in the strike zone.

• Save Our Seeds · 2019
• Testbiotech e.V. · 2016
• Center for the Environment (Friends of the Earth Bosnia and Herzegovina) · 2016
• INSPRO - The Civil Affairs Institute · 2015
• AGROLINK Association and ZaZemiata · 2010
• Forum Umwelt & Entwicklung beim DNR · 2023

Frequently asked questions

Who can apply for Kampagnen (Campaigns – GMO & Biodiversity)?

Eligibility covers organisations in GLOBAL; nonprofit, charity, community-group, social-enterprise. See the eligibility criteria above for the full conditions.

Relevant sectors

About this sector

Biodiversity funding backs habitat restoration, species protection, protected areas and nature-positive business. It comes from environment agencies, multilateral nature funds and conservation philanthropy, often through competitive calls with defined regions. Applicants are usually asked for baseline surveys, local partners and indicators that show ecological change.