Climate Action and Public Participation Program – Portugal

Deadline: 5-Feb-24

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation has created a credit facility for projects that promote public participation in climate action, aimed at municipalities and non-governmental organisations with the experience and ability to test new approaches that encourage participation in climate action or scale-up effective approaches.

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (FCG) Sustainability Program aims to fund and actively collaborate with organizations that contribute to positive social change, focusing on the most vulnerable groups and accelerating climate action. This effort recognizes the crucial importance of public support for government action and the active participation of communities in implementing effective climate policies.

Objectives

• General Objectives
  • This regulation aims to establish the rules for granting support to projects that promote public participation in climate action and has the following objectives:
    • Inspire greater citizen participation in climate action at local or municipal levels, especially among new audiences and/or underrepresented groups;
    • Support innovation, collaboration and knowledge sharing between municipalities and NGOs;
    • Strengthen the capabilities of civil society, responding to identified needs, opportunities and gaps;
    • Increase visibility of people’s participation and the benefits of that participation;
    • Promote the need for investment in public participation in the political agenda;
    • Amplify public support so that climate action is prioritized on the public agenda.
• Specific Objectives
  • The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation will finance projects that, in pursuit of the general objectives of this competition, present innovative proposals with the necessary skills to:
    • Promote public consultation and participation in climate plans;
    • Develop and test communication and influence strategies to increase public participation;
    • Give priority to underrepresented audiences and those most affected by climate change;
    • Address a specific engagement challenge;
    • Produce and share new evidence and data on the most effective strategies;
    • Work in partnership with other sectors and interested parties.

Funding Information

• Financial support will be paid to beneficiaries by bank transfer and in accordance with a schedule defined in the terms of their attribution.
• The amount of each support is determined when the application is selected, never exceeding thirty thousand euros.

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligibility of Applications
  • Non-governmental organizations working in the environmental area and municipalities that meet the requirements set out in this regulation and whose projects suit the objectives of this competition can apply for this competition.
  • Projects that fit the objectives described above are eligible.
  • A project is understood as the set of activities to be developed by the promoting entity and partner entities, aimed at a group of beneficiaries (target audience), during the determined period.
  • Local authorities and non-profit private legal entities, individually or in partnership, can apply for this support line.
  • Private candidate institutions have must meet the following requirements:
    • They are headquartered in national territory;
    • Be legally constituted and duly registered, in accordance with the law;
    • Have their situation regularized with social security and the tax authority.
  • Only projects with a direct impact on Portugal are eligible.
• Promoter Entity and Entities Partners
  • Projects can be presented by an organization or a partnership of entities.
  • If they opt for a partnership, the existence of a promoting entity and one or more partner entities must be included.
  • The promoting entity – individually or on behalf of the partnership – performs the role of coordinating all of the activities that comprise the project, being responsible for:
    • receive and execute directly the financing allocated to the project;
    • ensure the execution of the detailed activity plan and budget;
    • boost the project’s network of partners;
  • The private promoter entity must have organized accounting or commit to having organized accounting at the project start date, and the accounting must be prepared under the responsibility of a Certified Accountant (CC).
  • Partner entities perform specific functions in the execution of the project, committing to ensure the agreed contributions under the approved terms and to comply with the partnership’s operating rules.
  • Proposing entities may not submit more than one application, although they may appear as partner entities in other applications.
  • Partner entities can integrate different applications.

For more information, visit Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.