We are pleased to announce that today the UK PACT (Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions) programme has launched a new funding opportunity for climate policy and governance and clean energy projects in South Africa.
South Africa-UK PACT is inviting eligible organisations to submit proposals for innovative, capacity-building projects that support South Africa’s just transition ambitions. The deadline for applications is 8 August 2025, 17:00 SAST / 15:00 UTC.
What are we looking for?
As a demand-informed programme, the South Africa-UK PACT Country Fund aims to align its support with the Government of South Africa’s existing plans and policies. Through consultation with the Government of South Africa and other stakeholders, UK PACT has identified key opportunities in the climate policy and governance and clean energy sectors.
As part of this call for proposals, a combination of targeted and broad areas of support have been identified:
- 2 projects with targeted terms of reference: To be eligible for funding, proposals must respond fully to the terms of reference for the specific project/s being applied for, delivering the specific activities and outputs at a minimum. Only one grant will be awarded per project.
- Project 1: Supporting the AIDC-EC and the Eastern Cape Provincial Government in the development of the Eastern Cape Climate Change Response Strategy
- Project 2: Supporting the Western Cape Government in the development of the Western Cape Integrated Resource Plan
- 2 thematic areas with broad terms of reference: Applicants may design innovative projects and propose activities and outputs which address the defined Government counterpart objectives and UK PACT Programme outcomes. More than one grant may be awarded per theme.
- Thematic area 1: Enabling implementation of the Climate Change Act at subnational level
- Thematic area 2: Advancing a Just and Clean Energy Transition through local action
Individual application links for each of these projects can be found under the “How to apply”
Who can apply?
We invite all organisations with relevant experience in delivering technical assistance and capacity-building projects in the climate policy and governance and clean energy sectors to register. This could be think-tanks, consultancies, academic institutions, community organisations, NGOs, professional associations, or any similar organisations that have the knowledge, skills and experience to deliver an eligible project.
Proposals led by private sector entities are now welcomed for UK PACT, however, eligibility criteria apply. Projects must be delivered on a not-for-profit basis.
Government agencies and Government departments are not eligible to receive UK PACT funding, whether as a lead organisation or partner in a consortium. This includes state-owned enterprises. However, as part of this call for proposals National and Provincial Government Enterprises (i.e. only public institutions listed in PFMA schedules 3B and 3D for 2025, linked here) may form part of consortia as downstream partners, but may not apply as the lead implementing partner.
In our commitment to the localisation of delivery, additional consideration will be given to consortia which include local organisations, Level 1 and Level 2 B-BBEE contributors, women-owned entities, youth-owned entities, and entities owned by people with disabilities.
For full details on how to apply and to access application documents click the button below.
“UK in South Africa is proud to announce the launch of the latest UK PACT South Africa Country Fund call for proposals, focused on advancing Climate Policy, Governance, and Clean Energy. This initiative underscores the UK government’s commitment to placing Climate and Nature at the heart of its priorities. We invite organisations with proven expertise in technical assistance and capacity-building to submit proposals and help drive a sustainable, low-carbon future for South Africa. We’re excited to see bold, innovative projects take shape through this call!”
Antony Phillipson, British High Commissioner to South Africa
About the UK PACT programme in South Africa
UK PACT (Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions) is a unique capacity-building programme. The programme forms part of the UK's International Climate Finance portfolio and is 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). UK PACT supports countries that strive to overcome barriers to clean growth and have high emissions reduction potential to accelerate their climate change mitigation efforts.
UK PACT has been partnering with South Africa since June 2020 to support the acceleration of the just transition and a low-carbon economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, UK PACT projects in South Africa have helped to drive the just transition through technical assistance for increased renewable energy uptake, sustainable transport, and green finance initiatives.
Read more about our project portfolio in South Africa here.
