RFPs: SeyCCAT Blue Grants Fund (Seychelles)

Deadline: 27-May-24

The Seychelles Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust (SeyCCAT) is inviting applications to offer grants to impactful Seychellois-led projects that advance marine conservations, sustainable fisheries, development of new and existing Marine Protected Areas and Sustainable Use Zones, and select other blue sectors.

Seychelles Conservation and Climate Change Adaptation Trust is an independent trust fund that empowers sustainable development of Seychelles’ blue economy by supporting impactful projects that address climate change and marine conservation challenges in the country. SeyCCAT grants are competitively awarded to public, private, and non-profit applicants based in Seychelles.

Every year, the BGF opens a 6-week application window when all Seychellois, Seychelles-based NGOs, government entities, parastatal organisations, and businesses registered for more than one year are invited to submit the project proposals for BGF funding.

Objectives

• For this RFP, SeyCCAT is seeking projects for any of their three strategic objectives.
  • Strategic Objective 1: Support new and existing marine and coastal protected areas – including, as appropriate, all aspects of consumptive and non-consumptive sustainable use of marine resources.
  • Strategic Objective 4: Support best practice and/or innovative approaches that reduce risk and build resilience to climate change
  • Strategic Objective 5: Trial and nurture appropriate business models to secure the sustainable development of Seychelles’ blue economy

Priorities

• Strategic Objective 1: Support new and existing marine and coastal protected areas – including, as appropriate, all aspects of consumptive and non-consumptive sustainable use of marine resources.
  • Below are some of the types of priority areas linked to Strategic Objective 1 that SeyCCAT grants are seeking to fund:
    • Contribute to improving the capacity of protected areas agencies/protected area managers and increasing ocean management effectiveness.
    • Strengthening co-management structures/bodies and partnerships for the management of marine areas.
    • Development of frameworks to increase management effectiveness of MPAs in line with the Nature Reserves and Conservancy Act (2022).
    • Provide inputs/research and/or contribute to the development and/or implementation of management plans for protection areas.
    • Develop/contribute to baseline studies and monitoring tools/programs/protocols for management areas (e.g., assessment of coral reefs) and indicators (biological, ecological, and socioeconomic) for management plans and/ or re-categorization of the areas.
• Strategic Objective 4: Support best practice and/or innovative approaches that reduce risk and build resilience to climate change
  • Below are some of the types of priority areas linked to Strategic Objective 4 that SeyCCAT grants are seeking to fund:
    • Explore and back science and technology innovations to increase resilience and support adaptation to climate change (to minimize climate impacts on local livelihoods and businesses) including
      • Increase understanding;
      • implement appropriate adaptation measures;
      • Establish long-term monitoring.
    • Advance Seychelles’ ability to secure access to global climate financing.
    • Study the potential impacts of climate change on critical ecosystems, goods, and services (e.g. fisheries productivity), and make recommendations on how negative impacts could be addressed to safeguard sustainability.
    • Community-based adaptation initiatives – projects/proposals that support local communities in developing and implementing adaptation strategies tailored to their specific needs and vulnerabilities, fostering resilience at the grassroots level.
    • Capacity building and knowledge sharing through training programs, workshops, and knowledge exchange platforms to enhance the capacity of local stakeholders, including government agencies, NGOs, and communities, in designing and implementing climate change adaptation plans.
    • Green infrastructure and nature-based solutions – basically, looking at projects that integrate mostly nature-based approaches, such as restoring wetlands/mangroves, coral reefs etc or implementing sustainable land management practices, to enhance resilience to climate change impacts like sea-level rise, extreme weather events, and erosion.
    • Public awareness and behavioural change campaigns -education and communication campaigns to raise awareness about the impacts of climate change and the importance of adaptation measures, encouraging sustainable behaviors and community engagement in resilience-building efforts.
    • Projects/initiatives that look at the development and implementation of comprehensive risk assessment tools and early warning systems to anticipate and mitigate the impacts of climate-related hazards, such as storms, floods, and droughts.
    • Research and development (R&D) – another important area to consider for funding. R&D in innovative solutions as well as plug in research/data gap and leading to the development of a science-based approach to enhance their capacity and build resilience in addressing the impacts of climate change.
• Strategic Objective 5: Trial and nurture appropriate business models to secure the sustainable development of Seychelles’ blue economy
  • Below are some of the types of priority areas linked to Strategic Objective 5 that SeyCCAT grants are seeking to fund:
    • Feasibility studies (economic/environment/social) of aquaculture potential and species to be farmed (focused on the research and development phase) and tested.
    • Feasibility studies (economic, environmental) of Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture Systems (IMTA) (e.g. native fish combined with lower trophic species which process waste and generate income as well.
    • Prepare business plans (both SFA Aquaculture license and DBS compliance), market development opportunities and feasibility studies, product development to address the post-harvest fisheries sector, and environmental services.
    • Explore the role and development of the capacity of the private sector and financing for SMEs to support the value-added chain of aquaculture in Seychelles.
    • Assess the economic impacts of marine pollution: shifting from plastics and Styrofoam packaging, price signal for biodegradable packaging.
    • Develop capacity and expertise for the development of aquaculture with regards to R&D, aquatic health monitoring (incl. diagnostic testing), breeding and husbandry, operations and processing, and marketing.
    • Develop tools and capacity for creating, strengthening, and innovating sustainable business models in the blue economy.
    • Any other relevant innovative business ideas that fit under this strategic objective.

Themes

• Research and development
• Management and implementation
• Policy and advocacy
• Education, training and outreach

Funding Information

• Strategic Objective 1: Support new and existing marine and coastal protected areas – including, as appropriate, all aspects of consumptive and non-consumptive sustainable use of marine resources.
  • Amount Available: SCR 1, 244,209.03
  • Funding Category: Medium (up to SCR 400,000 per project)
  • Duration: Project Completion by June 2026
• Strategic Objective 4: Support best practice and/or innovative approaches that reduce risk and build resilience to climate change
  • Amount Available: SCR 3,217,097.90
  • Funding Category: Small (up to 100,000 SCR), medium (up to SCR 1 million), and large (up to SCR 2 million, conditions apply) grants.
  • Duration: Up to 2 years
• Strategic Objective 5: Trial and nurture appropriate business models to secure the sustainable development of Seychelles’ blue economy
  • Amount Available: SCR 10,835,152.32
  • Funding Category: Medium and Large (Between SCR 500,000.00 to SCR 2 Million) (conditions apply).
  • Duration: Up to 2 years

Who can apply?

• The following categories may submit a proposal to SeyCCAT:
  • Any locally-registered NGO (must be registered for at least 1 year)
  • Businesses with majority Seychellois ownership (must be registered for at least 1 year)
  • Parastatal organisation
  • Government departments or agencies
  • All citizens of Seychelles
  • Proposers must have legally existed and operated in Seychelles for a minimum of one year, where applicable.
  • The large grants are available to NGOs, and other entities with a proven track record of managing large projects and formal financial and accounting systems in place. Individuals and businesses are not eligible to apply for large grants.
• Eligibility Criteria according to objectives:
  • Strategic Objective 1: 
    • Eligibility: Marine Protected Areas Managers/Authorities managing Marine Protected Areas
  • Strategic Objective 4: 
    • Eligibility: All Seychelles-based organizations, businesses, governmental agencies, and citizens
  • Strategic Objective 5: 
    • Eligibility: Individuals, Locally registered commercial entities including small and medium sized enterprises/businesses, joint-ventures, public-private partnerships

For more information, visit SeyCCAT.