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

Overview and objectives

Summary:

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…

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.

Objective:

The Fund will be structured to support catalytic initiatives to help to overcome identified barriers to upscaling EbA. Furthermore, it is expected that the Fund will address the gaps in knowledge and…

The Fund will be structured to support catalytic initiatives to help to overcome identified barriers to upscaling EbA. Furthermore, it is expected that the Fund will address the gaps in knowledge and planning for EbA, as well as to increase access to public and private funding for catalytic adaptation interventions.

The project will prioritize filling in resourcing and knowledge gaps with a broad thematic focus on innovation and urgency, thus encouraging creative solutions and partnerships among funding applicants and the wider EbA community. By supporting catalytic interventions, the Fund will address research gaps, pilot innovative EbA approaches, engage in strategic EbA policy mainstreaming, and incentivise innovative finance mechanisms and private sector EbA investment. The Fund will leverage relevant partnerships and networks including FEBA, the Global Adaptation Network (GAN), and the Global Commission on Adaptation (GCA), among others.

The following are just some examples of the types of interventions that could have catalytic impact. This is hardly exhaustive.
• Directed research addressing how to overcome specific constraints for EbA and address gaps in knowledge (e.g. economic valuation, gender integration, capturing mitigation co-benefits, incentives for private sector investment, trade-offs and limits for EbA, etc)
• Strategic pilot or demonstration actions, specifically where the Fund identifies high potential for up-scaling through multilateral funds (e.g. GCF) and other adaptation finance options, for which the Fund would directly build capacity of the grantee(s)
• Piloting innovative or “unproven” approaches for EbA, where monitoring of impacts can build knowledge base on costs and benefits (impact)
• Removing barriers from up-scaling EbA interventions at the policy or landscape levels
• Support for strategic and focused EbA policy mainstreaming (e.g. integrating EbA approaches into a municipal plan)
• Innovative finance mechanisms for EbA (e.g. community incentive schemes, payments for ecosystem services, etc.)
• Incentivising private sector investment in EbA and de-risking lending for EbA approaches (e.g. through agricultural lending).