Deadline: 29-Nov-2024

The Forest Foundation Philippines has launched the Nature-based Solutions for Climate Adaptation Thematic Grants Program to strengthen climate resilience of communities, particularly rural and indigenous women, while ensuring co-benefits from, and for, natural resources and healthy ecosystems.

Grounded in the guiding principles of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions, the initiative will specifically target the following three wins: biodiversity conservation, climate adaptation, and ensuring gender equality in natural-resource management (NRM).

Aims

• To support participatory development, implementation, and enhancement of NbS projects for climate change adaptation, a Special Fund was established under the program. The Special Fund aims to:
  • Increase capacities of women and communities in developing/designing and implementing NbS with biodiversity co-benefits;
  • Ensure women and community participation in protecting, enhancing, and restoring ecosystems and biodiversity; and
  • Protect and enhance biodiversity that provides multiple ecosystem goods and services.

Priorities

• Thematic grants are open to NbS projects located in areas and sites in the Philippines with rich biodiversity and high climate vulnerability, which seek to respond to climate change impacts, address societal challenges, provide biodiversity co-benefits, and promote gender equality in natural-resource management. The Program shall prioritize NbS proposals which are supported by existing baseline assessments and studies. These may include, but are not limited to, vulnerability and risk assessments, biodiversity assessments, and gender-based analyses.

Funding Information and Duration

• Each proposal for a thematic grant shall be between Php 1 Million and PhP 4 Million, with an implementation period of two-and-a-half (2.5) years starting in April 2025 onwards.

Eligible Activities

• Thematic grants shall support projects that demonstrate NbS for climate adaptation through interventions such as integrated risk management, ecosystem restoration, and biodiversity conservation.
• These activities shall promote disaster risk reduction and participatory protection, management, and enhancement of forests and coastal and/or marine ecosystems that provide multiple products and services. They may include, but are not limited to:
  • Water regulation and soil protection;
  • Protection from hazards such as fire, strong winds and waves;
  • Livelihood diversification;
  • Enhancement of agrifood systems; and
  • Regulation of temperature and water in urban areas.
• Priority shall be given to NbS projects that align with existing local/community plans and frameworks, and consider past projects implemented in the area. Throughout implementation, gender-based activities and innovation shall be introduced, tested, and/or adapted to support effective delivery of results.

Eligibility Criteria

• Thematic grants will be open to all interested eligible proponents in any part of the Philippines. Entities eligible to receive funds under the Program include:
  • Non-government organizations (NGOs) active in the Philippines involved in environmental conservation, development, education, scientific research, ecosystems management, gender equality, and/or other related fields. NGOs refer to non-government organizations duly registered under Philippines laws;
  • Organized and recognized community-based organizations, people’s organizations (POs), indigenous peoples’ organizations (IPOs), and/or women’s rights organizations (WROs) who work in the environment and/or development field; and
  • Other appropriate local or regional entities active in the Philippines.

For more information, visit Forest Foundation Philippines.