• Call for Concepts now open; deadline February 25

Small Grants valuing up to $50 000 USD each are now available to finance environmental projects under the latest Call for Concepts from the GEF Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP), implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Additionally, projects costed at a maximum of $150 000 USD can be financed if they meet the conditionality of scaling up a previous project, or cover many communities, either within a critical landscape or seascape, or towards a thematic priority.  

Qualified entities are Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) which are invited to submit proposals by 25th February for consideration. Concepts should be submitted using the standard form provided at www.jm.undp.org .  

GEF SGP National Coordinator Hyacinth Douglas urged community groups not yet registered to consider applying as the GEF SGP routinely invests effort in supporting informal groups become formalized. Addressing the UNDP/GEF SGP's requirement of a 1:1 matching co-financing from CBOs and CSOs, (cash and kind), she clarified that the applicants’ sweat equity and other assets are assessed in determining their co-financing eligibility.   

Priority areas for funding are: Biodiversity Conservation; Land Degradation & Sustainable Forest Management; Climate Change (Mitigation); Chemicals (POPs - persistent organic pollutants) and Waste; Plastics; CSO-Government-Private Sector Policy and Planning Dialogue Platforms; and Enhancing Social Inclusion.  

UNDP's GEF SGP is on record as stating that community-driven and civil society-led initiatives can generate environmental benefits, while supporting sustainable livelihoods, community resilience building and local empowerment.  

Since June 2005, GEF SGP in Jamaica has succeeded in funding and providing support for over 140 projects.