Colombia-UK PACT Call for Proposals: Just Energy Transition

Applicants will be notified of project selection in late April - early May, 2025.

In Colombia, the energy sector is the second-largest source of emissions after the AFOLU sectors (Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land-Use). In 2018, it accounted for 30.7% of the country's total emissions (about 303 Mt CO2 eq) ​[1]​. This sector plays a significant role in the country's economy and is closely linked to both environmental and social factors.   

The government of Colombia aims to implement a Just Energy Transition to ensure the country's energy security, improve access to energy, and take actions to achieve a 51% emission reduction compared to the projected emissions by 2030 in the reference scenario [2]​. This transition is expected to focus on five key pillars: i) increased investments in clean energy and decarbonisation; ii) progressive substitution of fossil fuel demand; iii) increased energy efficiency; iv) improved regulations to accelerate clean energy generation, and v) enhanced industrialisation of the Colombian economy.  

This Call for Proposals seeks to support initiatives that effectively address critical challenges to facilitate Colombia's progress towards a Just Energy Transition, including gaps on technical knowledge and capacity, regulation implementation, accessing financing, and governance. Successful proposals will receive funding to develop innovative solutions that promote the integration of renewable energy in the national electricity system, transform electricity market dynamics, and facilitate coal phase-out, ensuring a fair transition for all stakeholders involved. 

What are we looking for?
This Call for Proposals aims to enable conditions for a Just Energy Transition. It seeks to strengthen energy security and resilience through a diversified, cleaner energy matrix and a modernised electricity market, that contributes reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while improving the livelihoods of local communities impacted by the energy transition, fostering green job creation and economic diversification.   

Following bespoke engagement with Government of Colombia counterparts, non-government organisations, civil society, and the private sector it is expected that projects under UK PACT contribute to the Just Energy Transition in three areas of intervention:

  1. Support the expansion and deployment of large-scale non-conventional renewable energy projects: facilitate the integration of non-conventional renewable energy sources into Colombia’s national electricity grid, advancing both national and global climate objectives and supporting the transition to a low-carbon energy system.
  2. Support the modernisation of the electricity market: support the development of a market framework that ensures the integration of renewable energy into the system, enhancing flexibility, reliability, and efficiency.
  3. Support the just and equitable phasing out coal-fired power plants: assist in the systematic closure of coal-fired power plants, ensuring a just transition by fostering a new socio-economic landscape that promotes the development of sustainable industries and creates new employment opportunities for affected communities throughout the coal supply chain.

Please note: 

  • Applicants can submit only one application per area of intervention.  
  • Applicants can submit more than one proposal, as long as there is no more than one application that includes the same area of intervention. Each proposal will be assessed independently. 
  • Applicants can address multiple intervention areas under a single proposal.  
Application specifications

How much should each project cost? 
Successful projects will receive grants of up to £500,000 per financial year (1st April – 31st March), with a maximum of £1,000,000 total budget over 23 months in duration. Projects will be selected through a two-stages open and competitive call for proposals.      

How long can each project be? 
All projects should aim to last from 12 to 23 months. All projects are expected to start in May 2025 and can end no later than 31 March 2027. The proposals must have a clear indication of the outcomes and impacts expected to be achieved in the first year of implementation, as well as in the second year of implementation.

Can a consortium apply? 
Yes, we welcome applications from consortia. For-profit and non-for-profit organisations can apply either as lead organisations or as consortium partners, but all projects must be delivered on a not-for-profit basis.

All consortia must have at least one local partner. The local organisation does not need to be the consortium lead. A local organisation is defined as an organisation that operates in Colombia under a National Register of Legal Entities, and includes NGOs, companies of different size (large or SMEs), grass-root organisations, community associations, among others

What type of organisations can apply?  
All organisations with relevant experience in the areas of intervention may submit proposals, considering aspects such as cost-effectiveness, project management, impacts on GEDSI (Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion), and technical capacity of the organisation or consortium. Applicants must demonstrate capacities to successfully deliver at least one of the areas of interventions and must provide clear references of having successfully delivered a similar project over the last 5 years.

Both for-profit and not-for-profit organisations can apply, but all projects must be delivered on a not-for-profit basis.

Both local and international organisations are eligible to apply individually for this Call for Proposals. However, international organisations are strongly encouraged to form consortiums with local organisations.  

Government agencies, departments and public entities are not eligible to apply either as a lead organisation, or as a partner organisation within consortium. However, government agencies/departments are expected to be involved in the projects as direct counterparts and recipients (beneficiaries) of the project’s outputs. 

What types of costs are eligible?  
All projects must be delivered on a not-for-profit basis. Eligible costs will include: 

  • Consultancy and/or staff time required to deliver activities;
  • Reasonable travel and subsistence costs;
  • Other costs directly related to activities and outputs (workshop, seminars, production of reports, translation etc.). 

We cannot award funding for tangible assets e.g. computer and furniture. However, if such inputs are necessary for a project, then applications could include a co-founder to cover these elements.  

Application timeline

The steps and indicative timeline for each stage of the Call for Proposals in the Just Energy Transition sector are outlined below: 

Timeline UK PACT CfPs-2-UK PACT COL JET and GF updated April 2025

 

How to apply

Projects will be selected through an open call to prospective applicants following two stages:

  1. Stage one: Expression of Interest (EoI) to outline the eligibility and capacity of applicants to respond to the call; and 
  2. Stage two: A request for detailed proposals for those shortlisted from the EoI stage. 

To start your application process, please read the Terms of Reference (ToR) in conjunction with the Applicant Handbook and then submit the Expression of Interest Form linked below. Applicants must provide at least one clear reference for having successfully delivered a project over the last 5 years in the areas of intervention to be implemented. 

We anticipate a high volume of EOIs. However, due to available funding, only a limited number of qualified organisations will be shortlisted to present a full proposal. Our selection process at the EOI stage will prioritise applicants based on the criteria outlined in the Terms of Reference, using a comparative evaluation of the applicants that demonstrate the required capacities.  

Please note that only applicants shortlisted after the EoI stage will be invited to submit a full proposal, along with the required annexes. 

Amazon fund steps

All the guidance you will need can be found here:

Market engagement event

Click here to watch our Colombia-UK PACT Fund market engagement webinar for Just Energy Transition. This webinar was held on 8 October 2024. 

Eligibility checker

Want to check if your project is eligible before applying? Use the quick check list below. You can find more about eligibility for this call, and for UK PACT funding by reading our Applicant Handbook and Terms of Reference.

Q. Is your project aligned to at least one of the areas of interventions of the call?

Yes No

This indicates that your project may be eligible. Please proceed to the next question.

Unfortunately, this makes your project ineligible.

Q. Is the value of your project up to £500,000 per financial year and up to 23 months?

Yes No

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Q. Is your organisation eligible to apply for UK PACT funding and on a not-for-profit-basis? Note that public entities, government agencies and/or departments are not eligible.

Yes No

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Q. Are your project activities and costs eligible? Please note: we cannot award funding for infrastructure projects or for tangible assets and profit is not eligible cost in UK PACT budgets, either as a direct cost or within overheads.

Yes No

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Answering yes to all the questions above indicates that your project is eligible to apply for funding. Apply via the EoI link above.

Answering no to any question above indicates that your organisation or project is not eligible for funding at this time. Please re-visit our guidance documents carefully to find out how to design a UK PACT project.

[1]  ​IDEAM, “Third Biennial Update Report on Climate Change.,” 2021. [Online]. Available: https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrhcgjojeNmm80OfHarcgx.;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1726217833/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2funfccc.int%2fdocuments%2f424157/RK=2/RS=PxFY7wMlH988BAVQBB3LBDjdoAM-. [Accessed 12 September 2024]. 

[2] MADS, “Official Documents Nationally Determined Contributions,” Update of Colombia's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC),, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.minambiente.gov.co/cambio-climatico-y-gestion-del-riesgo/documentos-oficiales-contribuciones-nacionalmente-determinadas/. [Accessed 12 September 2024].  

About UK PACT

UK PACT (Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions) is a unique capacity-building programme. Jointly governed and funded by the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) through the UK's International Climate Finance, it works in partnership with countries with high emissions reduction potential to support them to implement and increase their ambitions for tackling climate change.

 

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