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Monk Seal Alliance Call for Projects 2026

The pre-application session for funding from the Monk Seal Alliance is open online from March 2nd to March 31st, 2026. Funding is available for projects covering the period of April 2027 to April 2030 (36 months).

INTRODUCTION

The Monk Seal Alliance (MSA) is a donor coalition coordinated by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation dedicated to the long-term conservation and recovery of the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) and its habitats across its full range.

Building on 6 years of coordinated philanthropic support and over €6 million invested to date, the MSA seeks, through its 2026 Call for Projects, to support a new generation of projects to be implemented between spring 2027 and 2030 (up to 36 months).

This call reflects the MSA’s strategic orientations set in 2025 :

a stronger focus on priority habitats,
a shift from predominantly monitoring-oriented projects towards action-oriented conservation,
reinforced attention to governance, enforcement, and legal frameworks,
and increased emphasis on capacity building, advocacy, and measurable impact.

ADMINISTRATIVE CONSIDERATIONS

Applications must be submitted in English. No project can be directly submitted to the Monk Seal Alliance. Only pre-applications submitted through the online portal in the framework of the calls for projects will be considered. Scanned or out-of-format files will not be accepted.

The call is open to all types of organizations, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs), research and academic institutions, public authorities and agencies, as well as other non-profit or private entities, provided their proposed activities are fully aligned with the objectives of the Monk Seal Alliance.

Applicants will be informed of the outcome of their pre-application by email by May 15th, 2026 at the latest. Then, the pre-selected candidates will be invited to fill out a full application form by August 31st, 2026. Final decision of support from the Monk Seal Alliance will be notified by December 15th 2026. Project implementation should start at the earliest in spring 2027 and should have a maximum duration of 36 months.

STRUCTURE OF THE CALL

This call concerns projects aimed at improving the conservation status of the Mediterranean monk seal throughout its full habitat range. It is divided in 2 categories of areas: “priority areas” (those where monk seal populations are established and reproducing) and “secondary areas” (those where sightings have been/are occurring and where we expect monk seal populations to eventually recolonize).

STRATEGIC APPROACH OF THE 2026 CALL

The MSA recognizes that monk seal conservation is a long-term endeavor, requiring patient investment, strong local ownership, and effective collaboration with public authorities.

Accordingly, this call aims to support projects that:

contribute directly to the reduction of threats affecting monk seal habitats,
strengthen management, governance, and enforcement in MPAs and Natura 2000 sites,
support local authorities and institutions in fulfilling their conservation mandates,
build the capacity of local organizations to move beyond monitoring towards action and advocacy,
generate transferable lessons and tools applicable across the monk seal range.

As an indication, most projects supported by the MSA typically receive funding for a 3-year project within the range of

€100 000 to €300 000 per country for priority areas
€20 000 to €50 000 per country for secondary areas.

However, this should not be considered a strict minimum or maximum, and proposals outside this range may be considered if duly justified.

GEOGRAPHIC PRIORITIZATION

The MSA will concentrate the majority of its resources on key priority habitats, while maintaining targeted support for secondary areas.

Priority areas

Areas where monk seal populations are established and reproducing:

Greece
Türkiye
Cyprus
Mauritania
Madeira (Portugal)

These areas will receive the bulk of funding, with an emphasis on projects that:

support protected area management and enforcement,
address interactions with fisheries and tourism,
strengthen legal and institutional frameworks,
demonstrate potential for scaling or replication.

Secondary areas

Areas where recolonization is expected:

Adriatic Sea (Albania, Croatia, Italy, Montenegro)
Levantine Basin (Lebanon, Israel, Syria)

In these regions, support will focus on preparatory actions, including awareness raising, stakeholder mobilization, governance groundwork, and threat monitoring.

PRIORITY THEMES AND ELIGIBLE ACTIONS

Projects submitted under the 2026 Call should address one or more of the following priority themes:

A. Threat reduction and habitat protection

Mitigation of pressures from tourism, fisheries, coastal development, and maritime traffic
Physical protection of breeding and resting sites
Monitoring and management of human-induced disturbances

B. Governance, enforcement, and legal frameworks

Support to public authorities (e.g. MPAs, Natura 2000 managers, national agencies)
Development or strengthening of legal and regulatory frameworks
Innovative enforcement mechanisms, provided there is clear government backing

C. Capacity building and institutional strengthening

Training and technical support for local NGOs, public institutions, and practitioners
Building in-house expertise within governmental agencies
Strengthening inter-institutional and inter-ministerial coordination

D. Advocacy and stakeholder engagement

Structured engagement with fishers, tourism operators, and local communities leading to concrete management measures
Participatory processes leading to concrete management measures
Advocacy initiatives linked to policy or regulatory change

E. Monitoring and data use (supporting role)

Population monitoring activities must be action-oriented and linked to management decisions
Projects focused solely on population monitoring will be deprioritized
Emphasis should be placed on using data to support conservation action

CALL PROCESS AND TIMELINE

Pre-applications open: March 2026
Pre-selection: May 2026
Full proposals: May-August 2026
Final selection and contracting: December 2026-February 2027
Project start: Spring 2027
Maximum duration: 36 months (until 2030)

Only pre-applications submitted through the official MSA online platform will be considered.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS AND LIMITATIONS OF MSA SUPPORT

Collaborative, multi-partner consortia involving at least two partner organisations, with a designated coordinating organisation, are strongly encouraged and will be given priority.
If monitoring of monk seal populations and/or habitat is included, it should respect the monitoring framework adopted during the MSA Forum (see application guidelines). Collected data must be analyzed by the end of the project to produce information on the monitored variables (range, numbers, trends, demographic parameters, etc).
Monitoring costs (equipment, travel and staff costs) must not exceed 20% of the total requested budget. As information networks (RINT, AFBIKA, etc) provide information on threats and occurrence of seals, their development should be included in the monitoring costs (although distinguished from other types of costs).
All data collected within the project will be made freely available to MSA. Any use or sharing of data or results by the MSA will be subject to prior agreement with the data holders. The MSA will not publish, disseminate or transfer raw data without the explicit consent of the organizations involved.
All applicants carrying out monitoring activities must hold a research permit.
Co-funding is only mandatory for public institutions (30% minimum). For other entities applying, no co-funding is required, although it is encouraged.
Overhead costs, including Office rental, office supplies, equipment maintenance, salaries of administrative human resources, must not exceed 10% of the budget
Administrative costs including utility bills and insurances must not exceed 5% of the budget
All projects supported by MSA will undergo at least one field evaluation, carried out by external consultants.

SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS AND LIMITATIONS OF MSA SUPPORT

For priority areas (Mauritania, Madeira, Greece, Türkiye , Cyprus):

Actions must be primarily directed at reducing and mitigating threats (e.g. conflicts with fishing and tourism), enforcing conservation regimes and supporting the needs of local authorities (Natura2000, MPAs, etc.). Projects will need to measure success and impact by the end of the project. Costs may include equipment, staff time, capacity building of stakeholders. Actions should be implemented throughout the year (versus only during the reproduction or touristic seasons) and must rely on consultative and participatory processes, inclusive of all relevant stakeholders.
Some research/studies (ex. carrying capacity study) will be considered only if they lead to concrete conservation measures within the proposed project
Awareness raising campaigns cannot exceed 20% of the total requested budget. Measure of impacts (behavior change) must be included in the project.
Monitoring of threats must be included in the project proposals. They must be listed in the pre-application, as well as the method used for monitoring them and associated indicators.

For secondary areas (Adriatic Sea and Levantine Basin)

Actions should aim at preparing the ground for the potential recolonization of monk seal populations and include explicit, concrete targets of success and impact to be measured and assessed by the end of the project: awareness raising (general public), creation of protected areas, improvement of enforcement in current protected areas, mobilization of stakeholders (especially fishers and tourism sector representatives).
Monitoring of potential threats must be included in the project proposals. They must be listed in the pre-application, as well as the method used for monitoring them and associated indicators.

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