IPLC Science Fund
GainForest · XPRIZE Rainforest

Permanent funding for Indigenous-led science.

The IPLC Science Endowment Fund supports Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities to become scientists and leaders in conservation; the principal endures, the returns flow to community-led science forever.

Donate to the fundHow it works
Two Indigenous community scientists in the Amazon rainforest, one holding a laptop
The endowment model

100%

of investment returns fund community-led science. The principal is never spent.

Every decision by Indigenous consensus
About the fund

An innovative financial mechanism for lasting stewardship.

The IPLC Science Endowment Fund is designed to support Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities not as beneficiaries, but as the scientists and decision-makers at the centre of conservation.

Overview

Established by the ETH BiodivX team and GainForest with the XPRIZE Rainforest Award, the fund provides sustainable economic opportunities for Indigenous and riverine communities while advancing biodiversity science in a culturally respectful way.

Its governance structure guarantees Indigenous leadership by requiring full community consensus for every funding decision; no grant moves without it.

Indigenous children paddling a canoe along an Amazon river
01

Global impact

Supporting Indigenous contributions to the world's conservation and biodiversity goals.

02

Community led

Empowering frontline Indigenous and riverine communities to lead conservation efforts.

03

Biodiversity

Preserving the rich, irreplaceable biodiversity of the Amazon rainforest.

04

Indigenous science

Validating traditional ecological knowledge inside rigorous conservation research.

Why this fund exists

We donated our entire XPRIZE prize to the next generation.

A modern Christmas story, five years in the making; from the fires in the Amazon to three speedboats on the Rio Negro, and an endowment built so the journey never ends.

$250,000the entire XPRIZE Rainforest prize, donated in full

ETH BiodivX won the XPRIZE Rainforest award for the single most groundbreaking approach; our co-design with Indigenous and local communities. Rather than keep the quarter-million-dollar prize, GainForest and the team chose to give all of it away, establishing this endowment for future generations of Indigenous scientists and the bridge builders who connect the Amazon to Western science.

It began after the devastating fires in the Amazon. Over five years, a small idea became GainForest, merged with ETH Zurich's team, and reached the finals deep in the rainforest, working hand in hand with the Sateré-Mawé, Tikuna, Munduruku, Kayapó and Witoto peoples; a team that returns, that shares its data, that stays.

Marina, from the Mura people, went from not speaking a word of English to becoming the team's first Indigenous scientist, and gave the victory speech in Rio de Janeiro a year later.

“We want this deep collaboration between Amazonian and Western scientists to last for generations to come; such that we will have many boat rides to come.”
— David Dao, co-founder of GainForest & co-lead of ETH BiodivX
Read David's full letter
Three boats on the Rio Negro, heading to the XPRIZE finals

How the endowment works

Most conservation finance never reaches the grassroots. An endowment closes that loop: the gift endures, the returns keep funding Indigenous science, and the people closest to the rainforest hold the decision.

  1. 1

    Capital is endowed

    Donations and the XPRIZE Rainforest Award form a permanent principal that is invested, never spent down.

  2. 2

    Returns fund the science

    Only the investment returns are deployed, financing community-led research and conservation year after year.

  3. 3

    Indigenous consensus decides

    Every funding decision requires the full consensus of Indigenous and local community leadership.

  4. 4

    Communities own the outcome

    The data, tools, and income generated stay with the communities that create them.

Our vision

Technology and data, by and with the communities who steward nature.

To provide, develop and research accessible technologies and data, by and with Indigenous and local communities, that support self-determined development; towards the full and effective implementation of community-led conservation initiatives and Indigenous science projects.

Core values & objectives
  1. 01

    Strengthen contributions

    Ensure the tools and data generated within Indigenous communities empower and strengthen their contributions to global conservation goals.

  2. 02

    Lead the science

    Integrate IPLC monitoring strategies so communities lead research projects, co-author scientific papers, and grow their role in global conservation.

  3. 03

    Close the finance gap

    Help close the biodiversity finance gap for the Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities already at the forefront of conservation.

  4. 04

    Own the data

    Empower IPLC individuals and organisations to evidence their stewardship, validate data ownership, and generate sustainable data-based income.

Our impact

Meaningful impact across many dimensions.

The fund creates lasting change for the communities at the frontline of conservation; in their economies, their science, and their standing on the world stage.

An Indigenous man paddling a canoe through a flooded Amazon forest

Supporting communities

We work alongside IPLC communities through community-led initiatives that preserve their traditional knowledge and cultural practices.

Community empowerment

Supporting communities to become leaders in conservation.

Economic opportunities

Creating sustainable income through data-based activities.

Global conservation leadership

We integrate IPLC monitoring strategies to demonstrate biodiversity conservation; letting communities lead research, co-author scientific papers, and strengthen their role in global conservation.

Global recognition

Amplifying Indigenous voices across the conservation movement.

Knowledge preservation

Protecting and sharing traditional ecological wisdom.

An Indigenous community celebration in the Amazon, a leader lifted with arms raised