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Kawari Fund: Scaling the Global Carbon Market with Integrity

Deadline: 31-Oct-23

Kawari is inviting eligible entities to submit a Letter of Interest (LOI) for proposals to support strategic and specific opportunities to advance the rights of Indigenous Peoples (IPs) and Local Communities (LCs) through jurisdictional forest carbon finance initiatives.

These grants seek to catalyze grassroots organizations and jurisdictions across a broad set of geographies where governments are demonstrating political will to advance rights-based carbon programs. This first stage of support intends to address the initial barriers to participation, related to fundamental issues of transparency, lack of clarity regarding safeguard conformance and implementation, and open exchange on the content of proposed carbon programs.

This funding intends to expand networks of IPs, LCs, practitioners, carbon buyers, and political leaders committed to tackling the climate and biodiversity crises through strong, rights-based carbon initiatives. Kawari envisions this funding as the first step in a burgeoning movement in which growing commitments and trust amongst these actors will address the lack of support for proper IP and LC participation, leading to shared agendas underpinning carbon programs, increasing confidence in the integrity potential of carbon markets, and enhancing the prospects of transformational carbon programs.

This call for LOIs is primarily focused on tropical forest regions where jurisdictional forest carbon finance initiatives are at an advanced stage. These are defined as jurisdictions where national or subnational governments have signed LOIs, Memoranda of Understanding, Memoranda of Agreement, or Emissions Reduction Purchase Agreements (ERPAs) with the LEAF Coalition or that have signed ERPAs with another carbon finance provider.

Funding Information
  • Kawari will make grants of up to $150,000 to support strategic and specific opportunities that enable IPs and LCs to advance their rights through jurisdictional forest carbon finance initiatives.
  • Quick Action Grants to respond to urgent opportunities can be up to $10,000.
Activities supported by the Kawari Fund
  • Objective
    • Enhance the enabling environment for rights-based governance of partners by supporting a favorable policy and legal framework in jurisdictional forest carbon finance initiatives.
  • Examples of Activities
    • Policy review or assessment to operationalize benefit-sharing mechanisms, ensure alignment with the Cancun safeguards, operationalize FPIC processes, and/or define rights to carbon credits.
    • Legislative dialogue to ensure that jurisdictional initiatives strengthen rights recognition and biodiversity conservation.
    • Policy dialogues between communities and government to reach agreements on needed policy reforms and/or effective implementation of existing policies that benefit communities and the environment.
  • Objective
    • Strengthen capacities, skills, and voice of partners to effectively engage in jurisdictional forest carbon finance initiatives, to decide whether or not to participate, and to negotiate on a level playing field with program developers.
  • Examples of Activities
    • Trainings on forest carbon finance initiatives for communities, including but not limited to, clarifying the processes, requirements, benefits and risks from engaging in jurisdictional initiatives; understanding the safeguards systems required for jurisdictional REDD+ programs; raising awareness of IPs and LCs of their rights, how to exercise them, and how to seek remedies through grievance redress mechanisms or other channels as appropriate.
    • Trainings on options, principles and implementation of benefit sharing mechanisms, that allow Indigenous leaders to promote and negotiate fair, transparent and equitable benefit-sharing mechanisms.
    • Regional gatherings of IPs and LCs that support capacity building and strengthening solidarity among IPs and LCs engaged in carbon discussions to advance IP and LC rights in the region.
  • Objective
    • Support the effective participation, collaboration, and partnership of IPs and LCs with other key stakeholders, strengthening their leadership of and benefit from jurisdictional forest carbon finance initiatives.
  • Examples of Activities
    • Convening community dialogues to ensure that communities are well-informed of decisions being made regarding their forest resources.
    • Convening multi-stakeholder platforms to exchange ideas and gain more understanding of the role of the different stakeholders in jurisdictional initiatives.
    • Funding for participation of IPs and community members in relevant national gatherings related to the jurisdictional initiatives where their voices are needed.
    • Knowledge exchanges to discuss examples and lessons learned from IPs and LCs engagement in forest carbon finance initiatives.
    • Dialogues, roundtable discussions, or activities to increase appropriate engagement between government officials and IPs and LCs.
  • Objective
    • Integrate safeguard requirements, systems, and processes in the design and implementation of jurisdictional forest carbon finance initiatives.
  • Examples of Activities
    • Technical assessments on how IP and LCs’ perspectives could be incorporated into the design and development of safeguards information systems.
    • Multi-stakeholder dialogues on good practices in developing safeguards information systems.
    • Trainings and/or dialogues with government officials on how to engage in monitoring compliance with the Cancun safeguards.

Eligible Countries

Eligibility Criteria
  • Indigenous Peoples Organizations and Local Community Organizations
    • Including local or national organizations from the area where an intervention will occur. These organizations must be able to receive funds directly and have clear governance structures.
    • Regional IP and LC organizations are eligible to receive grants but proposals will need to ensure that interventions support communities affected by, or participating in, jurisdictional forest carbon finance initiatives.
  • Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), Government entities, Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and Universities, academic and research institutions
    • When applying for funding, these entities will need to provide evidence of participation of IPs and LCs in the development of the proposed intervention. Regional organizations are eligible.

For more information, visit Kawari.

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