Call for Letters of Inquiry: Tropical Andes Biodiversity Hotspot Program in Ecuador

Deadline: 22-Jan-24

The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) and its regional implementation team (RIT) are inviting letters of inquiry (LOIs) from non-governmental organizations, community groups, private enterprises, universities and other civil society organizations for the Tropical Andes Biodiversity Hotspot Program in Ecuador.

CEPF is a joint initiative of l’Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, the European Union, the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan and the World Bank. CEPF’s program in Ecuador, including this call for proposals, is financed by the German Government through KfW. CEPF’s goal is to ensure that civil society is engaged in conserving biological diversity.

Funding Information

• This call covers funding for large and small grants:
  • Small grants range from US$5,000 to US$50,000. The RIT expects that the small grant projects under this call will begin the last month of 2023
  • Large grants range from US$50,001 to US$200,000. CEPF decides on the final amount to be awarded based on the scope of the conservation results expected to be achieved. CEPF expects large grants under this call to be contracted to start implementation in the last month of 2023. Please take into account that the average amount donated in Phase II was around US$140,000.
• It is expected that applicants will include a counterpart in kind and/or in cash as part of their Letters of Interest.

Eligible Activities

• Strategic Directions: Strengthen protection and management of 52 priority KBAs to foster participatory governance, green recovery from COVID19, climate change resilience, species conservation, and financial sustainability.
• Investment Priorities:
  • Facilitate the establishment, upgrading, and/or expansion of public and private protected areas.
  • Prepare and implement participatory management plans and other relevant KBA management instruments that support broad stakeholder collaboration.
  • Strengthen land tenure, management, and governance of indigenous territories and campesino communities.
  • Enable local communities to enter and remain in incentive programs that benefit biodiversity conservation.
• Strategic Directions: In the seven priority corridors, collaborate with public and private sector stakeholders to enable biodiversity conservation, a green recovery from COVID19, and environmental, financial, and social sustainability, in benefit of the priority KBAs.
• Investment Priorities
  • Support participatory land-use and development plans and governance frameworks to foster a shared vision of conservation and sustainable development to guide future investments.
  • Support the preparation of policies, programs, and projects that foster biodiversity conservation, particularly at sub-national levels, and that leverage funding for their implementation.
  • Establish and strengthen traditional and innovative financial mechanisms and leverage financing initiatives for conservation, including payments for ecosystem services, carbon credits and compensation mechanisms.
  • Promote and scale up bio-enterprises to benefit communities, biodiversity, connectivity and ecosystem services.
• Strategic Directions: Safeguard priority globally threatened species.
• Investment Priorities
  • Prepare, implement, and institutionalize conservation action plans that include climate change resilience for 183 Critically Endangered (CR) and Endangered (EN) species, and for select genera.
• Strategic Directions: Cultivate a well-trained, well-coordinated and resilient civil society sector at the local, corridor, and hotspot levels to achieve CEPF’s conservation outcomes.
• Investment Priorities
  • Strengthen the institutional capacities (administrative, financial, fundraising, communications, governance, and project management) of CEPF’s strategic partners to implement biodiversity conservation programs.
  • Strengthen the strategic communication capacity of the media and civil society networks to create conservation awareness among the public and decision makers.
  • Strengthen the capacities and involvement of women in CEPF initiatives.
  • Improve stakeholder cooperation and strengthen alliances, and foster information exchange and lessons learned.

Portfolio Targets

• Portfolio targets in biodiversity conservation:
  • 1,000,000 hectares in the priority KBAs are under improved management.
  • At least 50,000 hectares of productive landscapes are strengthened for biodiversity management.
  • Ten protected areas experience at least a 15 percent improvement in their participatory management, based on performance on METT questions 22 to 25.
  • At least 10 protected areas1 experience, on average, a minimum 10-point improvement in their METT score.
  • At least 50,000 hectares in unprotected or partially protected KBAs are under new or expanded public or private protection.
• Portfolio targets of strengthening communities and/or Ecuadorian civil society:
  • At least 125 communities benefit from improved ecosystem services and other in-kind benefits.
  • At least 20 communities receive cash benefits as a result of CEPF-funded projects.
  • At least 1,000,000 Euros leveraged by funded projects.
  • At least 80 percent of local CSOs demonstrate improved capacity and performance, as demonstrated by at least 10 percent increase in their CSTT score.

Eligibility Criteria

• Non-governmental organizations, community groups, universities and private enterprises may apply for funding. Individuals must work with civil society organizations to develop LOIs rather than apply directly.
• To qualify for a CEPF grant, the applicant must not be a government agency or institution. Government-owned enterprises or institutions are eligible only if they can establish that they fulfill the following criteria:
  • Have an independent legal constitution from any government agency or actor.
  • Have the authority to apply for and receive private funds.
  • May not assert a claim of sovereign immunity.
• Applicants based outside of the eligible countries may submit a LOI as long as the project deliverables are focused on the conservation priorities within this call.
• Joint projects with other organizations are eligible, with one lead organization submitting the application and project partners with clear roles stated in the application.
• Applicants located outside of the eligible geographic areas may apply as long as the project deliverables focus on the conservation needs of this call and on the eligible geographic areas.
• Preference will be given to proposals that:
  • demonstrate a leadership role for local organizations and/or an explicit focus on capacity building for local civil society, and
  • demonstrate that they will coordinate with other organizations to avoid duplication of efforts.
• Applicant organizations must have their own bank accounts and be legally entitled to receive grants.
• Applicants may have received CEPF funding for another project

For more information, visit Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund.