Grant Call 1 Overview

Grant Call 1: Project Grants 

How to apply

Grant Call 1 is now closed. 21 locally led initiatives were awarded REDAA funding. 

Overview of this call

REDAA invites proposals for locally led initiatives to improve evidence, tools, and governance that can help people and nature thrive together in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia. All proposals should positively address action for nature and climate and gender equality and social inclusion. Proposals should also focus on one or more of the thematic priorities (further explained in the ‘Thematic priorities’ section below):        

1.    Local research and capability for research         
2.    Resource and land use assessments        
3.    Business models        
4.    Financing mechanisms         
5.    Inclusive governance systems         

Successful proposals will receive 'Project Grants'. These are medium-scale grants between £200,000 and £500,000 (GBP) for research-to-action initiatives lasting two to four years. Following this first call it is expected that up to 21 Project Grants will be awarded via a two-stage proposal process: Stage 1 for Concept Notes; followed by Stage 2 for Full Proposals. Only applicants who are successful at Stage 1 will be invited to submit Full Proposals.  

In addition to reading the Guidance for Applicants document applicants should refer to the REDAA Strategy for information about the programme’s rationale, aims, approach, main actions and development. We also strongly encourage applicants to read the scoping studies which have shaped the strategy. 

Timeline

Thematic priorities

Applicants should demonstrate how their initiatives positively address integrated action for nature and climate, and gender equality and social inclusion. They will also address one or more of the following thematic priorities:

1. Local research and capability for research         
Locally led evidence generation, including on local and traditional knowledge, and developing local research capability, local research networks and appropriate data systems, and installing local research into national or regional information systems.  

2. Resource and land use assessments        
Integrated multi-objective participatory natural resource and land use assessments, and decision support tools such as scenarios and spatial analyses that incorporate biophysical, social, political and economic data and information.    

3. Business models        
Development by non-profit and community organisations, and co-development with enterprise partners, of productive business models based on ecosystem goods and services that are sustainable, equitable and climate-resilient.        

4. Financing mechanisms         
Establishment of finance mechanisms and finance flows for locally led initiatives that are direct, patient and long-term.        

5. Inclusive governance systems         
Improvements by locally led initiatives of the security of tenure and resource rights of Indigenous people and local communities, and of inter-disciplinary, cross-sectoral and multi-stakeholder decision-making and governance of landscapes, ecosystems and restoration initiatives.        

More information on these themes can be found in the REDAA Strategy.

Geographic focus

REDAA supports research-to-action initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia. A full list of eligible countries is available in the Guidance for Applicants document. 

Initiatives can operate in more than one country, and may seek to tackle transboundary drivers of environmental degradation; however, this is not a requirement.

REDAA encourages action in certain ecologies and landscape types to protect, conserve, restore and/or manage sustainably terrestrial, freshwater and coastal ecosystems. However, REDAA does not prescribe a list of specific landscapes in which it aims to support initiatives. Rather, it encourages potential grantees to demonstrate in their proposals the rationale for their choice of location and scale of their operation. Please refer to the Guidance for Applicants document for more information. 

Eligibility Criteria

Lead Organisations        
Concept Notes must name one Lead Organisation. This will be the organisation that will make an agreement with the REDAA programme and receive a grant, if the proposal is successful, and will be ultimately responsible for delivery and management of the project, including management of any partners and sub-grantees.         

Lead Organisations based within one of the three focal regions (sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia or Southeast Asia) will be prioritised for funding. A minority of projects with lead organisations based outside the region or country of focus may be considered for funding if the proposals demonstrate strong partnerships with locally led organisations.         

Lead Organisations must be able to demonstrate that they are:        
•    Non-profit organisations, which may be non-governmental organisations, research institutions or community-based organisations that are legally registered in the countries in which they operate        
•    Experienced in the kind of work they propose to undertake        
•    Financially sound         
•    Staffed with the appropriate technical and financial capacity and expertise to manage and implement projects successfully and deliver technical and financial reporting.         

At Concept Note stage, the last three years of audited accounts for the Lead Organisation are requested, along with information about the average turnover (income) in GBP over the last three years. The expected annual expenditure of the proposed project must be no more than 25% of this average annual turnover/income figure.          

Partner Organisations and sub-grantees        
The Lead Organisation may partner with one or more other organisations, including formation of a research consortium where applicable. In projects where Partner Organisations are involved, the project should be co-designed with those partners. Government agencies and inter-governmental and UN agencies may be vital project partners, and we strongly encourage such partnership, but they will not be eligible to receive funding from the REDAA programme.        

Partner Organisations which may also be eligible sub-grantees include:         
•    Other non-profit organisations, which may be non-governmental organisations, research institutions or community-based organisations         
•    Private sector organisations, businesses or business associations, which may be subcontracted to undertake specific planned actions for the project, provided this partnership can demonstrate value for money in its costs and benefits to the project

Detailed information on eligibility is provided in the Guidance for Applicants document. 

Webinar for potential grant applicants

20 June, 9:30-10:30am British Summer Time (UTC+1)

On 20th June REDAA hosted a webinar for potential grant applicants. This event provided more information on the first funding call, gave further details on how to apply and provided applicants with the opportunity to put their questions to the REDAA team. A full recording of this event is now available, along with a write up of the question-and-answer session.

Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to attend this session.   

Supporting links

Guidance for Applicants
Application Questions
Frequently Asked Questions              
REDAA Strategy  
REDAA Scoping studies   

Complimentary programmes

REDAA compliments a number of current international research and funding initiatives in the United Kingdom, including:

• The Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate (GCBC)
  The GCBC is a UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme that funds research into natural solutions to climate change and poverty. By working in partnership with scientists, academics, and research institutions in the Global South, the programme seeks to develop scalable approaches to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity that delivers climate solutions and improves livelihoods. The GCBC is funded by the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), and managed in partnership with DAI Global and Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (RBG Kew).
• Climate Adaptation and Resilience (CLARE)
  CLARE is a Canada-UK partnership to enable socially inclusive and sustainable action to build resilience to climate change and natural hazards for people across the Global South. Co-funded and designed by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC), CLARE enables socially inclusive and sustainable action to build resilience and reduce vulnerability to risks from climate change and natural hazards for the most vulnerable. 
• Equitable nature-based climate resilience in sub-Saharan Africa
  This joint UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and UK FCDO transdisciplinary research programme aims to enhance understanding of the scalability and contextualisation of Nature-based Solutions in sub-Saharan Africa.