Apply Now: Communities Climate Adaptation Facility Grants (Belize)

Deadline: 26-Jun-2026

The Communities Climate Adaptation Facility supports climate-vulnerable communities with grants for locally led adaptation, resilience, and climate-resilient development. Grants of up to BZD 200,000, disbursed in USD up to USD 100,000, are available for 12-month projects addressing urgent climate impacts such as sea-level rise, loss and damage, limited access to services, and environmental vulnerability. Eligible applicants include climate-vulnerable communities, local non-profit organizations, civil society organizations, and grassroots groups made up of members of beneficiary communities.

Overview

The Communities Climate Adaptation Facility, known as C-CAF, is seeking grant applications to help climate-vulnerable communities strengthen resilience and adaptation efforts.

The facility supports community-led projects that respond to urgent climate-related challenges, including sea-level rise, climate-related losses and damages, ecosystem degradation, and limited access to essential services.

C-CAF aims to ensure that climate finance reaches local communities directly, especially those that are most affected by climate change but have limited access to funding.

Key Grant Details

• Facility Name: Communities Climate Adaptation Facility
• Short Name: C-CAF
• Hosted By: GCCM secretariat and board hosted at UNOPS
• Maximum Grant Amount: BZD 200,000 per applicant
• USD Disbursement Limit: Up to USD 100,000
• Exchange Rate: United Nations Operational Exchange Rate applicable at agreement signature
• Grant Duration: 12 months
• Main Focus: Climate adaptation, climate resilience, community-led adaptation, essential services, ecosystem restoration, inclusive livelihoods, and climate-vulnerable communities
• Eligible Applicants: Climate-vulnerable communities, local non-profit organizations, civil society organizations, and grassroots organizations made up of members of beneficiary communities

Purpose of the Facility

The purpose of the Communities Climate Adaptation Facility is to support communities facing urgent climate-related challenges.

The facility was created to address gaps in climate finance reaching local levels.

It provides grants that help affected communities design and implement practical adaptation solutions based on their own needs, priorities, knowledge, and lived experience.

Why C-CAF Was Created

Many climate-vulnerable communities are already experiencing the impacts of sea-level rise, extreme weather, ecosystem loss, limited access to services, and climate-related displacement.

However, these communities often struggle to access climate finance directly.

C-CAF aims to bridge this gap by empowering local populations through grants that address immediate adaptation needs and strengthen long-term resilience.

Focus Areas

The C-CAF supports community-led adaptation projects across several climate resilience and development priorities.

Key focus areas include:

• Climate adaptation
• Climate resilience
• Climate-resilient development
• Community-led adaptation
• Water and sanitation
• Environmental protection
• Ecosystem restoration
• Health services
• Housing
• Workforce development
• Sustainable livelihoods
• Inclusive livelihoods
• Equitable access to services
• Cultural heritage preservation
• Community cohesion
• Traditional knowledge
• Indigenous knowledge
• Support for marginalized groups
• Climate-related loss and damage response

Priority Beneficiaries

The facility prioritises communities and groups that are highly vulnerable to climate impacts and have limited access to finance.

Priority beneficiaries include:

• Climate-vulnerable communities
• Women
• Children
• Persons with disabilities
• Marginalized groups
• Indigenous communities
• Displaced populations
• Underrepresented communities
• Communities affected by sea-level rise
• Communities facing urgent climate-related challenges

What the Grants Support

C-CAF grants support practical projects that help communities adapt to climate impacts and strengthen resilience.

Supported projects may include:

• Improving access to basic services
• Strengthening water and sanitation systems
• Restoring ecosystems
• Protecting natural habitats
• Supporting climate-resilient health services
• Developing inclusive housing solutions
• Creating sustainable livelihoods
• Supporting workforce development
• Preserving cultural heritage
• Strengthening community cohesion
• Integrating traditional and indigenous knowledge
• Supporting locally led adaptation planning
• Improving equitable access to services

Community-Led Adaptation

Community-led adaptation means that local communities play a central role in identifying climate risks, designing solutions, implementing activities, and monitoring results.

This approach recognises that affected communities often understand local climate impacts, social needs, cultural priorities, and environmental conditions better than external actors.

C-CAF supports adaptation projects that are rooted in local knowledge, community participation, and practical needs.

Climate Resilience and Adaptation

Climate adaptation refers to actions that help communities adjust to current and expected climate impacts.

Climate resilience refers to the ability of communities, ecosystems, services, and livelihoods to withstand, recover from, and adapt to climate-related shocks.

Projects supported by C-CAF should help communities reduce vulnerability, strengthen coping capacity, and prepare for future climate risks.

Eligible Project Sectors

The facility supports projects across multiple sectors that are important for climate resilience.

Eligible sectors include:

• Water and sanitation
• Environment
• Health
• Housing
• Workforce development
• Livelihoods
• Cultural heritage
• Community cohesion
• Basic services
• Ecosystem restoration
• Climate-resilient development

Water and Sanitation Projects

Water and sanitation projects may support communities facing climate-related water insecurity, contamination, flooding, or service disruption.

Projects may focus on improving equitable access to safe water, strengthening sanitation systems, or making water services more resilient to climate impacts.

Environmental and Ecosystem Projects

Environmental projects may focus on restoring ecosystems, protecting natural habitats, and improving local environmental resilience.

Projects may integrate traditional and indigenous knowledge to support locally appropriate ecosystem restoration and environmental stewardship.

Health Projects

Health-related projects may support climate-resilient healthcare and improved access to essential health services.

These projects may help communities respond to health risks linked to climate change, including extreme heat, flooding, waterborne disease, displacement, or service disruption.

Housing Projects

Housing projects may support inclusive and climate-resilient housing solutions.

These activities should help vulnerable populations access safer, more resilient, and more inclusive living conditions in the face of climate-related risks.

Workforce and Livelihood Projects

Workforce development and livelihood projects may support sustainable and inclusive economic opportunities for climate-vulnerable communities.

These projects may focus on underrepresented communities and help people develop skills, income opportunities, or livelihood strategies that are more resilient to climate impacts.

Cultural Heritage and Community Cohesion

C-CAF also supports projects that preserve cultural heritage and strengthen community cohesion.

These projects are important because climate change can threaten cultural identity, traditional practices, historic places, and social relationships within communities.

Activities may help communities protect heritage, maintain social bonds, and strengthen collective resilience.

Who is Eligible?

Eligible applicants must be directly connected to climate-vulnerable beneficiary communities.

Eligible applicants include:

• Climate-vulnerable communities
• Non-profit local organizations consisting of members of beneficiary climate-vulnerable communities
• Civil society organizations consisting of members of beneficiary climate-vulnerable communities
• Grassroots organizations consisting of members of beneficiary climate-vulnerable communities

Applicants should demonstrate that the proposed project is community-led and directly benefits climate-vulnerable people.

Funding Information

The maximum grant amount available per applicant is BZD 200,000.

Funding will be disbursed in USD up to a maximum of USD 100,000.

The United Nations Operational Exchange Rate will apply at the time the agreement is signed.

Applicants must provide a bank account that can receive USD payments.

Each grant is expected to have a project duration of 12 months.

How the Facility Works

C-CAF provides direct grant support to eligible community-based applicants working on adaptation and resilience.

The grants are intended to address immediate adaptation needs while also building longer-term adaptive capacity.

Projects should be designed with community participation and should respond to locally identified climate risks, service gaps, and resilience priorities.

How to Apply or Prepare

Applicants should prepare a clear proposal that explains the climate challenge, community need, proposed activities, expected outcomes, and budget.

Step 1: Confirm Applicant Eligibility

Applicants should first confirm that they are an eligible community, local non-profit organization, civil society organization, or grassroots group.

Organizations should be made up of members of the beneficiary climate-vulnerable community.

Step 2: Identify the Climate Challenge

Applicants should clearly describe the climate-related problem affecting the community.

This may include:

• Sea-level rise
• Flooding
• Water insecurity
• Ecosystem degradation
• Housing vulnerability
• Health risks
• Loss of livelihoods
• Displacement
• Climate-related loss and damage
• Limited access to basic services

Step 3: Define the Target Community

Applicants should identify the people who will benefit from the project.

The proposal should clearly explain how the project will support climate-vulnerable groups, including women, children, persons with disabilities, indigenous communities, displaced people, or other marginalized groups.

Step 4: Design a Community-Led Solution

The proposed project should be shaped by community needs and participation.

Applicants should explain how community members will be involved in:

• Planning
• Decision-making
• Implementation
• Monitoring
• Feedback
• Long-term maintenance

Step 5: Select the Project Sector

Applicants should connect the project to one or more eligible sectors.

Relevant sectors include:

• Water and sanitation
• Environment
• Health
• Housing
• Workforce development
• Livelihoods
• Cultural heritage
• Community cohesion
• Ecosystem restoration

Step 6: Explain Adaptation and Resilience Benefits

The proposal should clearly explain how the project will strengthen adaptation and resilience.

Applicants should describe how the project will reduce vulnerability, improve services, protect ecosystems, strengthen livelihoods, or help the community respond to climate impacts.

Step 7: Prepare a Realistic Budget

Applicants may request up to BZD 200,000.

Funding will be disbursed in USD up to USD 100,000.

Applicants should prepare a budget that clearly links costs to project activities and confirms that they have a bank account capable of receiving USD payments.

Step 8: Plan for 12-Month Implementation

Each grant is expected to last 12 months.

Applicants should prepare a practical work plan showing what will be completed during the project period.

The work plan should include major activities, timelines, responsible persons, expected outputs, and monitoring arrangements.

Expected Results

Funded projects are expected to strengthen community resilience and improve adaptation capacity.

Expected results may include:

• Improved access to basic services
• Stronger water and sanitation systems
• Restored ecosystems
• Better protection of natural habitats
• Increased use of traditional and indigenous knowledge
• Stronger climate-resilient livelihoods
• Improved support for marginalized groups
• More inclusive access to services
• Safer and more resilient housing solutions
• Improved community health resilience
• Stronger community cohesion
• Preserved cultural heritage
• Greater local capacity to respond to climate risks

Why This Facility Matters

The Communities Climate Adaptation Facility matters because many communities facing the worst climate impacts receive the least direct climate finance.

C-CAF helps shift resources toward local and community-led action.

By supporting affected communities directly, the facility helps ensure that adaptation solutions are practical, inclusive, locally owned, and responsive to urgent climate realities.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Applicants should avoid submitting projects that are not clearly community-led.

Projects should not be vague about climate risks or community vulnerability.

Applicants should avoid proposals that do not clearly benefit climate-vulnerable people or underrepresented groups.

Projects should not ignore inclusion. Strong proposals should explain how women, persons with disabilities, indigenous communities, displaced populations, or marginalized groups will be involved and supported.

Applicants should avoid unrealistic budgets or activities that cannot be completed within the 12-month grant period.

Applicants should also ensure they can provide a bank account capable of receiving USD payments.

Tips for a Strong Application

A strong application should clearly show climate vulnerability, local leadership, inclusion, and practical adaptation benefits.

Applicants should:

• Clearly describe the climate challenge
• Show that the project is community-led
• Identify direct beneficiaries
• Include marginalized and underrepresented groups
• Connect activities to adaptation and resilience outcomes
• Use traditional or indigenous knowledge where relevant
• Focus on practical and achievable activities
• Prepare a realistic 12-month work plan
• Create a clear budget within the funding limit
• Explain how the project will improve essential services or livelihoods
• Show how the community will sustain benefits after the grant period

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Communities Climate Adaptation Facility?

The Communities Climate Adaptation Facility is a grant facility that supports climate-vulnerable communities with community-led adaptation and resilience projects.

How much funding is available?

Applicants may request up to BZD 200,000. Funding will be disbursed in USD up to a maximum of USD 100,000.

How long will each grant last?

Each grant is expected to have a duration of 12 months.

Who can apply?

Eligible applicants include climate-vulnerable communities, local non-profit organizations, civil society organizations, and grassroots organizations made up of members of beneficiary climate-vulnerable communities.

What types of projects are supported?

Supported projects may focus on water and sanitation, environment, health, housing, workforce development, sustainable livelihoods, ecosystem restoration, cultural heritage, community cohesion, and equitable access to services.

Who are the priority beneficiaries?

Priority beneficiaries include climate-vulnerable communities, women, children, persons with disabilities, marginalized groups, indigenous communities, underrepresented communities, and displaced populations.

What financial requirement must applicants meet?

Applicants must provide a bank account capable of receiving USD payments, as grant funds will be disbursed in USD.

Conclusion

The Communities Climate Adaptation Facility provides direct support for climate-vulnerable communities working to strengthen adaptation and resilience.

With grants of up to BZD 200,000, disbursed in USD up to USD 100,000, the facility supports 12-month projects addressing urgent climate needs in areas such as water and sanitation, environment, health, housing, livelihoods, and community cohesion.

This opportunity is best suited for community-led applicants that can demonstrate climate vulnerability, inclusive participation, practical adaptation benefits, and strong local ownership.

For more information, visit UNGM.