Nassau, The Bahamas | 21 October 2025 – Bahamian organizations can now access climate action grants of up to 75 000 USD under a new funding cycle of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP) – the first since GEF SGP globally deepened its partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

UNDP Resident Representative Dr Kishan Khoday in disclosing that UNDP is now effectively both executing and implementing agency for GEF SGP worldwide, announced that Bahamian NGOs, CBOs, and academic institutions, can qualify for the grants by submitting project proposals starting 9 November until 9 December.

He was addressing a Meet and Greet event with local NGO partners in Nassau at the Baha Mar Hotel this morning attended by Bahamas Protected Area Fund (BPAF); Smart and Strong Sisterhood (SASS); Organization for Responsible Governance (Bahamas) Foundation (ORG); FEM STEM Bahamas; Bahamas National Trust (BNT) and The Nature Conservancy.

Dr Khoday said the winning project proposals will cover at least one of four thematic areas which are: community-based conservation of threatened ecosystems and species; sustainable agriculture and fisheries, and food security; low-carbon energy access co-benefits; local to global coalitions for chemicals and waste management; and water conservation.

UNDP/GEF SGP Senior National Coordinator in The Bahamas, Deon Stewart further disclosed that smaller planning grants of up to 5000 USD will also become available to conduct studies for the implementation of a pilot project, collect information to support the full proposal, and/or proposal development assistance. He said UNDP/GEF SGP will be conducting proposal workshops to support interested organizations in preparing for the project proposal and submission process.  

In providing further details on the UNDP/GEF SGP cooperation, Dr Khoday said the development marks a deepening of organizational cooperation on climate and ecosystem resilience, which are priorities under UNDP’s strategic plan.  

“SGP’s work on the ground widens the base of UNDP climate partnerships in the field, where real challenges are felt and pragmatic solutions, generated. Importantly, this development also paves the way for upscaling GEF SGP projects leveraging complementary UNDP projects and donor resources”, Dr Khoday stated.

He said Mr. Stewart, the UNDP/GEF SGP senior national coordinator, will advance efforts to scale up the role of SGP as a platform for local action.

Dr Khoday lauded local partners and beneficiaries of GEF SGP for innovative climate solutions which have made impactful change in The Bahamas.  

He assured the meeting that UNDP’s commitment to The Bahamas’ climate agenda has never been stronger, and that more strategic and innovative partnerships have become necessary to address worsening climate change impacts.

UNDP’s cooperation with The Bahamas was initiated in July 1974, with the year 2026 signaling 52 years of partnership. Since then, UNDP has partnered with The Bahamas largely on climate and disaster risk resilience and debt management with funding support from India. Plans are now far advanced to scale up development assistance in the coming months.  

Since 2009, the UNDP/GEF SGP in The Bahamas has granted more than 2.9 million USD to 44 local NGOs, with an equal amount in co-financing, for a total of 6.4 million USD to climate projects.  Globally, the value of GEF SGP investments tops 400 million with co-financing doubling the total value of grants to NGOs.

***
Detailed information on the UNDP/GEF SGP grants: Call for Proposals - GEF Small Grants Programme Bahamas | United Nations Development Programme