Letter of Interest
This web form is how you can submit a basic consultation or Letter of Interest (LOI). Before you begin, please 1) review the below information, and 2) be sure you have considered our Project Standards.
Ecologists Without Borders creates projects in partnership with our volunteer community and other project makers who need our assistance. Requests are welcomed at any time.
WHERE CAN PROJECTS BE CARRIED OUT?
Projects may be in any country where it is safe for EcoWB volunteers to operate, both remotely and in-person. EcoWB typically works in middle- and low-income countries, but not always. To be considered, projects proposed in high-income countries need to demonstrate a clear need, a lack of funding, and strong community support.
Also, while many EcoWB volunteers are multi-lingual, our base of knowledge is in English, and English is our working language. We are working on expanding Spanish and French language capacities.
ARE YOU A PROJECT MAKER?
Project makers are people who have identified an ecological need in their community and area(s) where human-ecosystem interactions should be improved. A project maker has a strong community connection and knowledge of the situation. The project maker organization may be a:
- union
- association
- cooperative
- not-for-profit
- school/university
- regional/local government office
In the case of multiple organizations; one organization should take a leading role in completing the LOI. Person(s) submitting an LOI or basic consultation may represent the organization formally as a staff member, ambassador or decision maker, or informally as an ally, friend, and supporter. However, it is important that decision-makers within the project maker organization can provide feedback on your LOI before submitting. Additionally, a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) may need to be established between EcoWB and the beneficiary organization with project maker involvement following a successful LOI.
WHAT KIND OF REQUEST SHOULD I MAKE?
If your project is not already established, and you do not yet have a focused set of goals, activities, and volunteer needs, or if you have yet to secure community support, please send us a request for a Basic Consultation.
The Basic Consultation will allow you to receive feedback on your ideas, a discussion about potential support, and, if available, expert consultation on the tools, methods, and/or study design of your project. Basic Consultations are part of every LOI process.
If your project is already active or you have a clear plan for your first year of project activities, then you may submit an LOI.
Our review will include a vetting process of you and your organization to establish confidence in your application. This typically includes an interview and an audit of the information you provide.
ADVICE FOR APPLICANTS
Again, before filling out the LOI, please be sure you have reviewed our project standards, areas of interest, and previous projects.
Here is some key advice to help you have a successful application that may be quickly accepted:
- Please provide enough information that we can vet your organization and build confidence in you as a project host.
- Focus your application, especially the background and summary, on the activities for which you need assistance. You do not need to include all areas of activity for a project or organization.
- We e need to understand what questions or unknowns you have regarding the project; this helps us determine if we have the expertise to assist.
- Tell us what the most important first one-three volunteer activities are. For example, some activities in the past have included: helping to write grants, doing a geographic analysis, helping you to find partners, preparing reports, and more.
LETTER OF INTEREST EVALUATION
EcoWB will make every effort to review your LOI promptly. One EcoWB representative will be assigned to you as your contact person. You can expect a decision on your letter within approximately eight weeks of submission.
Review of LOIs is intended to be fair and unbiased, with attention given to both positive and negative outcomes. Feasibility, scientific value, stakeholder involvement, budget/funding viability, and awareness of local social, cultural or legal circumstances are considerations that will be most closely examined by EcoWB reviewers.
After EcoWB has reviewed your LOI, your project will enter in a development phase where it will build needed volunteer support and begin work on some activities. EcoWB may ask for more information and include suggestions for refining and further developing your project design. This is a collaborative, iterative process. If we do not accept the LOI, EcoWB will explain why we have chosen not to move forward with your project.
Due to the iterative nature of the LOI and full application processes, we recommend keeping in touch with your EcoWB project contact regularly. If you receive a request for information or status advice on your proposal and EcoWB receives no communication, after 60 days your proposal will be considered inactive. If you would like us to re-activate a proposal, please resubmit a revised LOI with a description of changes.
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR LETTER OF INTEREST
Please start your application by clicking on the LOI & BC webform button bellow. We recommend using a word document to save your answers if you have internet connectivity problems.
