Funding overview

Money comes in two shapes, and they are funded differently. One-time setup, the land, a house, tools, the first plantings, is capital you raise once. Ongoing running costs are far smaller and are best covered by a mix of modest income and the founders' own capacity. The common mistake is funding recurring costs from a one-off grant that will not come again.

Principles

• Never depend on one source. A single funder withdrawing should not end the project. Even a large purchase can be stacked: the Woodland Trust in Wales bought 140 hectares with a bank grant, lottery money, two foundations and a government scheme together (charity buys 140 ha in Wales ✓, news).
• Start small. A modest, credible ask beats a large, vague one.
• Run several pathways at once, then back the winners. Explore broadly early, then put effort behind whatever is actually working.
• Keep asks specific and stewardship real. People give to a clear plan and stay for honest follow-up. Donors find it hard to tell which restoration groups to trust, which is why researchers now compare organisations on what they publicly report about practices and monitoring (donor directory for reforestation ✓, news).

Raising the first money is easier than sustaining year three, so plan for the long tail, not just the launch. Funding has poured into mangrove restoration, yet roughly 70% of projects in parts of Southeast Asia and Latin America struggle, because what decides success comes after planting: tenure, livelihoods and incentives to keep protecting the site (why mangrove projects fail ✓, news).

What's here

• Pathways: the ways to raise capital, each with its scale, odds, and effort.
• Earned income and partnerships are covered under economics/revenue.

A future grants tool will scan for opportunities and keep a live feed; for now the pathways below are worked by hand.