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India: Small Grants Programme for NGOs/CSOs/CBOs (US $50,000 Each)

Deadline: 29-Feb-24

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 Community Grants.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Government of India along with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is implementing the Seventh Operational Phase of the GEF (Global Environment Facility) Small Grants Programme (SGP) in India.

The project is being executed through The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) over a period of five years. The Project aims to enable communities and organisation to take collective action for socioecological resilience and sustainable livelihoods for local and global environmental benefits in the three key landscapes in India. It will provide financial and technical support to local communities, non-government organizations (NGOs), community-based organisations (CBOs) and civil society organisation (CSOs) mostly in poor and often remote areas for initiatives that conserve and restore the environment while enhancing people’s livelihoods and well-being.

The SGP flagship program gives an opportunity to NGOs/CBOs/CSOs to work with the local population for building resilient communities.

Thematic Areas
  • The following are the three thematic/focus areas, under which the projects are required to be developed. Each thematic area is followed by an indicative list/examples/themes on which the projects may be developed. The said list is only indicative and not exhaustive.
    • Biodiversity: The projects under this thematic area will promote conservation of globally significant biodiversity, sustainable management of natural resources and nature-based livelihoods. Broadly, interventions can be designed to undertake activities that meet overall SGP targets, for example:
      • 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, Peoples Biodiversity Registers, etc.
      • Conservation of Forest Areas through livelihood based eco-restoration activities.
    • Climate Change: The projects under this thematic area will contribute towards reducing GHG emissions, adopting energy efficient solutions, and promoting renewable energy including alternatives to fuelwood and coal. GHG mitigation benefits are also envisaged to be generated through restoring-rehabilitating degraded agricultural land, forests, and mangroves-wetlands. Broadly, interventions can be designed to undertake such activities that meet overall SGP targets, for example:
      • 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 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.
    • Land Degradation: The projects will seek to address soil erosion, damaged agricultural land, desertification, and deforestation. Broadly, interventions can be designed to undertake such activities that meet overall SGP targets, for example:
      • 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-timber forest products (NTFPs)).
Funding Information
  • The SGP can fund various projects upto a sum of US $50,000 each. The maximum funding for an applicant will be up to INR 40,00,000. (For organizations in NER, applying under the relaxed criteria, the funding will be upto a sum of US $30,000 each.)
  • The duration of the project may vary between 18 to 24 months.
Indicators for Project Development
  • Organizations are encouraged to design projects involving integrated landscape strategy approach. The proposal should foster innovation through inclusive practices and aim to create a lasting impact on the environment and the broader community. Organizations are encouraged to address areas of concern in the landscape that fit the SGP focal themes and contribute to achieving the overall SGP targets.
    • Ability to carry out innovative activities that encourage local communities to participate in reducing socio-environmental threats to the ecosystem. The project should develop and demonstrate innovative solutions as well as establish innovative mechanisms of generating or channelling financial resources at local levels to ensure sustainability.
    • Competence in co-financing and further scaling up the project activities designated to the landscape.
    • Ability to initiate local entrepreneurship and ownership of various resources thereby creating responsibility of the conservation and sustenance of those resources.
    • Building the local capacity to implement sustainable development strategies and creating institutional capabilities.
    • Competency to replicate project activities that are designed using a multi-stakeholder approach.
Expected Project Results
  • The SGP India OP7 project strategy is predicated on strengthening socio‐ecological resilience through developing skills, capacities and resources required to conserve and restore critical ecosystems, sustainable utilize ecosystem services, improve the sustainability and productivity of agro-ecosystems and deploy clean solutions in the intervention landscapes and the broader three target regions.
  • The project is aligned with the following GEF‐7 focal area objectives:
    • BD: Mainstream biodiversity across sectors as well as Landscapes and seascapes through biodiversity mainstreaming in priority sectors.
    • CCM: Promote innovation and technology transfer for sustainable energy. Breakthroughs for decentralized power with energy usage.
    • LD: Maintain or improve flow of agroecosystem services to sustain food production and livelihoods through Sustainable Land Management (SLM).
  • The expected outcomes of SGP India-OP7 India are as follows:
    • Core Indicator 3: 10,000 ha of land restored
    • Core Indicator 4: 60,000 ha of landscapes under improved practices (Excluding protected areas)
    • Core Indicator 5: 1,200 ha of marine habitat under improved practices (Excluding protected areas)
    • Core Indicator 6: 695,000 tCO2e (lifetime direct); 100,000 tCO2e (Lifetime indirect)
    • Core Indicator 11: 16,800 direct beneficiaries, including 9,240 women (55%) and 7,560 men (45%)
Who can apply?
  • Non-Government Organizations (NGOs)
  • Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)
  • Community Based Organizations (CBOs)
Eligibility Criteria
  • The organization should have undertaken at least 3 projects in the field of climate change, biodiversity conservation and land degradation in the northeast landscape of more than or equivalent to INR 5 Lakhs each in the last 5 financial years.
  • The organization should have experience in implementing government/ foundation/ philanthropy funded 2 projects in the landscape.
  • Registration
    • The NGO/CSO/CBO should be registered as a trust/society in India for more than 5 years. The organization must have a minimum of 5 years of experience. Registration documents of the Trust/Society to be submitted.
    • NGO/CSO/CBO must be registered at the DARPAN portal of NITI Aayog and should have a valid unique ID with updated details.
    • IT returns for the FY 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 (mandatory) and FCRA (if applicable) to be submitted.
    • Audited accounts (including Balance Sheet, Income and Expenditure, Schedules, Notes of Accounts, and Auditor’s Report) for the FY, 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 to be submitted.
    • The latest Annual Report should be submitted (FY 2022-23).
  • Organisational Experience
    • The organization must have at least 5 years of experience working on communitybased programmes in the field of environment, climate change, biodiversity conservation and land degradation in the focus landscape.
    • The applicant organization should have an office in the selected intervention landscape state, (Proof of the office in the focus landscape to be submitted).
    • The organization should have undertaken minimum 3 projects in the field of climate change, biodiversity conservation and land degradation of value more than or equivalent to INR 15 lakh each in the last 5 financial years, preferably in the focused landscape. (Relaxation in the eligibility criteria for applicants from North-East Region in terms of project value is INR 5 lakhs).
    • NGOs/CBOs/CSOs should have experience in implementing a minimum of 3 government/philanthropy/foundation funded projects in the focused landscape. (Relaxation in the eligibility criteria for applicants from North-East Region in terms of minimum projects is 2).
    • The organization must have impacted at least 5000 beneficiaries through their engagement.

For more information, visit UNDP.