Green Recovery Challenge Fund
Funding round 2 closes in:
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A £12 million capacity-building fund to support low-carbon transitions and a green, resilient economic recovery across ODA-eligible countries.
The UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has partnered with ICF Consulting to deliver the Green Recovery Challenge Fund under the UK PACT (Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions) programme funded by UK International Climate Finance.
The UK PACT Green Recovery Challenge Fund will disburse £12 million over two years on projects that will help countries accelerate their low-carbon transition. It will focus on projects that maximise emissions reductions in ODA-eligible countries across Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be a focus to support projects to build back better and promote a greener and more resilient future.
We are looking for innovative ideas that address specific low-carbon challenges, show measurable results, promote social inclusion and inspire future actions to increase climate ambition at scale while supporting countries to rebuild their economies after the COVID-19 outbreak.
Applications are open to international and local non-governmental organisations (NGOs), civil society organisations, research institutes and private sector companies. Each project has the potential to be awarded up to £500,000 over the course of a 12-month implementation period.
Examples of activities we expect to fund include:
Potential applicants can use the following form to quickly check whether their project would be eligible for funding.
1. Do you have a project idea to accelerate low-carbon transition and promote greener, resilient and inclusive future in at least one of the following target ODA-eligible countries:
Multi-country or regional project proposals may also include one or more of the UK PACT Country Programme countries (Colombia, Mexico and South Africa), however the primary beneficiary must be one or more of the above mentioned countries.
Asia is not the focus of the second funding round.
Thank you for your interest, though at this time we are only looking at these particular countries.
2. Does your proposed project aim to deliver capacity building1 in the following areas?
Thank you for your interest, though at this time we are only accepting proposals for these particular themes in their respective regions.
3. Is there demand for your proposed project from local beneficiaries? 2
Thank you for your interest, however at this time projects funded through UK PACT need to be demand-led.
4. Is your proposed project expected to cost less than £500,000 to implement?
You may still be eligible for funding, though please note the grant will be capped at £500,000.
5. Is your proposed project expected to last up to 12 months?3
Project funding through UK PACT is currently available for up to 12 months. Co-funding to support longer term projects is allowed
6. Eligible organisations include (but are not limited to) local non-governmental organisations (NGOs), civil society organisations, research institutes and private sector companies. Government bodies and agencies are not eligible for this scheme. Are you an eligible organisation?
Thank you for your interest, government bodies and agencies may be the beneficiaries of the technical assistance provided, but are not eligible to apply directly to access funding.
Answering yes to all the questions above indicates that your project is eligible to apply for funding. Please click here to apply.
If some of your answers were no, your project is not eligible just yet. The project may be eligible with some adjustments. Please review the material here regarding the types of projects we are funding and register for more updates on the fund at this link.
[1] Capacity building is the development and strengthening of human and institutional resources. Please note, the Green Recovery Challenge Fund is intended for capacity building through sharing information and expertise, training and consulting services only.
[2] Those organisations or groups of individuals who will benefit from the change that the project will deliver.
[3] Project funding is currently available for up to 12 months, subject to potential extension.
This round will focus on themes for countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.
Nature-Based Solutions: Promotion of sustainable agriculture and forestry will support target countries in Latin America and Africa to enhance agroforestry, silvopastoral and regenerative agricultural practices to mitigate climate change, build resilient livelihoods and strengthen sustainable supply chains.
Also available in the following languages;
Clean Energy Transition: Integrating grid and off-grid low-carbon energy solutions will support the clean energy transition in Africa, scaling and coordinating reliable and affordable low-carbon energy in target countries.
In our first funding round, which closed for applications on 15 September, we focused on Greening Financial Systems and Electrifying Urban Mobility. We are not accepting any new applications for funding round 1. If you applied to funding round 1 during the application period, your submission is currently being processed.
To apply to the Green Recovery Challenge Fund, you must of registered through the application portal and completed an Expression of Interest (EOI) by 14 December 2020 at 12:00 GMT (UK winter time). The EOI will gather information about your project, the positive change it aims to create and the ability of your organisation to successfully deliver the project.
Successful applications will then be invited to submit a Full Proposal. This stage of the application will build on the information gathered by the EOI and requires greater detail about your project plan, the budget of grant funding being sought and the value for money your project will deliver.
All applications must be completed and submitted through the portal in English. Guidance on completing a proposal can be found on the Guidance page.
Follow the links below to access the application portal and guidance on how to use the portal and your application can be found on the GRCF guidance page.
To find out more about the UK PACT Green Recovery Challenge Fund and our expectations for quality applications for funding, we welcome you to watch one of the Regional Webinars. Select the event that you would be interested in watching and you will be taken to a registration page.
27 October 2020
Focused on the application process and the thematic areas relevant to Latin America; Nature-Based Solutions. Presented in Spanish language.
Watch now28 October 2020
Focused on the application process and the thematic areas relevant to Latin America; Nature-Based Solutions. Presented in English language.
Watch now2 November 2020
Focused on the application process and the thematic areas relevant to Sub-Saharan Africa; Nature-Based Solutions and Clean Energy Transition. Presented in English language.
Watch nowUK PACT (Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions) is a unique capacity-building programme running from 2018 to 2022. Funded by the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) through the UK's International Climate Finance, it works in partnership with countries with high emission reduction potential to support them to implement and increase their ambitions for tackling climate change.
