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Biodiversity Fund

The Volkswagen Group Biodiversity Fund is a long-term investment in the future. The aim of the fund is to contribute worldwide to the protection, restoration and promotion of biodiversity and thereby address biodiversity loss as one of the key environmental challenges of our time.

As an integral part of the Volkswagen Group’s regenerate+ strategy, the Biodiversity Fund finances selected projects for the protection and restoration of biodiversity.

The Biodiversity Fund focuses on five strategic areas of action:

  1. Strengthening ecosystems: Supporting selected projects that help strengthen biodiversity and ecosystems.
  2. Contributing to environmental and biodiversity objectives: Supporting projects that align with the Group-wide environmental and biodiversity priorities as well as external reference frameworks.
  3. Making engagement for nature visible: Collaboration with experienced partners from nature conservation, science and civil society.
  4. Promoting forward-looking solutions:Supporting nature-based approaches, such as projects for wetland restoration, habitat protection or the involvement of local communities in conservation projects.
  5. Strengthening resilience: Supporting projects related to natural livelihoods, ecosystem services and resilient value systems.

Projects funded by the Volkswagen Group Biodiversity Fund should demonstrate a connection to international biodiversity targets and recognized conservation approaches. This places the funded activities within a broader global context and allows them to be assessed against the Fund’s funding and selection criteria.

Biodiversity Fund
“Protecting biodiversity is a key prerequisite for resilient ecosystems, stable livelihoods and future-proof economic activity. As a global industrial company, we take responsibility and specifically support projects that are based on scientific or recognized conservation approaches.”
Dirk Voeste Chief Sustainability Officer, Volkswagen Group
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Guidelines for Project Funding

Reference Frameworks and Global Goals

Where appropriate, projects are encouraged to describe their alignment with relevant international biodiversity targets and frameworks, such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Planetary Boundaries framework or the IUCN conservation standards.

Such alignment may, for example, be demonstrated through contributions to ecosystem integrity, restoration targets or the use of natural resources within defined ecological criteria at landscape or marine level. 

Transparency & Impact

Funded projects are supported throughout their entire duration by both the Volkswagen Group and ERM. This is based on an impact-oriented monitoring approach aligned with the Fund’s Theory of Change model, which examines and documents the extent to which project activities contribute to measurable outcomes for nature and biodiversity. Defined indicators are collected regularly throughout the project and funding period in order to systematically track progress and transparently assess impacts.

In addition, an annual impact report is prepared and published, presenting the Fund’s contributions to the intended objectives and long-term impacts. This increases transparency regarding achieved outcomes, supports the improvement of measures and provides insights for future funding decisions. In this way, evidence-based knowledge on appropriate measures for the protection and restoration of biodiversity is generated alongside the financing of projects. 

Funding focus

The Biodiversity Fund supports projects related to the protection, restoration or use of ecosystems within defined ecological criteria.

Particular attention is given to projects that:

  • address a measurable ecological contribution based on defined criteria,
  • are designed for the long term or are scalable,
  • actively involve local stakeholders and communities, and
  • are based on recognized scientific or conservation approaches.

Funding Framework

A limited number of projects is selected per funding cycle. Funding cycles are planned annually. Currently, selected projects may receive funding through 2029.

Selection Process

The selection of funded projects follows a structured five-stage process that ensures transparency and robustness, takes biodiversity relevance into account and enables sound, traceable and quality-assured decision-making.

Organizations are invited to submit project proposals through the Fund’s calls for proposals. All applications are initially reviewed to ensure strategic alignment with the Fund’s objectives as well as compliance with defined funding criteria, governance requirements and social and environmental safeguard standards. Eligible projects are then assessed against transparent pre-selection criteria, including their potential contribution to biodiversity, their strategic relevance to the Fund’s biodiversity objectives, their feasibility, risk profile and the capabilities of the implementing organization. Selected projects undergo an in-depth technical and ecological review.

Decision-making body for funding decision
l.- r.: Tobias Bahr, Marcin Piersiak, Frauke Fischer, Guido Eickenroth, Ina Othersen, Dirk Voeste
Final funding decisions are made by the responsible decision-making body, supported by the Volkswagen Group Sustainability Council. Selected projects are formalized through cooperation agreements and monitored throughout the funding period to ensure impact achievement and accountability.
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