The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) and BirdLife International, as the Regional Implementation Team (RIT) for the hotspot, are inviting proposals in the form of letters of enquiry (LOIs) for large grants of non-governmental organisations, community groups, private companies, universities and other civil society organisations (CSOs).
CEPF is a joint initiative of L'Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, the European Union, the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan and the World Bank. A key objective is to ensure that civil society is engaged in biodiversity conservation.
The Mediterranean Basin Biodiversity Hotspot is the second largest hotspot in the world and the largest of the world's five Mediterranean climate regions. CEPF's investment niche in the Mediterranean was formulated through a participatory process involving civil society, donors and government actors throughout the region.
Financing Information
- US$ 20,000 to US$ 110,000.
Eligible activities
- LOIs will only be accepted for the following strategic direction and country:
- Strategic Direction 1: Support civil society to engage stakeholders in demonstrating integrated approaches to preserving biodiversity in coastal areas.
- Country: Cape Verde
- Under Strategic Direction 1, the following investment priorities are eligible under this call:
- Investment Priority 1.1: Engage local stakeholders in conservation actions that address threats to key biodiversity elements in priority KBAs in the coastal zone.
- Investment Priority 1.3: Support civil society to engage with local or national governments for biodiversity conservation in integrated processes of coastal zone management, land use and development planning.
- More specifically, CEPF hopes to support projects aimed at:
- Support the creation of a new protected area through innovative management initiatives.
- Improve the management of existing protected areas, including by initiating site co-management and/or by drafting/updating/implementing strategic documents such as management plans.
- Develop or strengthen concrete conservation actions aimed at protecting endangered species.
- Improving knowledge and monitoring.
- Supporting best practices for artisanal fishing (in particular, improving sustainable fishing practices, reducing catches and building synergies with marine protected areas).
- Mobilising the local private sector in support of practices favourable to biodiversity, supporting small businesses in ecotourism, local fishing, valorisation of local products (fish, shells, food products), support for local farmers or cooperatives, etc.
Eligibility criteria
- Non-governmental organisations, community groups, universities and private companies can apply for funding. Individuals should work with civil society organisations to develop applications rather than applying directly.
- Organisations must have their own bank account and be authorised by the relevant national laws to receive charitable contributions.
- Companies or government institutions are only eligible if they can demonstrate that the company or institution has..:
- a legal personality independent of any government agency or actor;
- the authority to solicit and receive private funds; AND
- cannot assert a claim to sovereign immunity.
- Grants may not be used for
- the purchase of land, involuntary resettlement of people or activities that negatively affect physical cultural resources, including those important to local communities.
- activities that negatively affect indigenous peoples or where these communities have not given broad support to the project's activities.
- removal or alteration of any physical cultural property (includes sites with archaeological, paleontological, historical, religious or unique natural values).
Application process
- Applications (LOIs) can be submitted in English or Portuguese. All applications must be submitted via the Conservation Grants website. CEPF will not accept LOIs by email or any other mechanism. You will receive an acknowledgement from CEPF confirming that your submission through Conservation Grants has been received. This is a new online system, so for CEPF applicants or grantees who applied in Phase I (2012-2017), please note that the Grant Writer/GEM system is no longer in use, and you will need to create a new Conservation Grants account to apply.
- Register a new account by clicking on the blue "New User?" link below the "Sign In" box. Existing Conservation Grants users can use the same login information and create a new LOI. Questions about account creation or problems using Conservation Grants should be sent by e-mail. The LOI review process will take approximately eight weeks from the deadline date.
- The review committee will select the strongest LOIs that meet the eligibility criteria. All applicants will receive a response from CEPF after their project has been reviewed. Applications invited to the second stage will be developed into a full proposal through Conservation Grants. Full proposals that receive a positive review will lead to the award of a grant between Conservation International, as the headquarters of the CEPF Secretariat, and the applicant's institution (the "beneficiary"). Grants will be denominated in United States dollars and grant agreements will be in English.
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