Deadline: 28-Feb-25
The U.S. Embassy in Palau, announces an open small grants competition for eligible organizations to support local solutions and build local capacity to address the impact of climate change, mitigate disaster risk, and address environmental degradation.
Organizations may utilize this new program to 1) Support Climate Adaptation, 2) Increase Community Resilience to the Impacts of Climate Change and Disasters, 3) Address Environmental Degradation, Combat Pollution, Restore Ecosystems, and Promote Conservation. Projects are encouraged to include a plan to build capacity and technical expertise among local communities and organizations.
This new program will help promote community-led solutions to address climate adaptation and other socio-economic needs by providing targeted funding for small-scale projects and increasing the flexibility of U.S. funding resources. The Ambassador’s Self-Help Small Grants Program seeks to fill a gap in resources for projects that address immediate needs, promote direct access by a community or beneficiary, and reduce the administrative burden of accessing larger projects and funds.
Additionally, this program will further solidify U.S. engagement in Palau and contribute to the U.S. Government’s Indo-Pacific Strategy and U.S. Government commitment to enhancing U.S.- Palau close partnership to achieve the shared vision for a resilient Pacific region of peace, harmony, security, social inclusion and prosperity. This includes a region where individuals can reach their potential, the environment can thrive, and democracy can flourish. This commitment will be manifested by collaboration among the Department of State’s Pacific ESTH Hub, U.S. Embassy in Palau, and USAID/Pacific Islands Mission to link and increase the diplomatic and development footprint. The program will also address the climate crisis by supporting local solutions and helping communities address climate change impacts and environmental degradation in line with the Pacific Island Forum’s 2050 strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. Through this program, local communities, CSOs, NGOs, and universities may seek resources and harness locally led solutions to mitigate against climate change and disasters, protect the ocean and natural environment, and support people centered development in ways that promote innovation – while respecting cultural values and traditional knowledge.
Projects should seek to meet local or regional needs, involve local expertise and know-how in the design and implementation phases of the project, and should build monitoring and evaluation – including time-bound milestones for performance/results into the project. Projects may serve to implement discrete phases of larger projects or programs (e.g., one country of a multi-country program, only the public education phase of an environmental law project, tree planting in only one region of a country-wide program, only a fish population study of a broader river quality program, etc.)
Focus Areas
- Projects may address one or more of the following areas, but are not strictly limited to, the following topics:
- Supporting community adaptation efforts, including nature-based solutions;
- Addressing climate change through ingenuity and innovation;
- Advancing clean energy targets for the Pacific region;
- Improve disaster risk management;
- Increasing food and water security through climate-smart agriculture and other projects;
- Combatting marine debris and pollution;
- Improving waste management practices;
Funding Information
- The Pacific ESTH Hub anticipates having approximately $50,000 USD available this year to support Palau in response to this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).
- Applications should not request more than $24,900 USD. Applicants should include an anticipated start date between May 1, 2025 – December 31, 2025, and the period of performance should be between 6 to 24 months.
Eligibility Criteria
- U.S. Embassy welcomes applications from Palauan organizations, foreign-based non-profit /nongovernmental organizations (NGO), including universities; communities and community-based organizations; U.S.-based non-profits; government entities; international organizations; and Pacific regional organizations.
For more information, visit U.S. Embassy in the Republic of Palau.