European Commission Grants to Combat Climate Change in South Africa

Deadline: 8-Aug-24

The European Commission (EC) has announced a call for proposals to support the realisation of SDG 13, which aims to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

Objectives of the Programme and Priority Issues 

• The specific objective(s) of this call for proposals are to:
  • Strengthen the capacities of local and national CSOs, particularly women’s and youth organisations, to engage in the impactful economic inclusion of communities, women and youth in the production, transmission and distribution of clean energy.
  • Contribute to South Africa’s efforts towards reduced carbon emissions by supporting community based innovations and entrepreneurship in green energy and the circular economy
  • Support sustainable economic growth through the green economy, to reduce inequalities and lead to greater levels of social justice and poverty alleviation, in particular for women and youth.
• The priorities of this call for proposals are:
  • Strengthening and supporting inclusive community efforts towards decentralised green energy solutions and/or the circular economy, in the form of energy cooperatives or similar innovative initiatives. Proposed actions must prioritise women and youth as key stakeholders and/or beneficiaries;
  • Fostering the inclusion of women and youth in green (low carbon emission) industries, and entrepreneurship initiatives (circular economy, green energy, agro technology) through capacity building and skilling;
  • Strengthen civil society’s advocacy role to support the adoption of green energy and promote an overall low carbon transition in South Africa, through policy monitoring and/or civic education

Funding Information

• The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 3 800 000. The contracting authority reserves the right not to award all available funds. Similarly, this amount could be increased should more funds become available.
• Size of grants
  • Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
    • minimum amount: EUR 600 000
    • maximum amount: EUR 800 000

Duration

• The initial planned duration of an action may not be lower than 30 months nor exceed 42 months.

Types of Activity

• Under this call for proposals, activities eligible for financial support may include but not be limited to:
  • Advocacy and lobbying; capacity building and awareness raising; business development services and support; use of digital technology and media; exchanges and networking; training, formal and non-formal educational activities; policy monitoring and evaluation; skills development; studies/participatory research; formation of partnerships amongst CSOs; building on existing networks, supporting emerging networks, and encouraging the building of coalitions and the creation of platforms, development  of decentralised energy systems, activities supporting the circular economy, support to low carbon economic activities.

Location

• Actions must take place in one or more of the following regions of South Africa:
  • KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Gauteng and Limpopo

Eligibility Criteria

• Lead applicant(s)
  • In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
    • be a legal person
    • be non-profit-making
    • be a civil society organisation
  • As per Article 46 of the NDICI Regulation, civil society organisations embrace a wide range of actors with multiple roles and mandates which includes all non-State, not-for-profit independent and non-violent structures, through which people organise the pursuit of shared objectives and ideals, whether political, cultural, religious, environmental, social or economic. Operating from local, national, regional and international levels, they comprise urban and rural, formal and informal organisations.
  • Civil society organizations include, but are not limited to: Nongovernmental organisations, organisations representing indigenous peoples, women’s and youth organisations, diaspora organisations, migrants’ organisations, local traders’ associations and citizens’ groups, cooperatives, employers’ associations and trade unions (social partners), organisations representing economic and social interests, organisations fighting corruption and fraud and promoting good governance, civil rights organisations and organisations combating discrimination, local organisations (including networks) involved in decentralised regional cooperation and integration, consumer organisations, environmental, teaching, cultural, research and scientific organisations, universities, churches and religious associations and communities, philosophical and non-confessional organisations, the not-for-profit media and any non-governmental associations and independent foundations, including independent political foundations. International Organisations, public sector operators and local authorities are not eligible to apply for this call for proposal as lead applicants but are eligible to apply as co-applicants and must:
    • be established in a Member State of the European Union or in South Africa or other eligible countries as per the relevant provisions of the NDICI-GE. This obligation does not apply to international organisations; and
    • be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary.
• Co-applicant(s)
  • Co-applicants participate in designing and implementing the action, and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those incurred by the lead applicant.
  • Co-applicants must satisfy the eligibility criteria as applicable to the lead applicant himself.
  • In addition to the categories referred, the following are however also eligible:
    • International Organisations, public sector operators and local authorities.
  • Co-applicants must sign the mandate form.
  • If awarded the grant contract, the co-applicant(s) (if any) will become beneficiary(ies) in the action (together with the coordinator).
• Affiliated entities
  • The lead applicant and its co-applicant(s) may act with affiliated entity(ies).
  • Only the following entities may be considered as affiliated entities to the lead applicant and/or to co-applicant(s):
    • Only entities having a structural link with the applicants (i.e. the lead applicant or a co-applicant), in particular a legal or capital link.
    • This structural link encompasses mainly two notions:
      • Control on the annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings:
        • Entities affiliated to an applicant may hence be:
          • Entities directly or indirectly controlled by the applicant (daughter companies or first-tier subsidiaries). They may also be entities controlled by an entity controlled by the applicant (granddaughter companies or second-tier subsidiaries) and the same applies to further tiers of control;
          • Entities directly or indirectly controlling the applicant (parent companies). Likewise, they may be entities controlling an entity controlling the applicant;
          • Entities under the same direct or indirect control as the applicant (sister companies).
      • Membership, i.e. the applicant is legally defined as a e.g. network, federation, association in which the proposed affiliated entities also participate or the applicant participates in the same entity (e.g. network, federation, association,) as the proposed affiliated entities.

For more information, visit EC.