Global Fund to Support the Implementation and Upscaling of Ecosystem-based Adaptation

There has been a welcome increase in multilateral and bilateral funding for longer-term, integrated adaptation and specific EbA programming. However, intervals between advertising, allocating and implementing the funds required for these projects can be significant. To contribute to addressing the barriers identified relating to understanding, planning and investment, and to address the challenges in scaling up EbA and accessing public funding for catalytic interventions in adaptation, a fast-start, Global EbA Fund is proposed. In tandem with the EbA Fund, there is need for increased effort to shift broader public and private sector support and funding towards EbA to encourage a greater impact and catalytic effect. These efforts can serve to magnify the effectiveness of the Global EbA Fund.

To complement the political action, a Global EbA Fund in the form of a fast-start support mechanism would be able to incubate innovative ideas. By focusing on the acute challenges, in an adaptive and responsive process, the programme outcomes and benefits would be targeted and precise. To do so, they can leverage already active networks and actors in these areas which work in every region of the world. A Global EbA Fund could prioritize filling these and other gaps without being narrowly prescriptive in terms of geographic, sectoral or other common programming constraints. Instead, a broad thematic focus on innovation and urgency would encourage creative solutions and partnerships among funding applicants.

The Fund would accept and review applications year-round (i.e. on a “rolling” basis), then make funding decisions on a quarterly basis. Following each internal quarterly cut-off date, turnaround time for funding decisions (for smaller grants) or invitations to submit a second-stage proposal (for larger grants) will be made in under one month. Remaining due diligence, contract sign-off and disbursement of funds should take no more than one additional month. Under this model, time from proposal submission to project start would not exceed five months. The proposed budget for the fast start grants Fund is EUR 14M, which spread across four years of Fund operation allocates an average EUR 3.5M of funding per year. At a mean grant size of EUR 250K, the Fund could support an average 14 grants per year.