SMALL grants of up to US$50,000 ($7.2 million) are to be awarded within weeks to community-based organisations and non-governmental organisations, under the latest call for environmental concepts issued by the GEF (Global Environment Facility) Small Grants Programme (SGP) implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The call invites project concepts in the areas of reduction of land degradation, sustainable forest management, biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, and chemicals (including persistent organic pollutants) and waste management.

The call was issued September 8 and was followed by a public webinar for interested organisations and environmentalists. The webinar, which formed part of the ‘Help Series’ organised by the UNDP Multi-Country Office in Jamaica on topics of interest to the public, shared tips and resources on how to design winning grant proposals.

Prospective applicants have a little over three weeks to prepare their concept which will be reviewed and shortlisted by the GEF SGP secretariat. Successful concepts will advance to the next stage, which is the development of comprehensive proposals.

National coordinator for GEF Small Grants Programme (Jamaica), Hyacinth Douglas welcomed the webinar as an opportunity for participants to gain a thorough understanding of the key requirements for developing strong concepts.

While noting that grant proposal writing takes much expertise and guidance, she assured prospective applicants that UNDP/GEF SGP is available to support participants in moving from concept to the proposal stage through intensive, one-on-one consultations.

“…Keep your concepts and proposals very simple and in your own language. Even if you want to put it in patios, we can translate it,” she advised.

Chair of the GEF Small Grants Programme National Steering Committee, Leonie Barnaby advised participants about the importance of being realistic in defining their project outcomes.

“Make sure that your outputs and outcomes can be achieved within the project period,” she advised. She also urged attendees to assess the risks of their project thoroughly in order to prepare their team for any challenges they might face during the period of implementation.

Faradaine Forbes-Edwards, projects manager of Environmental Health Foundation which has previously accessed UNDP/GEF SGP grants, thanked the agencies for bringing its concepts to life by helping to develop them into robust proposals that led to their success in winning grant awards.

Citing a project implemented in Majesty Gardens, Kingston, Forbes-Edwards said, “when the national coordinator was through with us the proposal was just remarkable. Based on how she assisted us in taking it from concept to proposal, we were able to implement a very, very successful project that is being talked about to this very day”.

The deadline for submissions is October 2, 2020.

More information can be accessed at: bit.ly/2Fi99CA; Facebook.com/undpjamaica; or www.jm.undp.org/content/jamaica/en/home/operations/other-opportunities/cfc-7thoperationalphase.html