Are you ready to make the basin better?

The Peregrine Accelerator will champion and invest in your breakthrough ideas for improving the ecological and human health in the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo River basin. Join us.

What is an accelerator for
conservation impact?

Peregrine bird

The Peregrine Accelerator will provide seed funding to a cohort of up to 12 project teams, which will then receive tailored mentorship, training, and support over a period of six months. Accepted participants should expect to dedicate 2-3 hours per week over the course of the six-month accelerator between workshops; one-on-one sessions with mentors; introductions to investors; and other curricular and networking elements (much of this content will be delivered virtually, however, we hope to convene all participants in person at least once during the cohort period, for which participants expenses would be covered by the program). At the conclusion of the accelerator program, each team will have developed an actionable implementation plan for its proposed innovation, and a virtual presentation event will offer participants the opportunity to receive one of several implementation grant awards.

Specifically, each project team selected to participate in the accelerator cohort will:

  • Receive a $10,000 stipend to support participant engagement over the six-month cohort program
  • Be eligible to receive an additional implementation grant of up to $100,000
  • Be exposed to the Salazar Center’s network of funders and will receive curated introductions to prospective funders
  • Complete the program with a developed implementation plan and evaluation strategy
  • Have access to a strategically-recruited network of expert mentors
  • Join a community of other finalist teams and relevant peers where participants can share best practices, facilitate relevant connections for each other, and build a lasting community of practice that extends beyond the length of the program

Flying bird

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for the Peregrine Accelerator program, you must meet the following criteria:

  • Project ideas should be within the geography of the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo basin (see map at left) and address at least one of the focus areas described below.
  • Proposals may be submitted by organizations based in the US and/or Mexico.
  • Organizations may already be working in the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo basin, or be working outside the basin but coming with a relevant solution to apply in the basin.
  • Teams comprising two or more partner entities are encouraged but not required, and where partnerships exist, they are encouraged to be cross-sectoral in nature.
  • Teams may include, but are not limited to, non-profits/NGOs; Tribes/Indigenous groups; research/academic institutions; local, state, and/or federal agencies; private enterprises; and community groups.
  • If selected, applicants should be willing and able to participate in the 6-month accelerator program described above.

Focus Areas

Proposed solutions should address at least one of the three focus areas below, and we strongly encourage all proposals to integrate themes of climate resilience and nature-positive solutions, social equity, and community benefit.

Projects may include new or creative approaches to data, governance, finance, capacity and constituency-building, and leadership development in the basin, as demonstrated through pilot projects. Proposals are also encouraged to focus on ways to improve resource management and protection across traditional jurisdictional and political lines within the basin.


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Water in the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo basin

  • Drivers of water scarcity and impacts of scarcity on people and nature
  • Water quality and water management
  • Agricultural water use
  • Managing and responding to growing water demand

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Cities, working lands, and wilderness in the basin

  • Green infrastructure and urban green space
  • Landscape-scale climate adaptation
  • Connected ecosystem and habitats
  • Sustainable working lands

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Human dimensions of basin health

  • Cross-sector collaboration
  • Building collective power
  • Public awareness around conservation and climate issues in the basin
  • Transboundary governance and coordination
  • Economic, racial, and environmental equity
  • Data and mapping
  • Conservation finance and funding

Timeline


Mountains and stream
  • October 7, 2022: Applications open
  • October 18, 2022: Applicant webinar
    First of two optional webinars to learn more about the program, see a demonstration of the application portal, and ask questions.
  • November 8, 2022: Applicant webinar
    Second of two optional webinars to learn more about the program, see a demonstration of the application portal, and ask questions.
  • November 21, 2022: Applications due at 5PM MT
  • December 2022: Evaluation period
    All applications go through an internal administrative review for eligibility and are then reviewed by evaluators. Evaluator scoring and feedback will be made available to all applicants after finalists have been notified.
  • Early-mid January 2023: Finalist interviews
    Following the evaluation period, a subset of applicants are invited to participate in virtual interviews with the Salazar Center, and all applicants are provided a status update.
  • Late January 2023: Accelerator cohort announced
    Following the interview process, selected applicants are invited to participate in the Accelerator program, and all remaining applicants are provided a status update.
  • February/March-Summer 2023: Accelerator program
    Cohort participants receive funding, wraparound implementation support, and connections to peers and investors to help implement, and amplify the impact of, their proposed projects.
  • Fall 2023: Final presentations and implementation awards
    Cohort participants present to a review panel and may be selected to receive implementation funding for their project; grants will be made available from the Salazar Center as well as other funders invited to attend the virtual presentation event.

Informational webinars


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We hosted two info sessions for interested applicants, the recordings of which you can view here (English only) and here (English and Spanish available). These sessions provide an overview of the program, a demonstration of the application portal, and answers to any questions submitted by attendees. Attendance is not required to apply. 

Frequently asked questions:


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

Category: FAQ

Applicants may submit a proposal in Spanish, and feedback will be provided to the project team in the same language as the submission. All materials, events, and 1:1 meetings offered during the 6-month accelerator program will be provided in Spanish, whether via translation or interpretation. Any applicant interested in meeting with the Salazar Center in advance of submitting a proposal may request interpretation as well.

Category: FAQ

Expected outcomes will depend on the team’s final project plan and will be informed by the goals and deliverables the team sets for itself. The Salazar Center will want to understand long-term project success and impact over time, but implementation awards will not be contingent on explicit objectives. If other funders support implementation of Peregrine projects, they may institute their own expectations and/or grant reporting requirements. While implementation awards may be as high as $100,000, smaller awards may be made as well.

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You can expect 1)an increased chance of getting your project funded, by way of introductions to prospective funders; 2) an increased likelihood of successful implementation, by way of a developed and refined implementation plan for your project, with feedback from mentors and advisors; and 3) an increased network of people and orgs Rio Grande/Rio Bravo basin, by way of a community of other teams, mentors, funders, partners, and communities.

Category: FAQ

This accelerator program is designed to provide funding, wraparound implementation support, and connections to peers and investors to help participants implement, and amplify the impact of, their proposed projects. Learn more.

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Your project should intend to make an impact within the boundaries of the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo basin, as delineated in this map. The impact may be localized to a specific area or sub-basin, or extend throughout the whole basin. Applicants themselves and the organization(s) involved do not have to be physically based in the basin geography.

Category: FAQ

Any idea for an innovative conservation solution that will materially support or advance ecological and human health in the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo River basin is eligible. Proposed solutions should address at least one of the focus areas describe above, and we strongly encourage all proposals to integrate themes of climate resilience, social equity, community benefit, and nature-positive solutions. Proposed projects may include new or creative approaches to data, governance, finance, capacity-and constituency-building, and leadership development in the basin. Proposals are also encouraged to focus on ways to improve resource management and protection across traditional jurisdictional and political lines within the basin. We welcome your inspired, novel and game-changing projects!

Category: FAQ

Your proposal will be assessed by expert evaluators based on the rubric. Following evaluation, a number of applicants will be invited to participate in a brief interview process, after which a cohort of selected finalists will be invited to participate in a 6-month accelerator program to further develop their proposals. Regardless of your application status, you will receive thoughtful feedback from the evaluators who review your proposal, with ideas and recommendations for strengthening your project and moving forward.

Category: FAQ

At the conclusion of the six-month accelerator program, project teams will participate in a final presentation event, to be held virtually in Fall 2023. Teams will have the opportunity to share their proposed solution with an expert review panel and to take questions, after which they will be eligible for implementation funding provided by the Salazar Center, as well as by other funders in the Center’s network. Participation in the final presentation event does not guarantee implementation funding.

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Submit an application before the deadline of November 21, 2022. We will offer two informational webinars, during which we will offer a demonstration of the online application portal and answer any questions you may have.

Category: FAQ

Accepted participants in the Peregrine Accelerator should expect to dedicate 2-3 hours per week over the course of the 6-month accelerator between workshops; one-on-one sessions with mentors; introductions to investors; and other curricular and networking elements. Much of this content will be delivered virtually, however we hope to convene all participants in person at least once during the cohort period, for which participants expenses would be covered by the program. In Fall 2023, the program will conclude with a final presentation event, to be held virtually.

Category: FAQ

There are numerous resources, articles, and reports exploring various dimensions of the Rio Grande Basin and the US-Mexico border. Although this is an incomplete list, we found these resources engaging and formative. If you are an applicant, reading these articles is not required and it won’t give you an advantage in your application, but we simply want to provide links here because we found these resources valuable and insightful. Groundswell on the Rio Grande, a storymap from American Rivers, focuses on the upper Rio Grande and explores water and conservation issues in the San Luis Valley in Colorado. Climate Change on the Rio Grande, a report from World Wildlife Fund, explores the impacts of climate change on the Rio Grande in the border region. Embattled Borderlands is a storymap created by Krista Schlyer highlighting the impacts of the border wall on conservation efforts across the entire US-Mexico border. The Grand Dream of an International Park with Mexico Meets a Complicated Reality is from Audubon magazine and focuses on the potential for an international park spanning the US-Mexico border in the Rio Grande

The Peregrine Accelerator builds on the success already realized through the Center’s Connectivity Challenge in 2020 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 to further support the cohort of teams. 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 has been shaped by these learnings and will emphasize team capacity-building and leadership development to an even greater degree than past Challenge programs.

Category: FAQ

This program is all about accelerating the pace and scale of conservation innovations, and the peregrine falcon is the fastest animal in North America, and its range extends throughout the continent. 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.

Category: FAQ