GEF Small Grants Programme in India – Operational Phase 7

Deadline: 10-Aug-2024

Under the 7th Operational Phase of the GEF Small Grants Programme in India, The Energy and Resources Institute (National Host Institution) is inviting proposals for appointing a Knowledge Partner.

Objective

• Knowledge Management is a crucial activity designed to support networking and knowledge exchange among SGP grantees as well as other CSOs, stakeholders, and the public to promote replication and scaling up of projects and best practices while also strengthening the capacity of civil society to influence policy development processes through participation in events that draw in influential individuals and institutions. The selected organization will be tasked with developing knowledge management and communications strategies. It will also be responsible for ensuring that the priority actions of these strategies are being implemented and lessons and experiences are being shared across the target regions and among other countries, particularly the Upgraded Country Programme countries, where similar integrated landscape approaches are being applied.
• The organization should also ensure that the knowledge management strategy links with the Government of India Mission – Unnat Bharat Abhiyaan, which is inspired by the vision of transformational change in rural development processes by leveraging knowledge institutions to help build the architecture of an inclusive India.

Thematic Areas

• Biodiversity Conservation
  • Biodiversity Conservation will promote the conservation & sustainable management of biodiversity and will promote equitable sharing of benefits arising from use of biological resources.
  • Indicative types of community projects include the following:
    • Agrobiodiversity conservation through preservation and promotion of indigenous seeds, plant species and livestock
    • Protecting endemic species and endangered and threatened species, e.g., through establishing community-managed ecological corridors to improve habitat integrity
    • Conservation of globally significant biodiversity or cultural resources, e.g., through Indigenous Community Conserved Areas, Locally Managed Marine Areas
    • Promoting and strengthening local community institutions such as Biodiversity
    • Management Committees, People’s Biodiversity Registers, etc.
• Climate change
  • The project interventions will address strengthening the climate change mitigation adaptation strategies. Climate change measures will be integrated into the landscape strategies and implemented across the three target regions and intervention landscapes. Local communities will have increased awareness of climate change mitigation through learning-by-doing capacity building and training delivered through partnerships with expert organizations and interactions with the NGOs, local, state and national government and the private sector.
  • The project interventions will address strengthening the climate change mitigation adaptation strategies among the communities, develop and implement initiatives around climate change mitigation, capacity building, preparedness and post- disaster recovery, promote energy conservation, energy efficiency, and adoption of renewable energy. Projects will align with the principles of circular economy in support of the Government’s reform agenda on circular economy, natural resource efficiency, phasing out single use plastics for bringing sustainable lifestyle changes.
  • Climate change indicative community projects will include the following:
    • Mitigation of GHG emissions, e.g., through energy efficient solutions introduced, adapted, piloted and disseminated.
    • Expanded application of renewable and clean energy solutions for productive uses, such as solar mills, solar pumps, etc.
    • Increased use of renewable energy, including alternatives to fuelwood and coal.
    • Improved energy efficiency, e.g., for household use and community lighting.
    • GHG mitigation benefits are also envisaged to be generated through restoring-rehabilitating degraded agricultural land, forests, and mangroves-wetlands
• Land Degradation
  • Land Degradation involves integrated land resource management with an emphasis on issues relating to desertification, deforestation, loss of soil fertility and enhanced livelihoods. In land degradation, the project will address erosion, damaged agricultural land, desertification and deforestation.
  • Forest and land degradation reduce the capacity of soil to support production of goods and provision of ecosystem services, such as providing nutrients for crops and livestocks, safeguarding biodiversity, supporting water and nutrient cycle, and sequestering and storing carbon, which is important for addressing climate change.
  • Land degradation indicative community projects will include the following:
    • Improved provision of agroecosystem, forest and marine ecosystem goods and services e.g., through reforestation, dissemination of knowledge on improved grazing/livestock maintenance, planting of mangroves, indigenous resilient trees and nurseries
    • Community-managed natural regeneration of degraded lands and coastal ecosystems
    • Conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in productive landscapes and within buffer zones of protected areas (e.g., sustainable utilization of non-forest timber products)

Scope

• The scope of the work includes (but is not limited to) the following tasks:
  • Develop the knowledge management and communications strategy for SGP India. The strategy will highlight priority actions, target audiences, and methodologies to roll out during the implementation phase. The Knowledge Management Strategy should involve assessing and sharing lessons learned and best practices from target landscapes based on evaluating implementation results and their contributions to Global Environment Benefits (GEB), local development objectives and landscape level outcomes, including the development of social capital. The strategy will focus on sharing best practices and facilitating marketing and partnership building.
  • SGP Learning Forum
    • Curate and organize a hands-on workshop for grantees to familiarize them and build their capacities about the SGP’s e- Learning platform’s functioning. Target audience for the same should include SGP partners and other CSOs/CBOs/NGOs (including women and other marginalized groups), as well as stakeholders from the government, private sector, and donor communities.
    • Train CBOs (including women and other marginalized groups) on collecting and documenting information gained through the implementation of community projects.
    • Finalize the content provided by the NGOs and stakeholders to be uploaded on e-Learning Platform.
    • Maintain the SGP Learning Forum e-platform throughout the project duration to facilitate potential collaboration among NGOs/CSOs/CBOs.
    • Convene one SGP Learning Forum workshop, inviting community-based organizations, NGOs, stakeholders and other partners to share experiences and good practices.
  • Coordination with Grantees to collect good practices being implemented in the field and develop content for social media and associated creative services. Assist in providing material for the SGP website and social media platforms for effective dissemination of information about various projects on fortnightly basis.
  • Develop a flagship publication on the impact of SGP programme in India, covering the 433 projects implemented under SGP earlier cycles up to SGP-5.
  • Develop short video films and social media graphics on key initiatives under SGP. The videos must follow guidelines prescribed by TERI, UNDP and GEF.
  • Create a photo bank with images of SGP projects from the field.
  • Write case studies and other knowledge products (including newsletters, blogs, brochures, and other relevant mediums) highlighting project learnings/ best practices in close coordination with SGP’s stakeholders and update progress on quarterly basis.
  • Disseminate case studies and knowledge products among relevant stakeholder groups through appropriate communication techniques, policy dialogue platforms, community landscape management networks and multi stakeholder partnerships, knowledge fairs and other exchanges, including print media, social media, and other media outlets.
  • Provide support for SGP advocacy events, workshops, stakeholders dialogues and roundtables, for showcasing project learning and outcomes.
  • Facilitate at least one learning exchange through a south-south cooperation arrangement, e.g., with Small Grants Programmes in neighboring countries, such as in Bhutan or Sri Lanka.
  • Any other tasks assigned by the National Coordinator from time to time

Funding Information

• The maximum amount for the grant is USD 75,000 (for all three landscapes), with applicants required to provide a detailed budgetary estimate. An organization can submit proposals for one or more landscapes.

Duration

• September 2024 – December 2026

Location and Target Beneficiaries 

• The selected organization will work in three targeted landscapes (Madhya Pradesh (Barwani, Chhatarpur, Damoh), Maharashtra (Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg), Tamil Nadu (Ramanathapuram, Virudhunagar), Assam (Baksa, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Darrang, Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Nalbari, Udalguri), and Meghalaya (East Khasi Hills, West Khasi Hills, Ri Bhoi).
• The selected organization is also expected to work collaboratively with local government partners, NGOs/CBOs/CSOs, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, and other related stakeholders. The organization will also be responsible for consistently communicating with the SGP India secretariat.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applications are open to any Non-governmental Organizations, Academic and Research Organizations with the ambition to improve policies, programs or learning in the field of environment, climate change, biodiversity conservation and land degradation.
• NGO must be registered as society or trust and also on the DARPAN portal of NITI Aayog and should have a valid unique ID with updated details.
• Organizations can apply in consortium however the lead agency must meet the eligibility criteria on its own.
• Organizational Experience 
  • The organization must have at least 5 years of experience in knowledge management and capacity building in the field of environment, climate change, biodiversity conservation and land degradation.
  • The organization or its consortium partners must have presence in the project landscape identified under SGP OP7.
• Financial Capacity 
  • The organization should have an average turnover of not less than INR 1 (one) crore in the last three financial years. (Organizations need to provide audited accounts and Auditor’s Report).
• Availability of Key Professionals 
  • The organization must have professionals having adequate experience and expertise in the domain knowledge of this assignment. (Detailed and duly verified CVs of such professionals should be provided).

Competencies 

• Demonstrated capacity for fostering a community for managing and sharing their knowledge.
• Proven experience in communication, outreach, knowledge management and in working with community-led initiatives.
• Proven capacity to develop a community ‘share and learn’ platform.
• Strong presentation and facilitation skills.
• Outstanding ability to craft policy and communication materials that cater to diverse audiences, including civil society members and policymakers.
• Excellent command of both written and spoken English with exceptional writing, presentation, communication, and facilitation skills.

For more information, visit UNDP.