Deadline: 27 September 2019

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP), implemented by the UNDP, provides financial and technical support to communities and CSOs to meet the overall objective of “global environmental benefits secured through community-based initiatives and actions”.

They believe that community-driven and civil society-led initiatives can generate environmental benefits, while supporting sustainable livelihoods, community resilience building and local empowerment. This is one of the most effective ways to address global environmental challenges. SGP Jamaica became a member in June 2003 and started financing projects in June 2005. Since then, GEF SGP Jamaica has succeeded in funding and providing support for more than 110 projects.

Objectives

OP6 Projects will enable eligible national stakeholders in Jamaica to carry out the following:

• Create greater impact and closer links between local efforts and global environmental benefits (GEBs) by supporting more extensive geographical coverage and/or thematic consolidation for policy improvement.
• Make effective use of the built-up capacity of local NGOs, CBOs and communities for replication of successful technologies and approaches.
• Improve the capacity of the SGP and its partners to leverage larger funds from potential partners and donors.
• Strengthen the sustainability and replicability of SGP projects.
• Pilot innovative market mechanisms and financial instruments (i.e. such as Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES); environmentally friendly loans; revolving funds; and/or sustainable financing for clean energy technologies).
• Accumulate national and global experience in the development and implementation of projects of larger coverage enabling SGP to link more effectively with the MSP and FSP modalities of the GEF, as well as that of other donors and governments.
• Strategically position civil society participation and leadership in new and innovative policies and programmes with non-GEF funding (i.e. wide implementation of community-based adaptation (CBA), ecosystem-based adaptation (EBA), community-based REDD+, sustainable energy for all (SE4ALL), strengthening direct access to funding mechanisms such as the Adaptation Fund and the Green Climate Fund).

A special OP6 global funding window has been established for the Innovation Programme (IP) focusing only on Youth and Climate Change Mitigation. The program will support youth-led climate projects at the local and country levels that aims to provide young people an opportunity to implement impactful and innovative local ideas. The program also hopes to identify successful approaches, which can be elevated beyond local level to help raise ambition and inspire youth at the country and global levels. The program also aspires to connect young climate activists and practitioners globally to facilitate knowledge sharing and exchange of good practices.

Funding Information

SGP funds “small grants” up to a maximum of US$50,000. A 1:1 matching co-financing (cash and kind) is required.

Strategic Initiative & Priority Themes

• “Green jobs” for young generation
  • The projects will pilot practical, economically sustainable community-based initiatives addressing climate change and improving livelihoods for young generation. They may focus on one of the following themes:
    • Renewable and energy efficiency technologies for productive use that results in youth employment and/or supporting youth entrepreneurship. Relevant project examples from SGP climate change portfolio include creation of youth-led enterprises (e.g. green charcoal production and solar energy entrepreneurs), provision of vocational training (e.g. trainings for inner-city youth on renewable technologies; rural youth on solar technology, etc.);
    • Youth-led initiatives that implements nature-based solutions to climate change, leading to income generation and improved livelihoods.
• Develop awareness, skills and competencies of young people to lead climate action on local, national and global levels.
  • The projects selected under this theme will focus on raising awareness of youth, creating learning opportunities and supporting outreach initiatives implemented by young people on local and national levels.
  • The projects can be local and/or national and could include CSO-Government Dialogues focusing on youth and climate issues and have potential national and global policy and programme linkages. These initiatives could involve active use of social media, art and music. The projects may also help develop ability of young people to influence policies related to climate change through targeted training and participation in national, regional and global networks. The projects should be able to reach large audiences, demonstrate innovation, impact, potential for regional or global reach, and policy influence. These initiatives will be linked to national policies, particularly Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and UNFCCC global civil society mobilization efforts focusing on raising awareness and youth participation in global climate policy processes as well as to UN wide youth engagement efforts.
• Climate Change (Mitigation): Low Carbon Energy Access to Co-benefits
  • Promote renewable and energy efficient technologies providing socio-economic benefits and improving livelihoods.

Criteria

• Applicants may request grant funding up to $50,000 to be delivered over one or two years
• Concepts should be bold, innovative, and transformative, and have the potential for replication and scaling up;
• Successful projects should consider strong social inclusion elements, including gender equality and women’s empowerment, indigenous peoples, and persons with disabilities;
• Applications should explicitly state the plan for measuring and evaluating the impact of the work and show quantifiable results in line with the NDC
• Limited Funding is available to legally registered NGOs/CBOs
• Projects with tangible co-financing will be of priority
• Projects should demonstrate collaborations and partnerships with other agencies, as well as broad community participation

How to Apply

Interested applicants should send their project concepts in word format via email at the address given on the website.

For more information, please visit http://www.jm.undp.org/content/jamaica/en/home/operations/other-opportunities/cfc-youthclimatechange.html