Call for Proposals: Climate Action Grants (Nepal)

Deadline: 17-Jan-24

The Association of Youth Organisation Nepal (AYON) announces call for proposals from young individuals and youth organizations to submit their formal proposals for Climate Action Grants.

The project places a distinct emphasis on empowering young people to take an active role in positive climate action. Through this project, young individuals will have the chance to get involved in local-level climate initiatives. They will have the opportunity to enhance their knowledge, acquire valuable skills, and expand their networks, all of which will equip them to lead efforts aimed at fostering gender equality in their respective sectors and communities. The project’s approach to leadership development for climate action involves aspiring young leaders with an opportunity to network and action against climate issues in their communities through small scale social action projects. Under the project, they are calling for applications for small scale climate action grants to support youth leadership for climate actions.

Climate action grants are monetary and/or non-financial award to an individual or institution to support their exemplary work in climate action. Grantees go through a competitive process which requires application and submission of supporting documents.

AYON provides grants to encourage social leadership skills of young leaders in important social discourses and interventions. Grants usually comprise of financial, mentoring and platform support. A grant contract outlining the specifications of support and the proposed activity/project is required to process the distribution of the award.

Grant Scope

• They are announcing grant contracts under three categories to support young men and women to demonstrate their social leadership skills and action to address climate issues.
• This year’s climate social action projects would focus on these areas:
  • Policy Advocacy and Social Accountability on Climate
    • Projects in this area could concentrate on engaging young leaders to advocate for policies and measures that address climate change at federal or local levels. It may involve activities or campaigns aimed at influencing governmental plans and policies related to climate change mitigation and adaptation. At local level, actions using social accountability mechanisms for youth and government engagements to act on climate issues will be eligible for grants under this category.
  • Gender and Climate
    • Project in this segment can emphasize on the intersections between gender and climate change. It can focus on exploring the disproportionate impacts of climate change on different genders, empowering women and marginalized groups in climate action, and developing strategies that consider gender-specific vulnerabilities and strengths in combating climate change. Initiatives designed here could be aimed at empowering women and marginalized genders in climate resilience and mitigation efforts.
  • Innovative Climate Actions
    • This category encourages creative and innovative approaches to addressing climate change. It can encompass a wide range of activities, including technological innovations, community-based initiatives, sustainable business models, educational programs, or artistic endeavours that contribute to climate action. Projects here could involve use of new and modern technologies, community engagement strategies, or any inventive solutions that have the potential to positively impact climate change mitigation or adaptation.

Funding Information

• Applicants can apply for small-scale grants ranging from NPR 100,000 to NPR 350,000.
  • Policy Advocacy and Social Accountability on Climate: NPR 300,000
  • Gender and Climate: NPR 250,000
  • Climate Innovation Grant: NPR 350,000

What support does the grant award include?

• The British Council through AYON will provide a monetary award for your accepted proposal. Support provided include:
  • Financial grant to support your creative action.
  • Mentorship: This will be designed to help you improve on the planning and implementation of your climate action. Mentors will also help grantees build their capacity in implementing projects and support in producing the required output.
  • Presentation/Showcase platform: They will be able to provide you with platforms to help you promote, communicate, and showcase your work to a larger audience.
    • AYONs and The British Council social media platform will help you communicate your activity(s)
    • AYON and British Council organized events could be a platform to present on and showcase your work as part of this grant project.
  • Documentation support: Selected Mentors will be helping you to compile documentation of your project activities to tell the story of your work and the impact it has in the community.
  • Marketing and communication: Promotional and marketing material of your project will be promoted through the British Council social media channel, newsletter and through targeted mass emails.
  • Evaluation support: They will be sharing with you an impact framework that can be adapted to your project and will also help get the required data and information to evaluate your work.

Eligibility Criteria

• Category 1: Policy Advocacy and Social Accountability- This category of grant will open to all interested youth individuals, groups or Youth Organizations. Individual applicants and groups must comprise between the age of 18-35. Youth institution must have at least 70% youth representative in their executive board to be eligible in addition to being registered at their DAO and renewed their organization until 79/80.
  • The total pool of grants applicants can draw from will be NPR 3,00,000 with a maximum of up to 2 grants to be selected. The grants amount will be allocated and awarded by the Proposal Evaluation Committee on the scope and merit of proposal submitted under the following areas of support.
    • Advocacy and implementation of social accountability tools at local level for mitigation and adaptation.
    • Provincial or federal level discourse between Nepali youth, private entities and federal level planners and policy makers regarding Nepal’s global position and national capacity and vulnerability in terms of climate change mitigation and adaption.
• Category 2: Gender and Climate- This category of grant will open to all interested youth individuals, groups or youth organizations. Individual applicants and groups must comprise between the age of 18-35. Youth institution must have at least 70% youth representative in their executive board to be eligible in addition to being registered at their DAO and renewed their organization until 79/80.
  • Up to 2 Grant is available of up to NPR 2,50,000 to be selected. The grants amount will be allocated and awarded by the Proposal Evaluation Committee on the scope and merit of proposal submitted under, but not limited to, the following areas of support.
    • Initiatives that improve the lives of women and gender minorities that are disproportionately vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
    • Identification of policy gaps in various federal levels with a gender perspective in terms of climate resilience and take advocacy initiatives to fill those gaps.
    • Creation of knowledge products to highlight intersections between gender and climate change.
• Category 3: Climate Innovation Grant- This category of grant will open to all interested youth individuals, groups or youth organizations. Individual applicants and groups must comprise between the age of 18-35. Youth institution must have at least 70% youth representative in their executive board to be eligible in addition to being registered at their DAO and renewed their organization until 79/80.
  • Up to 2 Grant is available of up to NPR 3,50,000 to be selected. The grants amount will be allocated and awarded by the Proposal Evaluation Committee on the scope and merit of proposal submitted under, but not limited to, the following areas of support
    • Innovative climate mitigation measures to reduce emission of greenhouse gases, promote renewable sources of energy and promote environmentally sustainable lifestyle.
    • Prototyping of scalable innovation in climate change mitigation.

For more information, visit AYON.