FAQ

Yes. Pilot and phase-one projects with the potential to be extended in reach, scale, scope, and/or impact AND a demonstrable need for new or additional capacity are eligible. 

You can expect 1) to implement your ideas sooner and more effectively, by way of developing and refining an implementation plan for your project with clear milestones, metrics, and adaptive management strategy, supported by feedback from expert mentors and advisors; 2) an increased chance of getting your project funded, by way tailored fundraising training, strategy development, and introductions to prospective funders; and 3) an increased network of people and organizations in the target landscape, by way of a peer learning community comprising other teams, plus introductions to experts, new potential partners, and other communities. 

This Accelerator program is designed to provide seed funding plus tailored training, mentorship, and a regional peer learning community to help participants implement and amplify the impact of their proposed projects.

The 2025 application is now closed; submissions were due February 28, 2025.

If you would like to be notified when the 2026 application opens, subscribe to receive email updates here by clicking the “Peregrine” interest topic.

Accepted participants in the Peregrine Accelerator should expect to dedicate 2-3 hours per week over the 6-month program, including workshops; one-on-one sessions with mentors; introductions to funders; one-on-one time with Salazar Center staff; and other curricular and networking elements. Much of this content will be delivered virtually. However, we will convene all participants in person at least once during the cohort period, for which participants’ expenses are covered by the Salazar Center. The program will conclude with a final presentation event. 

The Peregrine Accelerator builds on the success already realized through the Center’s 2020 Connectivity Challenge and the Thriving Cities Challenge in 2021. Five finalist teams were selected for the Connectivity Challenge, and one team was awarded $100,000 to implement its proposed solution; finalist teams did not receive non-monetary support or resources from the Center in 2020. In moving from the Connectivity Challenge to the Thriving Cities Challenge in 2021, and based in large part on guidance and feedback from a group of expert partners and advisors, the Center decided to make initial grant awards of $10,000 to each of 15 finalist teams and to develop a series of summer training sessions and mentorship opportunities. In contrast to the Connectivity Challenge, eight of fifteen finalist teams received implementation awards ranging from $35,000 to $100,000.

Through the Thriving Cities Challenge, the Center learned that there was a strong interest in and need for capacity-building for conservation innovation, and that the cohort approach to developing innovative solutions can pay off in stronger teams and proposals, as well as increased funding. The design of the Peregrine Accelerator program was shaped by these learnings and emphasizes team capacity-building and leadership development to an even greater degree than past Challenge programs. 

This program is all about accelerating the pace and scale of conservation innovations, and the peregrine falcon is the fastest animal in North America, with a range extending throughout the continent in both urban and wild environments. The “birds-eye” or aerial view of a falcon is also the perspective of the Center in its work to promote conservation and climate resilience across landscape and political boundaries.