Apia, Samoa – More local community organisations look set to benefit from the latest round of funding from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF-SGP).

Since its establishment in Samoa in 2003, SGP has supported environment-related programmes, delivering an estimated US$5.2 million dollars for 266 small grant projects on climate knowledge and advocacy, capacity building, financing, technology transfer, adaptation and mitigation.

The core funds grant allocation for this year under Operational Phase 7 is US$556,023, plus US$200,000 for the Plastics Innovation Programme, for a total grant allocation of USD$756,023, which is approximately $1,997,413 Tālā.

A workshop was held on Wednesday 15^th June 2022 to help potential applicants from local communities fill out the application forms as the call for proposals is now open.

“The Government of Samoa attaches great importance to durable, genuine partnerships and therefore has invested heavily to work with the UN agencies including the UNDP GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP), to support national capacities and efforts to address climate change and other environmental areas,” said the Hon. Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster, at the workshop opening.

New community organisations with an environment focus are encouraged to apply.

“The new round of funding is a great opportunity, especially for the most vulnerable communities who have not yet received a grant in the past, to realize critical community-level activities that support sustainable development in one or more of the seven GEF focal areas – biodiversity, land degradation, climate change adaptation, climate change mitigation, chemicals and waste, international waters and capacity development. I hope that we will receive a high number of grant proposals from women’s groups and women’s village organizations that put the interests of Samoan women and girls at the centre,” said the UNDP Officer-In-Charge, Verena Linneweber.

Projects funded by SGP can be implemented within 12 to 36 months.

A similar workshop will be held for potential applicants in Savaii, on June 17^th, 2022, at the Don Bosco Hall, Salelologa from 9am-12:30pm.

The application forms for the Call for Proposals, available both in English and Samoan, can be uplifted from the SGP Office, at the One UN House, Tuanaimato, or downloaded from the UNDP Samoa website - https://www.undp.org/samoa. 

The deadline for submissions is July 29^th, 2022.