Large innovation projects
Grants of up to US$5 million to scale or spread innovative climate-adaptation solutions in eligible developing countries, submitted through accredited implementing entities.
Această oportunitate este disponibilă momentan în limba engleză.
The Adaptation Fund supports larger-scale testing or wider use of adaptation practices, tools and technologies that have shown viability at a smaller scale or success in another country. Projects may cover one country, several countries or more than one region. Examples include climate-resilient agriculture, water management, disaster-risk reduction, urban adaptation and nature-based solutions. Show how the innovation responds to a defined climate risk and produces tangible, measurable benefits for vulnerable people or ecosystems.
The main grant is up to US$5 million. Co-financing is not compulsory: explain why each component's costs are needed to achieve adaptation outcomes. Activities funded by the grant must be able to deliver their outcomes even if a parallel project financed by another donor does not succeed. The innovation allocation is separate from the regular single-country and regional funding caps.
Accredited entities can request a Project Formulation Grant to prepare the proposal, including studies and consultations. Request it with the concept or regional pre-concept; funding depends on Board endorsement and is limited to preparation work. Return any unused preparation funds to the Fund through its trustee. Submit the fully developed proposal within 12 months after the preparation grant is disbursed. You cannot be awarded a preparation grant for another project until that full proposal has been submitted.
Single-country preparation ceilings, including management fees, are US$50,000 for projects below US$2 million, US$100,000 for projects from US$2 million to below US$5 million, and US$150,000 for projects of US$5 million or more. For regional projects of at least US$5 million involving two countries, the ceiling is US$150,000, rising by US$15,000 for each additional country, up to US$250,000.
For qualifying locally led adaptation projects, the Board can consider up to US$100,000 in additional preparation funding, including management fees, to support local actors in deciding how adaptation actions are defined, prioritised, designed and implemented. At the pre-concept stage, at most 20% of the applicable preparation ceiling can be requested. The large-innovation operational rules limit total funding including the formulation grant to US$5 million; preparation funding should therefore be planned within the applicable overall budget, rather than treated as an automatic top-up.
The budget distinguishes the implementing entity's oversight fee from the executing organisation's delivery costs. Implementing-entity fees are capped at 8.5% of total project costs for single-country projects and 10% for regional projects. Where a different organisation executes the project, execution costs normally have separate caps of 9.5% and 10%, respectively. Innovation projects can request justified exceptions to execution-cost limits for individual assessment. Combining oversight and execution requires an exceptional authorisation, a reasoned written request from the recipient country and involvement of its Designated Authority. If the implementing entity also executes all or part of the project, the execution-cost cap is 1.5%, with justified exceptions considered individually. These limits govern the project budget.
Plan to document and share lessons and use them to improve the project during delivery. The implementing entity carries financial, monitoring and reporting responsibility, including annual progress reports. Build results indicators into the proposal; projects lasting more than three years require a mid-term review. The rules also provide for independent final evaluation, procurement controls and suspension or cancellation for financial irregularities or material contractual breach.
Eligibility
- The submitting organisation must be a national, regional or multilateral implementing entity with current Adaptation Fund status “Accredited”. An ordinary company, community group or research organisation cannot apply directly unless it holds that accreditation. Executing organisations deliver activities under an accredited entity's oversight.
- Projects must serve developing-country Parties to the Kyoto Protocol or Paris Agreement that are particularly vulnerable to climate change. Obtain the government's endorsement through its Designated Authority, the official responsible for confirming alignment with national adaptation priorities. A regional proposal needs endorsement from every participating country's Designated Authority. A regional implementing entity must operate in the relevant region or subregion.
- Explain how the proposed innovation is new, adapted or improved for its context and why it will help people adapt. Standalone patent development or business creation, basic technology transfer without meaningful innovation, measures already well demonstrated elsewhere over time that have no innovative element in their application to the new context, and very high-risk ideas without evidence do not qualify. Adapting a proven solution to a new setting still needs a credible innovation process.
- Align the project with relevant national adaptation and development plans, legal requirements and technical standards. Screen environmental and social risks, plan how to avoid or manage harm, and meet the Fund's environmental, social and gender policies. Projects with potential environmental or social harm require an assessment, normally with the full proposal. Deferral is limited to certain Category B projects, with less severe risks, where the activities requiring assessment are a minor part and including it is not feasible. The agreement must then require completion before construction, with progress reported annually; identified risks also require a management plan.
- Involve affected communities in design and reflect their views in the proposal. Consult relevant minority and Indigenous groups at concept stage and undertake a comprehensive, gender-responsive consultation for the full proposal. Exceptional deferral of a particular consultation can be justified where it would be more effective later, but the most vulnerable groups specifically targeted by the project must be identified and consulted before submission.
How to apply
- Statut
- Deschis continuu
Proposals can be submitted on a rolling basis. The Fund's secretariat reviews them and technically recommended proposals go to an upcoming Board meeting; submission does not guarantee an immediate decision or funding.
Start with an accredited implementing entity and the relevant country's Designated Authority. Use the large-innovation application templates on the official programme page, including the signed endorsement letter. A concept followed by a full proposal is recommended for a single-country project; a regional project can also start with a pre-concept. The pre-concept and concept stages are optional, although the Fund advises using the concept stage for large innovation projects.
Prepare the climate-risk and innovation case, activities, consultations, safeguards, budget and delivery arrangements. Include realistic quantified results, milestones and indicators, with gender-responsive measures where appropriate. Align the results with the Fund's innovation outcome and include at least one relevant outcome and output indicator. Send the proposal to Submissions@adaptation-fund.org, copying sdobardzic@adaptation-fund.org and agomes3@adaptation-fund.org.
If approved, the implementing entity signs the standard legal agreement. It must sign within four months of notification of approval or the committed funds are cancelled. Funds are released in tranches against the agreed milestone schedule; the Board may require a progress review before payment and can suspend transfers for misuse.