Global Environmental Facility Small Grants Programme (Kazakhstan)

Deadline: 02-Feb-2024

The Small Grants Programme of the Global Environmental Facility (GEF SGP) invites non-profit organizations in Kazakhstan to participate in a competition for the development and implementation of a strategic project.

The seventh operational phase of the GEF Small Grants Program in Kazakhstan (hereinafter referred to as SGP-7) is a medium-scale GEF project that involves various stakeholders and covers thematic areas of work such as (1) climate change (mitigation and adaptation measures, implementation renewable energy sources, energy efficiency measures) and (2) land degradation and sustainable management of land and water resources (crop and livestock production).

The project supports local communities and government-owned non-profit non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in implementing comprehensive and adaptive measures to improve social and environmental sustainability in GEF SGP focus regions and create sustainable livelihoods for local people, contributing to both local and global environmental benefits.

NGOs and local communities in the target areas of work are the main partners and beneficiaries of the project. The project also works closely with other stakeholders, such as the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Agriculture and affiliated research institutes, universities and academic institutions, specialized training centers, regional and local authorities, and the private sector.

The goal of SGP-7 is to support local communities through grants and expert assistance to implement and demonstrate sustainable, effective approaches aimed at solving environmental, social and economic problems (Component 1 of the SGP-7 project).

In addition, the SGP-7 project focuses on developing and improving management capacity and capacity building of partner organizations, strengthening cooperation between various stakeholders through multi-stakeholder policy dialogue platforms, promoting good practices at the regional and national levels (SGP-7 Project Component 2), and also monitoring and evaluation as a mechanism to ensure the achievement of planned results and compliance with social and environmental guarantees (Component 3 of the SGP-7 project).

Strategic Project

• The strategic project is aimed at expanding the capacity of SGP participants in focus regions for the successful and long-term implementation of a strategy for sustainable landscape development. The strategic project will create conditions for the promotion, wide dissemination and replication of successful approaches, systems and methods implemented within the framework of the SGP.
• The strategic project will (1) develop partnerships in targeted landscape areas between local communities, public organizations, private business and the public sector to support grant projects approved by the NCC; (2) will assist in the dissemination and scaling of proven best practices that have resulted from the implementation of NCC-approved grants in targeted landscape areas, (3) will help grantees obtain additional funding from other sources, such as government programs, private sector initiatives etc., and promote synergies with government programs at local, regional and national levels to support the dissemination of project best practices; (4) strengthen long-term partnerships among grantees to collect, disseminate, and replicate lessons learned.

Funding Information

• Grant amount: No more than $150,000.
• Implementation period: no more than 24 months.

Strategic Project Results

• The strategic project will contribute to the implementation of all main components of the SGP-7 project and the achievement of the following results:
  • Component 1: Sustainable rural and peri-urban landscapes of steppe and desert ecosystems for sustainable development and global environmental benefits
    • This Component focuses on enhancing the capacity and capabilities of local communities and NGOs by providing the necessary financial, technical and technical expertise to local communities to improve the sustainability of interventions in target landscapes.
    • Activities will be implemented to support the Project Outcome “ Improving the resilience of production landscapes by improving community-led management practices and production systems and adapting appropriate efficient and clean technologies and low-emission solutions”, Interim Outcome 1.1: “Implementation of small grant projects at communities enhancing agroecosystem resilience through improved land, water management and climate-smart solutions in target landscapes” and outcome 1.2. “Implementation of community-based initiatives using technologies and solutions in the field of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency.”
    • As part of the implementation of Component 1 of the SGP-7 project and the achievement of outcome 1, the Strategic Project will develop knowledge-sharing partnerships between local communities, public organizations, private business and the public sector to help implement grants approved by the NCC in target landscape areas. Such partnerships will cover various aspects such as grants management, monitoring and evaluation approaches and tools, strengthening partnerships, mainstreaming gender equality and women’s empowerment, communication and knowledge management, resource mobilization and scaling up/replication of best practices.
  • Component 2 “Improving landscape resilience through participatory management and dissemination of best practices”
    • Work under this component includes assisting SGP7 grant recipients in scaling up and replicating proven best practices that have resulted from implementation of NSC-approved grants in targeted landscape areas, in particular supporting the development of knowledge management plans in each target landscape and stakeholder platforms, exchange of experiences, dissemination of knowledge, etc. both at the level of individual pilot regions (landscapes) and between regions.
    • As part of the implementation of Component 2 of the SGP-7 project and the achievement of Outcome 2, the Strategic Project will support grant recipients and multi-stakeholder platforms in expanding and replicating proven best practices obtained during the implementation of grant projects approved by the NCC in target landscapes.
  • Component 3: Monitoring and Evaluation
    • This component focuses on effective project monitoring and evaluation procedures to ensure efficient use of resources, inclusive participation and achievement of SGP-7 project goals and results.
    • The event will be implemented as part of achieving Result 4 of the SGP-7 project “Increasing the sustainability of project results through joint monitoring and evaluation” and intermediate result 4.1. “Effective monitoring and evaluation of project implementation and results.”
    • As part of the implementation of Component 3 of the SGP-7 project and the achievement of Result 4, the activities of the Strategic Project will be aimed at introducing and implementing procedures and mechanisms that facilitate the effective monitoring and evaluation of SGP-7 grant projects. The strategic project will help the SGP in providing timely, objective feedback on project implementation, will assist grant recipients in preparing appropriate reports, consolidating the results and indicators of reports of individual grant projects into general analytical and statistical reports for subsequent use by the SGP team to track progress. and achieving the consolidated result of the program.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applications for participation in the call for proposals will only be accepted from public non-profit non-governmental organizations (NGOs) officially registered in Kazakhstan. Applications from government agencies, commercial structures, educational centers and research organizations, as well as from individuals, etc. are not accepted for consideration.
• The organization has the right to attract additional specialists in thematic areas of the SGP, PR, training, consulting, business analysis and planning, etc. within the framework of the project’s goals and objectives, as well as within the agreed budget.
• Requirements for the applicant organization:
  • 5 years of experience working with local communities;
  • 5 years of experience in topics such as climate change mitigation and adaptation, land degradation and sustainable management of land and water resources, gender, strategic development, partnership development, analytical research, etc.
  • 5 years of experience in project implementation, monitoring and evaluation, knowledge of the project cycle, knowledge management, etc.;
  • 5 years of experience in conducting educational and information events in the field of environmental protection (preferably on the topics of the GEF SGP), aimed at such target audiences as local communities, farmers, youth, NGOs, etc.;
  • At least 3 years of experience working with government bodies at all levels in matters of building and conducting negotiations and establishing political dialogue;
  • Experience in attracting additional funding (financial support) from the state budget, financial organizations, private business for at least 3 years;
  • At least 3 years of experience in joint implementation of projects with other NGOs in the field of environmental protection, as well as in the field of socio-economic development;
  • Experience in the development, preparation and successful implementation of high-quality educational materials, programs, analytical materials, etc. at least 3 years;
  • The ability to provide local assistance in 7 landscapes through appropriately qualified specialists (both within the organization and the possibility of attracting additional specialists), as well as the availability of technical resources to implement the project in accordance with the goals and activities specified in the announcement of the call for project proposals.

For more information, visit UNDP.