Deadline: 28-Apr-23
The Global Environment Facility of the Small Grant Programme at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP GEF-SGP) announces the 2023 “call for proposals” to award small grants of up to US$50,000 to non-governmental organizations, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and community groups to adopt new approaches that are strategic, impactful, and will strengthen initiatives aimed at increasing resilience, ensuring inclusion of the most vulnerable groups (women, youth, and persons with disabilities), reduction of inequality and gender disparities whiles protecting natural resources.
Aims
The 2023 grant award seeks to:
- promote innovative solutions as well as traditional/local knowledge to safeguard the global environment;
- systematically develop capacity and platforms among local communities, civil society groups, and other stakeholders as a key driver for environmental sustainability;
- focus on maximizing global environmental benefits (i.e, key biodiversity areas, clean technologies, etc.) through working with communities to revegetate the Black Volta landscape whiles developing local livelihood enterprises;
- strengthen and expand partnerships, particularly with government/policy makers and private sector as well as GEF and non-GEF programs, for scaling up and sustainability.
Priorities
At the community levels, the grant will complement the Ghana Government and the UNDP efforts and target strategic initiatives that will promote integrated approaches in addressing key global environmental issues. The priority activities to be funded will include:
- Community-based conservation of threatened ecosystems and species
- The grants will focus on the sustainability of Indigenous and Communities Conserved Areas (ICCAs) (sacred groves), community plantations and woodlots, private protected areas, corridors, buffer zones, and CREMAs. The grant will seek to promote the sustainable use of biodiversity utilizing ecotourism processing of biodiversity products, food security, sustainable commodity value chain, and others.
- Sustainable agriculture and fisheries, leading to food security.
- The grant seeks to build on the innovative climate smart agroecology to support sustainable and ecological agricultural production which provides food security, nutrition, and health benefits in addition to secure and sustainable livelihoods for small holder farmers, cooperatives, and artisanal fishers. The project should link local producers with better markets (national and international) sources and promote use of certification systems, and eco-labelling as the means.
- Low Carbon Energy Access Co-benefits
- The grant will focus on grassroots energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions that can help meet the increasing demand for energy in a sustainable manner, while at the same time generating multiple co-benefits contributing to achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
- Local to Global Coalitions for Chemicals and Waste Management
- The grant will focus its support on plastics/solid waste management and will seek to establish systems of local certification of organic producers in vegetable through producer-consumer agreements and eventually graduating to national government policy that will influence markets. It will seek to promote alternative to mercury use in artisanal and small-scale gold mining by popularizing community mining concept as a model for small scale gold mining in Ghana.
Funding Information
- Small grants of up to US$50,000
Activities, Goal and Objectives
The programme will give priority attention to the following activities within the landscape that will contribute to the programme goal and objectives:
- Promote effective ecosystems management through community landscape and waterscape strategies to conserve biodiversity, sustainably develop the ecosystem goods and services whilst enhancing sustainable utilization biodiversity products for livelihood development. This will help achieve the Aichi CBD targets by 2020.
- Support public-private partnership approach for the conservation and utilization of biodiversity products in the CREMAs and community conserved areas (ICCAs).
- Promote sustainable fishing within the Bui Dam and conservation of sacred groves to protect threatened species within the landscape.
- Support climate-resilient agriculture and food systems by integrating the elements of insitu conservation of genetic resources, climate smart agriculture, agroecological innovative farming and land-based organic providers (i.e. bio-deposit) to reduce use of chemical based fertilizers while also reducing emission from ozone depleting substances such as nitrites and nitrates.
- Support the mainstreaming of eco-certification sustainable wood fuel production and efficient renewable energy technologies within the Black Volta Basin Landscape for improved livelihood.
- Establish systems of local certification of organic producers in vegetable through producer-consumer agreements and eventually graduating to national government policy that will influence markets.
- Reduce and promote alternative to mercury use in artisanal and small-scale gold mining by popularizing community mining concept as a model for small scale gold mining in Ghana.
- Promote/enhance community voices and participation for Black Volta communities in global and national policy, strategy development related to global environment and sustainable development issues.
- Improve the capacities of CSOs/CBOs and promote targeted initiatives that will involve create wealth and empowerment for the Youth and Persons with disabilities.
- Improve the capacities to promote community-driven, socially inclusive, and integrated solutions to address low-emission and resilient urban development
- Demonstrate innovative socially inclusive urban solutions/ approaches (including waste and chemical management, energy, transport, watershed protection, ecosystem services and biodiversity).
- Build institutional industrial and commercial wood fuel stoves and improved carbonization of wood for sustainable supply of charcoal.
- Decentralize solar energy system for small scale agricultural development and drying of agricultural products.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must:
- be local non-governmental or non-profit organizations operating in Ghana with valid Registrar General’s Department and Social Welfare certificates; or community groups/ community-based organizations, social enterprise organizations and other Civil Society Organizations recognized by the District Assembly and operating in Ghana; and
- have relevant experience and proven records of working with communities and groups in environmental, forestry and or agricultural-related activities.
- Submitted project proposals should:
- succinctly describe the problem related to the GEF focal area priority.
- explain how the proposed project objectives and activities would have a concrete impact and contribute towards the achievement of the goals under the SGP focal areas
- demonstrate how the project is aligned with the targets and objectives of the SGP Country Programme Strategy (CPS).
- should be based or already have a working presence in the Black Volta Basin landscape
- show that projects are innovative, impactful and must demonstrate sustainability.
For more information, visit United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).