| Overview : Background The mission of the Papua New Guinea Biodiversity and Climate Fund (BCF) is “... to catalyze financial and technical resources to enable present and future generations of Papua New Guineans to restore, protect, and enhance the country’s biodiversity and build resilience in the face of climate change”. The Fund’s purpose is to mobilize and manage funding and channel financial resources and technical assistance to conserve biodiversity and address climate change, by: - Promoting and supporting effective and sustainable management of existing and future protected areas and other key biodiversity areas through effective conservation measures;
- Fostering climate mitigation and adaptation initiatives, focusing on nature/ecosystem-based solutions;
- Supporting sustainable development activities that deliver conservation outcomes and climate benefits and contribute to the economic well-being of the people of PNG - including customary landowners - while lessening the dependence on activities that degrade the environment;
- Increasing knowledge and understanding of biodiversity and climate issues by raising public awareness, promoting environmental education, and supporting field-based research;
- Building the capacity of local stakeholders to manage and implement biodiversity, climate, and economic development projects carried out in harmony with conservation objectives; and
- Supporting the country’s efforts to meet its national, regional, and global conservation and climate commitments.
The BCF offers grants to Papua New Guinea-based projects that contribute to the achievement of these objectives. The goal of the BCF is to competitively grant at least PGK 3.5 million (USD 1 million) annually to support the achievement of the Fund’s Theory of Change. The Fund hopes that these grants will help stimulate greater financial resources for conservation and climate action, creating stronger collaboration and coordination between partners and make a systemic change in PNG’s natural environment for the benefit of present and future generations. BCF’s Theory of Change The BCF has received grant funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to support the implementation of Outcome 1 under the Fund’s Theory of Change. The PGK 9.5 million (USD 2.7 million) will be disbursed over the next four years. The inaugural allocation for this first funding call in 2022 is PGK 3.5 million (USD 1 million). The funding is managed in partnership with UNDP under their grant implementation rules1. Protected Area financing (including other effective area-based conservation measures – OECMs) are a priority for the Fund as part of its biodiversity portfolio. The approach recognizes that PNG’s protected areas are under-funded – fewer than 15% of the country’s existing 61 protected areas have any ongoing funding. The objective under the Outcome 1 of the Fund is to enable meaningful financial support to priority protected areas, supporting them to effectively meet their conservation objectives. The scale of the interventions over the first three to five years will depend on mobilizing resources in addition to the funds provided under the GEF. Strategic approach of the first call for funding The first call for proposals is open to existing, legally gazetted Protected Areas, both marine and terrestrial that contribute to Outcome 1 of the Fund’s Theory of Change. A significant proportion of protected areas do not have the foundational plans that support communities to govern how their areas will be managed and sustained. An objective of the Fund over the first five years is to support the development and implementation of management and business plans for existing protected areas. Having well developed management plans along with strategies for their implementation represents key foundational work for ensuring the sustainability of the country’s protected areas in the future. The first call for funding is strategically focused on existing, legally gazetted Protected Areas, both marine and terrestrial, with the development of management plans and business plans. If management and business plans already exist, support is also considered to actions that support the sustainability of management activities and strengthen levels of biodiversity. As a result, the call for proposals will support the following activities: ( Refer Call For Proposal Document for detailed information) - Planning - Monitoring - Implemenation Applicants are encouraged to articulate the following within the funding proposal: - How proposed measures will actively protect and/or restore biodiversity and how results will be monitored.
- How women and youth are actively engaged and directly benefit from the project.
- How the actions will be continued beyond the period of the funding, to ensure sustainability.
Successful applicants will receive the following support from the Fund during the implementation of the project in addition to the grant: - Training and mentoring in financial management to ensure applicants are able to manage and account for the grant funds received.
- Capacity building on the collection of geo-located conservation and biodiversity data, using the Lukim Gather mobile app, to improve biodiversity and management effectiveness monitoring in PNG protected areas.
- Support to produce digital maps using the PNG Biodiversity and Climate geo-portal to support the development and implementation of management plans.
- Inclusion in the 2023 national Protected Area Forum to share their experiences and learn from other Protected Areas.
Grant amount The BCF will provide grants up to a maximum limit of PGK 350,000 (approximately USD 100,000) to be utilized and acquitted within 18 months of initial disbursements. The Fund aims to fund as many initiatives as possible within the funding window and will select applications based on their cost-effectiveness and impact. Applications should not exceed the established maximum amount and should demonstrate that the funds can be spent in the designated time period. Duration The implementation period is 18 months from the date of initial disbursement. Who is eligible to apply? In line with the BCF’s grants manual and UNDP, locally registered non-governmental organizations or community-based organisations are eligible to apply. Public and private entities are not entitled to apply under this funding call. Lead organisations must have legally existed and operated in Papua New Guinea for at least two years. The BCF actively supports partnerships and collaborations. Organisations based outside PNG may be proposal partners but may not be the lead organization. NOTE: The BCF’s due diligence requires us to screen the legal status of applicants. It is recommended to check that your application fully satisfies the screening procedures before submission. Submission process ( Refer Call For Proposal Document for detailed information) Selection and approval process of full proposals - Launch of call for proposals: September 2022
- Submission deadline for Expressions of Interest (Stage 1): 7th October 2022 (See Appendix A.)
- Full proposal workshop for eligible projects (Stage 2): last week of October 2022 - dates to be announced. (Port Moresby)
- Submission deadline for Stage 2 full proposals: exact dates will be communicated for successful first stage proposals.
- Secretariat will aim to provide notification to successful applicants, subject to Board approval by end of the year.
- Grant disbursement subject to negotiations during first quarter 2023.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Submission Instructions: The Applicant shall send the signed, and stamped application by email procurement.png@undp.org addressed to: Name: Dirk Wagener UNDP Resident Representative in Papua New Guinea With a note - "Grant Proposal." and Date of filing and name of Applicant. Or It can be delivered by hand with a note "Low-value grant project" at the following address: United Nations Development Programme, Kina Bank Haus, Level 14, Port Moresby, phone: 675-321-2887 Instruction for electronic submission (by email): Having prepared the application in paper format, the full set of documents constituting the application should be in any format (Doc or Pdf) format file and attached to one or more email (s). The mandatory subject of the email for ‘Call for Proposals for Low Value Grant’. Please note only proposals in Doc or PDF format will be accepted for consideration. Deadline for the submission of applications UNDP must receive the applications at the email indicated by the following dates: - Submission deadline for Stage 1 proposals: 7th October 2022
- Submission deadline for Stage 2 full proposals: 18th November 2022
UNDP, at its discretion, may extend the deadline for the submission of applications in connection with amendments to the documents for the submission of applications, in accordance with the Clause on Amendments to the Documents for the Acceptance of Applications. In this case, all the rights and obligations of the UNDP office and the applicants, which had effect before the deadline for submission, will continue to be valid until the extended deadline for the submission of applications. Applications received after the deadline Any applications received by the UNDP office after the deadline for submitting applications, in accordance with the Clause on the deadline for the submission of applications, will be either rejected or considered in the next round (if any). Attachments: Appendix A : Expression of Interest Template (Stage 1) Appendix B: Instructions to Applicants Appendix C: Applicant Information Template for Low-Value Grant Project Appendix D: Project Application Form for Low-Value Grants Appendix E: Letter of Endorsement by Government | 
