The GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) is a global programme implemented by UNDP and operational in 125 countries. It was established in 1992, the year of the Rio Earth Summit, and embodies the very essence of sustainable development by "thinking globally acting locally". 

The GEF SGP provides financial and technical support to projects that conserve and restore the environment while enhancing people's well-being and livelihoods. It demonstrates that community action can maintain the fine balance between human needs and environmental imperatives. 

A key objective of the SGP funding mechanism is to ensure that local livelihoods are improved, and the general welfare of communities is enhanced, alongside the protection of the environment. To this end, the SGP awards grants of up to $50,000 directly to local communities including indigenous peoples, community-based organizations, NGOs and other non-governmental groups for projects in biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation and sustainable land management. 

The SGP operates in a decentralized and country-driven manner through a National Coordinator and a National Steering Committee (NSC). The NSC is composed of members from NGOs, academic and scientific institutions, private sector, national government, UNDP, with a majority of members coming from the non-governmental sector. The NSC provides overall guidance and direction to the Country Programme and contributes to developing and implementing strategies for Country Programme sustainability. Furthermore, it establishes linkages with the private sector for purposes of partnership building and resource mobilization. 

The current membership of the GEF Small Grants Programme is currently 9:3 of whom represent Government institutions, 1 represents the UNDP and 5 serve in their private capacity. The private sector representative will be the sixth. Government offices represented on the NSC are: State Department of Environment and Climate Change; State Department for Livestock Development; and State Department of Wildlife. Members serving in their private capacity represent the following thematic areas: agro-ecology; ASALs/rangelands; coastal and marine; youth; and gender/Indigenous Peoples. 

To augment the operations of the National Steering Committee, UNDP invites applications from persons active in the private sector who have strong ties, networks and/or expertise with sectors relevant to SGP, including community empowerment; biodiversity conservation; indigenous peoples; renewable energy; and ecosystem restoration to serve on the committee. 

APPLICATION PROCESS 

Interested candidates are invited to submit applications that include their CV accompanied by a letter of interest. 

The application should reach the office of the GEF SGP via email no later than CoB Monday October 13th 2025. 

All applications are to be sent to the following addresses: sgpinfo.ke@undp.org