Rapid Action Grants for African CSOs to Conserve Threatened Species

Rapid Action Grants for African CSOs to Conserve Threatened Species

Rapid Action Grants for African CSOs to Conserve Threatened Species

IUCN SOS (Save Our Species) is issuing a call to Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to submit proposals targeting the conservation of any or all of the target species and other threatened African species according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (i.e. those species that are assessed as Vulnerable (VU), Endangered (EN), or Critically Endangered (CR)).

The objective of this Call for Proposals is to enable and support CSOs engaged in the conservation of threatened species to carry out urgent conservation measures at local level to protect the species and their habitat.

Eligible projects should respond to emergency situations requiring rapid action, rather than proposing programmatic action on long-standing issues.

Financial Allocation

Maximum grant size for the Rapid Action Grant (RAG) is EUR 25,000 with no matching funds required. The proposed project activities should be consistent with the amount requested and include a work plan.

It is important to be realistic as to what can be achieved with the available amount and within the implementation period of the project.

Expenses incurred outside Africa must be kept to a minimum and carefully justified.

Project Duration

The maximum duration of the project should be 12 months. The start date of the project will be determined by the date of the signature of the grant contract.

The performance of the contract cannot start before its entry into force.

Project Results and Activities need to be clear, attainable and resolve the immediate threat within the timeframe of the grant.

Eligibility Criteria

In order to be eligible for a grant the applicant must be:

• A legal person and
• Be non-profit-making and
• Be a civil society entity, local or international non-governmental organisation.Projects presented by local and national CSOs, including indigenous organizations (Community Based Organisations) will be favourably considered. African NGOs are encouraged to apply.

  International NGOs applying will be required to work closely with national stakeholders, local communities and with the consent and all required authorizations from the government.

• If international NGOs apply, overseas costs (indirect costs, salaries and international travel) will have to be minimal and justification for their need provided.In the case of international NGOs having a legally registered office in Africa, SOS will privilege the signature of a grant agreement and direct transfer of funds to their African registered office.

  Working with governments is encouraged although governments and government-affiliated entities are not eligible to receive grants directly.

  The costs of travel for government bodies (for example for attending a workshop) can be reimbursed if they are directly linked to the project.

   

• Grantees cannot have a conflict of interest in applying for this call.A conflict of interest may arise in particular as a result of economic interests, political or national affinities, family or emotional ties, or any other relevant connection or shared interest.
• Grantees cannot be current employees of IUCN or close relatives (i.e. immediate family) of IUCN employees.Eligible Activities

   

• A range of conservation activities are eligible including, but not limited to, the following:
• Investigation of sudden new threats to species in specific locations (diseases, pollution, stranding, oil spill, anarchic development);
• Rapid support for specific actions aiming at preserving highly threatened species (targeted support for protected areas, meeting to agree last chance emergency measures, purchase of crucial equipment to protect specific threatened species);
• Urgent surveys and monitoring in the face of development. Proposed activities must observe all relevant environmental and social Principles and
• Standards. Short-listed projects will be subjected to a full Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) screening through the use of the ESMS questionnaire.
• Projects must be implemented in Sub-Saharan continental Africa (with the exception of South Africa).The following countries are eligible: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea,

  Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia,

  Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

  Ineligible Activities

   

• Projects proposing pure research activities, captive breeding or conservation planning are not eligible. 
• The following types of action are ineligible: the purchase of land, buildings and firearms, activities adversely affecting people and local communities or where these communities have not provided their broad support to the project activities (e.g. involuntary resettlement of people), the removal or altering of any physical cultural property (includes sites having archaeological, paleontological, historical, religious, or unique natural values) and activities that duplicate work previously funded by SOS.Components of the Project Proposal

   

• Application templates (technical and financial) are available online for submitting the proposals. Applicants can submit applications in English or French. Templates and guidelines are available in each language.
• The proposal must indicate how the project will be structured, staffed, and managed.
• Applicants must demonstrate capacity to manage and implement successful projects. Proposals should include a clear logical framework demonstrating how Activities will lead to Outputs and Results.Proposals should concretely describe anticipated impacts of the project and how they will resolve the threat resulting from the emergency.

  The proposal should also include a project monitoring plan with clear measurable indicators; two types of indicators must be considered:

  Indicators related to the target species, their habitat and the people who depend on it such as

   

• Change in population numbers of target species,
• Measurable reduction of threat to target species and its habitat,
• Number of project beneficiaries,
• Enabling conditions for conservation such as improvement of management effectiveness.
• Indicators related to the project proponent; these indicators will help evaluate increase in capacity of the proponent. Over the course of the project the proponent will be asked to report on parameters such as number of staff, increase in the organisation’s annual budget, new grants signed as a direct result of the project, number of members, number of visitors on website or followers on social media.How to Apply

  Applications can be submitted only through the SOS ONLINE PORTAL. They need to create an account to upload an application.

  Applications accepted all year round.

   

  For more information and application details, see; Rapid Action Grants for African CSOs to Conserve Threatened Species