The Adaptation Fund has launched a new programme which will foster innovation of adaptation practices in vulnerable countries. UNEP-CTCN and UNDP are administrating the grants.

See details about the funding opportunities below.

1. About the AFCIA

The Adaptation Fund has launched a new USD 10 million pilot small grants programme (Adaptation Fund Climate Innovation Accelerator, AFCIA) to foster innovation in adaptation in developing countries at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25) in Madrid. The AFCIA targets a broad range of potential finance recipients, including governments, non-governmental organisations, community groups, young innovators and other groups.

The AFCIA will provide small grants to developing countries to support innovation for effective, long-term adaptation to climate change and is part of the Adaptation Fund’s Innovation Facility (please click here for more information). Two of the Adaptation Fund’s accredited Multilateral Implementing Entities (MIEs), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), receive USD 5 million each to administrate and aggregate a project of small grants (up to USD 250,000 each). The Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN), which is the operational arm of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Technology Mechanism, works in conjunction with UNEP as an executing entity in the AFCIA.

The AFCIA will focus on producing two of the expected results of the ‘Strategic Focus 2 (Innovation)’ in the Adaptation Fund Medium-Term Strategy 2018-2022 (please click here for more information), which are:

• New innovations encouraged and accelerated - Development of innovative adaptation practices, tools and technologies encouraged and accelerated; and
• Evidence base generated - Evidence of effective, efficient adaptation practices, products and technologies generated as a basis for implementing entities and other funds to assess scaling up.

 

Please note that UNEP-CTCN and UNDP provide different services to support innovation in adaptation to developing countries in the AFCIA.

• (UNEP-CTCN) Technical assistance will be provided to developing countries on a competitive basis. A selected application will be further developed to design a customised solution tailored to the need of developing country, and the solution will be implemented in the country by a technology provider selected by the CTCN. Please note that the application should be endorsed by the national focal points to the Adaptation Fund (Designated Authority) and the CTCN (National Designated Entity, NDE) prior to official submission via the programme webpage.
• (UNDP) Grant funding is provided to applicants on a competitive basis. Selected grantees will operate and manage their projects by themselves with support from UNDP. Grant funding is open to Not-for-profit, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) including Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Business Member Associations (BMOs), and other Associations, Cooperatives, or Community Based Organisations registered in a developing country.

 

Please check more details on the UNEP-CTCN programme and the UNDP programme either by clicking on the application buttons or through the web-links as below:

• (UNEP-CTCN) https://www.ctc-n.org/afcia/unep-ctcn
• (UNDP) https://www.adaptation-undp.org/smallgrantaggregator/

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2. Who to apply?

The AFCIA will provide developing countries with special opportunities for innovation in adaptation. Please note that UNEP-CTCN and UNDP have different eligibility for supporting developing countries in the AFCIA.

• (UNEP-CTCN) The eligible countries in the programme include developing countries in Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America and Caribbean under the UNFCCC that do not have National Implementing Entities (NIEs) accredited with the Adaptation Fund (114 countries in total as of 26 June 2020).
• (UNDP) The programme is open to Not-for-profit, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) including Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Business Member Associations (BMOs), and other Associations, Cooperatives, or Community Based Organisations registered in a developing country.

 

For developing countries with the Adaptation Fund’s accredited NIEs, the Adaptation Fund provides a recently launched innovation grant funding window, and more information can be found by clicking here. Please note that an applicant cannot submit the same application to both UNEP-CTCN and UNDP. As administrators of the AFCIA, UNEP-CTCN and UNDP will cross check applications to ensure there is no duplication. Please check more details on the UNEP-CTCN programme and the UNDP programme either by clicking on the application buttons or through the web-links as below:

• (UNEP-CTCN) https://www.ctc-n.org/afcia/unep-ctcn
• (UNDP) https://www.adaptation-undp.org/smallgrantaggregator/

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3. When to apply?

Please note that UNEP-CTCN and UNDP have different timelines in the AFCIA.

• (UNEP-CTCN) There will be three-time opportunities to submit an application (technology concept) to UNEP-CTCN. The first, second and third calls for application submission are planned to be open in November 2020, February 2021 and February 2022, respectively.
• (UNDP) The first call for proposals will be open in late November, and final grantees will be selected in late December. The first cycle of projects will be implemented for two years from December 2020 to December 2022. The second call for proposals will be in late 2022 for another two-year project cycle.

 

Please check more details on the UNEP-CTCN programme and the UNDP programme either by clicking on the application buttons or through the web-links as below:

• (UNEP-CTCN) https://www.ctc-n.org/afcia/unep-ctcn
• (UNDP) https://www.adaptation-undp.org/smallgrantaggregator/

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4. Where to apply?

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5. How to apply (for UNEP-CTCN programme only)?

An applicant (e.g. government, non-governmental organisation, community group, young innovator and other groups) should fill in an application template which can be downloaded via the programme webpage. The applicant is required to develop an application (technology concept) in close consultation with its national focal points to the Adaptation Fund (Designated Authority) and the CTCN (National Designated Entity, NDE). It is also acceptable to develop an application in which multiple countries engage.

The application should be endorsed by the Designated Authority and the NDE of the country prior to official submission. The Designated Authority of the country needs to confirm the following statement included in the application template by checking a box next to the statement.

“The Designated Authority of the country has been engaged in the design of the technology concept and will be involved in the further process leading to the implementation of the micro-grants project.”

The NDE of the country needs to sign the application before online submission to UNEP-CTCN. Please note that if the application does not have endorsement from the national focal points, it will not be evaluated in the selection stage. Please find the national focal points of your country through the web-links as below:

• (Designated Authority) https://www.adaptation-fund.org/apply-funding/designated-authorities/
• (NDE) Click Here

 

The NDE should submit the application via the programme webpage. It is requested to provide basic information online (e.g. name of the country, title of the technology concept, adaptation sector, etc.) when submitting the application.

Please check more details on the UNEP-CTCN programme either by clicking on the application button or through the web-link as below:

https://www.ctc-n.org/afcia/unep-ctcn

For the UNDP programme, please check details either by clicking on the application button or through the web-link as below:

https://www.adaptation-undp.org/smallgrantaggregator/

 

For more information, please visit the official website of The Adaptation Fund below.

https://www.ctc-n.org/technical-assistance/adaptation-fund-climate-innovation-accelerator-afcia

Deadline : 18th of December 2020.