Highlights
- In August 2025, six local recipients were awarded small grants ranging from $500 to $1,500 each.
- Projects include five World Lemur Festival events, in Tulear (southwest), Toamasina (east), Itampolo (southwest), Sofia (northwest), and the Mantadia-Zahamena forest corridor (east).
- The sixth project builds on the work of a 2024 small grant for a conservation project near Antahala (northeast). This new funding supports conservation education with communities in the area.
About LCN’s Small Grant Program
In 2024, we launched our Small Grants Program to help local conservationists implement small projects across the island. Our 2024 grants totaled $3,000. We funded a World Lemur Festival celebration in the city of Toamasina in eastern Madagascar, and helped launch a new conservation initiative in the fragmented forests near Antahala in the northeast.
Photo below: Students at Diamondra Ranaivoson’s World Lemur Festival event in Toamasina won a field trip to Parc Ivoloina to learn about lemurs.
Funded by LCN’s Supporting Members
These grants are fully funded by LCN’s Supporting Membership program. These Supporting Members include zoos, individuals, businesses, and larger conservation organizations. Their annual membership fees range from just $50 to several thousand dollars. Every dollar directly supports conservation in Madagascar.
2025 Small Grants
This year, we decided to narrow our grant support to education. Our 2023 survey showed that education for Malagasy people is a top priority for lemur conservation. Finding a lack in education funding elsewhere, we focused our grants on local education initiatives, including World Lemur Festival events.
Due to our growing Supporting Membership program, we were able to increase our grant budget to $6,000. This year, grants were available to both individual Malagasy members and locally led organization members!
Meet the Winners and their Conservation Projects
In August, we selected 6 winning applicants that address education across the island, with a total of $6,300 in funding. Additionally, we identified 3 applicants who we will fund during Conservation Allies’ matching campaign this December: Madagascar Wildlife Conservation, Ny Tanintsika, and Madagasikara Voakajy.
ONG Reniala and Lemur Rescue Center
Organization Member of LCN, Southwest Madagascar
The “Lemurs, Forests and the Future” project will celebrate the 2025 World Lemur Festival through two days of educational and environmental activities in Toliara.
The main goal is to raise awareness among students, children, and local communities about lemur conservation and their habitats, and actively involve them in reforestation. The project will feature a university conference in Toliara, interactive workshops, a reforestation day with villagers in Mangily, and an educational visit to the Lemur Rescue Center.
Mitia Andrianantenaina
Individual Malagasy Member of LCN, Southwest Madagascar
Mitia will organize a World Lemur Festival celebration with 3 remote primary schools in Itampolo. These areas are rich in lemur biodiversity, yet due to their isolation and difficult access, conservation awareness activities are rare.
This project will also involve help from two other organizations working in the area. Members of EOKY, Mitia’s youth-led awareness club, will participate in the activities and gain hands-on experience in community-based conservation and environmental education. Also, as Mitia is employed by the Turtle Survival Alliance in the area, she will collaborate with TSA for help with logistics and transportation.
Mikajy Natiora
Organization Member of LCN, Northwest Madagascar
Mikajy Natiora will organize the World Lemur Festival 2025 in the Sofia region. They hope to increase awareness about lemurs and the sustainable conservation of their forest habitat by involving school kids and local leaders.
They will collaborate with educators, local authorities, school administrators, media partners, and community elders. Trained local rangers and youth volunteers will help deliver education activities. Mikajy Natiora has established strong relationships with these partners over many years. These trusted partnerships are key to ensuring long-term impact and local ownership of the project.
Edgar Rabevao
Individual Malagasy Member of LCN, Northeast Madagascar
In Edgar’s 2024 project, he worked with undergraduate students in the SAVA region to survey the biodiversity in the forest fragments of Mantsindambo near Antahala. They also surveyed local residents about their forest use and interest in alternate food sources.
To continue this work, they will publish the preliminary results of the previous expedition and hold education events with the community. Education will include film screenings, activities at the elementary school, and training in the alternative food sources that communities expressed interest in during last year’s surveys.
Ary Saina
Organization Member of LCN, Eastern Madagascar
For the 2025 World Lemur Festival, Ary Saina will lead an outreach project for children and youth living near the Ihofa rainforest. Activities will be active and experiential.
For instance, participants will experience nature walks led by local guides in Ihofa. Children under 6 years old will play a lemur-themed puzzle game. A biodiversity presentation will help participants reflect and share. A hands-on experiment will demonstrate key ecosystem functions to help learners grasp how environmental balance supports lemur survival.
Diamondra Ranaivison
Individual Member of LCN, Eastern Madagascar
The “Lemur Rally: School Championship” project is a quiz and games-based competition among schools in Toamasina during the World Lemur Festival 2025. It aims to raise awareness about lemurs and conservation across participating schools.
Each school will select three students to represent them in the championship. These students will compete in quizzes and games about lemurs and conservation while proudly representing their school. This will engage the entire student body in cheering for their team and learning about lemurs. Winners will receive prizes such as school supply kits and educational books about lemurs.
Congratulations to Our Grant Recipients!
We are thrilled to support these inspiring education projects across Madagascar. Through these small grants, we empower Malagasy professionals and local conservation organizations to make a difference in their communities. We can’t wait to see photos and videos from their events, and we hope their impact will be seen for years to come.