1. Introduction
   1. Background
      Climate change continues to be one of the greatest challenges facing our planet and humanity today and could drive an additional 100 million people into poverty by 2030. Drought and rising temperatures, excessive precipitation and flooding, sea level rise and saltwater intrusion, coastal erosion, loss of agricultural crops, degradation of coral reefs due to bleaching, increased instances of pests and diseases, and unpredictable storms and weather events are just some of the challenges experienced by many countries. These variations in climate not only affect the environment and resilience of natural ecosystems, but also have ripple effects on every sector of the economy and society including economic stability, agriculture and food security, water access and sanitation, health and well-being, education, tourism and livelihoods.
      
      Building the resilience of local communities to climate shocks and disasters is not only an ethical imperative but can also have positive impacts on the environment, the economy, and well-being, as well as reduce inequalities and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of Agenda 2030. Not only are climate resilient communities better able to cope with climate change impacts, but this improved resiliency is also applicable to other shocks and stressors, such as current and future pandemics, and economic and social crises. This enhanced resilience is particularly  vital  for  vulnerable  and  marginalized  local  actors  and communities  in  particular women, youth, persons with disabilities and Indigenous Peoples.
       
   2. Community-Based Adaptation (CBA)
      CBA is a locally led process that empowers people and communities to plan for and cope with current and future climate change impacts. The CBA approach is inclusive and centered on the priorities and processes chosen by the community. It involves shifting the power to local stakeholders to lead or meaningfully participate in adaptation actions, and does not prioritize the interests of external parties over those of the community. While CBA projects are very similar to other community development projects, there are two main distinctions: i) projects address problems induced by climate change, often long-term in nature, as opposed to shorter-term climate or weather variability; and ii) projects demand a strong emphasis on the process and not just outcomes. They are not just projects implemented at the community level or projects that involve communities in a symbolic manner to achieve pre-determined objectives.
      
      CBA is an important component of the larger picture of the management and avoidance of climate change impacts by local people. It provides information and concrete examples on potential impacts of climate change and mitigative measures which are context and location specific and managed by the community. CBA also generates information and learnings that can be adapted, shared and replicated in appropriate formats to other communities and climate change adaptation (CCA) projects.
       
   3. Community Based Adaption Programme – CBA Phase 3
      Over 2009 to 2020, with financial support and partnership from the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP), implemented the Mekong-Asia-Pacific (MAP CBA). The programmes supported 237 projects with 12 million Australian dollars in 41 countries.
      
      Building on the success and learnings from these programmes, in 2022 SGP entered into a third phase of partnership with DFAT to fund the Community Based Adaptation Programme in Southeast Asia and the Pacific (CBA Phase 3). The main goal of this new phase of CBA funding is to further enhance the capacities of local communities across priority landscapes/seascapes by building their social and ecological resilience to climate change and contextualize these initiatives within COVID-19 recovery and resilience efforts. It is essential that Community-Based Adaption (CBA) is mainstreamed into overarching climate change adaptation strategies, programming and policies, and local actors must be given platforms to exercise their agency, voice their opinions and share their experiences, traditional and cultural knowledge, solutions, and learnings.
       
2. Thematic Areas
   The GEF-SGP-UNDP announces the Call for Proposals to award grants to Malaysia non-governmental organizations, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) to undertake a systems analysis approach to the development and implementation of solutions that address the following Thematic Areas:
   
   Water security and resource management: access to clean water and sanitation is and economic enabler and is vital to building climate resilience and recovery from COVID-19. However, many communities still lack basic water access. Climate change, which directly impacts the water cycle, acts as a multiplier of the risks of water scarcity by increasing the variability and unpredictability of water resources.
   
   Thus, sustainably managing water resources is a critical aspect of the CBA Programme. Rainwater harvesting, nature-based solutions (NBS) such as watershed rehabilitation and enhancements to water storage capacities will be employed by the CBA Programme to improve both domestic and agricultural water supply and access.
   
   Oceans and coastal zone management: NBS such as mangrove restoration and rehabilitation of coastal vegetation are commonly used to adapt to these challenges and will be employed in this new phase. Using a landscape approach, initiatives will also focus on managing saltwater intrusion, improving coastal freshwater supplies, sustainable fisheries and marine conservation, and participatory mapping exercises to identify coastal assets and resources. The CBA programme will also focus on the blue economy and building resilience of coastal and marine ecosystems to the impacts of climate change.
   
   Agriculture, fisheries and food security: Droughts, flooding, shifting seasons and increased variability in rainfall and temperature patterns continue to affect agricultural production across the globe. These impacts are even more severe for smallholder farmers. For rural farming communities this can lead to food insecurity, poverty, poor health, nutrition and wellbeing. To cope with these challenges CBA projects will invest in sustainable agro-ecological production techniques to boost productivity and income generation, improve ecosystem services, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, where possible.
   
   Land degradation: CBA projects will focus on nature-based solutions (NBS), agro-ecology and sustainable land management practices to improve ecosystem services and address some of the drivers of land degradation and other environment challenges at the community level.
   
   Disaster risk reduction (DRR): DRR takes a systematic approach to adapting to climate change- induced hazards with a focus on preventing these hazards from evolving into full-fledged disasters. It includes a wide range of adaptation activities, such as risk and vulnerability assessments, utilizing early warning systems, improving multi-sectoral communication and collaboration, and education and awareness. DRR, disaster management and preparedness will be a cross-cutting theme in this new CBA phase.
    
3. Eligibility:
   1. Locally registered Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) / Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) / Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), with certificate of registration.
   2. Local registered bank account of the organisation.
   3. Unregistered CBOs or CBOs without bank accounts, please contact SGP Secretariat for potential arrangement of an intermediary contract which signed with established NGOs.
   4. Organisation demonstrates strong organizational capacity to implement SGP grant projects and meet SGP requirements.
   5. Proposal demonstrates strong community involvement in the planned or proposed project.
       
4. Budget:
   6. The maximum amount per grant project will be limited to US$50.000 for small grant project and up to US$ 100,000 for strategic grant project. It is advisable applicant request for grant based on the estimated expenditures required to conduct proposed activities, NOT based on maximum grant available. Applicants are required to submit a detailed budgetary estimate using the template provided.
       
5. Project Duration: Between 12 – 24 months
   7. All projects must be undertaken and completed ranging from 12-months to a maximum 24-months’ time frame. The funds will be distributed on a milestone completion basis.
       
6. Relevant Documents:
   Applications MUST be submitted using the provided templates.
   1. Proposal Template
   2. Budget Template
   3. CBA Programme Guidance notes
      
      Notes: Languages used in proposal, BOTH Malay and English are accepted.
       
7. Deadline for proposal submission:
   Completed proposal should be received by the SGP National Coordinator no later than 30 September 2023 with subject: Community-based Adaptation Proposal
    
8. Planning Grant
   Applicants who require planning grants to support for feasibility study, community consultation and information gathering to complete the full proposal, please contact SGP Secretariat.
   1. Planning Grant Template
   2. Budget Template
       
9. Grant Application Process
   
    
10. Proposal Assessment Criteria
    Grant applications will be reviewed by the NSC members and deliberated during the NSC Meeting. The following criteria are used to assess all applications:
     
    • Relevance of the Action that are consistence with SGP GEF-7 Project Document and draft landscape strategy.
    • Design of the Action (Problem Statement, Justification, Objectives, Outcomes & Activities; work plan & community involvement).
    • Project Implementation and Management Capacity & Co-financing
    • Sustainability of the action (Tangible impacts, scaling up, replication, sustainable financial, policy impact & environmental impact).
    • Budget and cost-effectiveness of the action.
    • Budget (i) Compatible (ii) Reasonable. (iii) Cofinancing
      
       

Submission of proposal to SGP Secretariat:

Lee Shin Shin (Ms)
National Coordinator
GEF Small Grants Programme - Malaysia
Email: shin.shin.lee@undp.org

Nurul Fitrah Mohd Ariffin Marican (Ms)
Programme Assistant
Email: nurul.fitrah.mohd.ariffin.marican@undp.org

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