A Call for Project Concept Notes

The Small Grants Programme of the Global Environment Facility (GEF SGP) implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Tanzania invites Civil Society Organizations (includes local communities/traditional community groups, community-based organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), faith-based organization (FBOs), and other related non-governmental groups) to submit project concept notes for funding during the 8th Operational Phase of the GEF SGP (2025-2028). Civil Society Organizations are called to develop grant concept proposals for community led initiatives mainly focusing on one of the following strategic priorities, in an integrated manner: (i) community- based management of threatened ecosystems and species, (ii) sustainable agriculture and fisheries, and food security, (iii) low-carbon energy access and co-benefits, (iv) local to global coalitions for chemicals and waste management, and (v) sustainable solutions in targeted urban landscapes. Successful project concept notes will advance to full proposal stages.

Main objective of the GEF 8th Operational Phase call for project concept notes

The main objective of the 8th operational phase of SGP is to continue engaging local CSOs/CBOs in landscape-seascape approaches, providing them access to knowledge and information, capacitating them through learning-by-doing, skills development, and delivering capacity-building and grant assistance for community-led interventions that enhance well-being and socioeconomic conditions and generate global environmental benefits. SGP aspires to empower communities to act and to participate in their own development and conservation priorities. SGP is rooted in the belief that global environmental problems can best be addressed through actions that are designed, implemented, and owned by communities, and with benefits that directly accrue to them. SGP emphasizes building on local ecological and cultural knowledge and practice, facilitating innovation and introduction of new techniques as appropriate, and following community leadership in solving problems.

About GEF Small Grants Programmes

The Small Grants Programme of the Global Environment Facility (GEF SGP) is a corporate development programme implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Globally, the GEF/SGP was established in 1992 at the Earth Summit to complement larger GEF projects by providing a window for direct participation of local, and community-based organizations through the implementation of projects that align to local and national priorities with overall benefits to the global environment. The GEF SGP provides financial and technical support to projects that conserve and restore the environment while enhancing people's well-being and livelihoods. In Tanzania, under the overall coordination of the Vice President’s Office as the GEF Focal Point, GEF SGP became operational since 1996. As of the year 2025, SGP has committed over USD 13 million grant from GEF and non-GEF Partners, with over 440 projects on the ground across priority landscapes and seascapes in the United Republic of Tanzania. Currently the GEF SGP is in its 8th Operational Phase (SGP-OP8) which strongly emphasizes expansion, replication and inclusivity and will facilitate opportunities for innovation and scaling up, catalyze multi-stakeholder alliances, and leverage dialogue platforms for greater impact.

Strategic alignment of the SGP Country Programme Strategy

Country Programme’s priorities in alignment with the agreed global OP8 Strategic Initiatives, based on needs and opportunities at the country level, including potentialfor complementarity and synergy of the selected OP8 Strategic Initiatives with GEF, UNDP Country Office/UN Agency, government funded, and any other donor/NGOs funded projects and programmes for collaboration and co-financing to avoid duplication. The government of the United Republic of Tanzania recognizes main drivers of environmental degradation and puts in place strategies to address such challenges, including putting in place a National Environmental Master Plan for Strategic Interventions (2022-2032) and prioritizing environment conservation in the Vision 2050, policies and strategies. Aligned to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) targets, such as Target 3 (protected and conserved areas), 21 (knowledge and information), 22 (governance) and 23 (gender) and other key targets, Tanzania is putting in place  a third National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP III) 2025-2030  which seek to address key national biodiversity targets aligned to contribute to the GBF while at the same time integrating emerging national and global issues such as climate change, blue economy and energy development. Implementation of SGP in Tanzania through provision of direct financial technical support to community-based action and demonstration of sound actions is aligned closely to contribute not only to biodiversity targets and sustainable livelihoods, but also to the national climate change priorities indicated in NDC and the NAP process. 

SGP focal area strategies for concept development under this call.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) organizes its work into five high-level focal areas considered to be broad, global environmental challenges, namely – Biodiversity loss, climate change (mitigation and adaptation), land degradation, international waters, chemicals and waste. SGP translates these broad GEF focal areas into tangible, integrated strategic initiatives that empower local civil society organizations (CSOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) by developing specific and community-led focal area strategies to align with and contribute to these broader GEF goals and areas of work. By being ‘integrated’ SGP often combine multiple GEF focal areas within a single, integrated project (e.g., a sustainable agriculture project can address land degradation, biodiversity, and climate change).
The SGP Country Programme Strategy (2024-2028) for the implementation of the 8th Operational Phase of SGP in Tanzania outlines 5 main focal areas strategies and cross-cutting initiatives for support during the period of 2024-2028 (see details below). Local CSOs/CBOs are called to develop grant concept proposals for community led initiatives focusing on one of the following 5 strategic priorities, in an integrated manner. In each of the selected landscapes/seascape an integrated approach will be employed across focal areas, with strengthening multi-stakeholders’ coordination platform to achieve greater impact. This will be achieved, among others, through increased opportunity for local innovation and scaling up, creating mult-stakeholders governance platform/alliance, enhanced approaches to strengthen social inclusion, concerted focus on youth and youth-led initiatives, and by leveraging private sector and business-oriented approaches. 

The 5 focal areas strategies and cross-cutting initiatives that will be strengthened, refined, integrated and implemented under this call for proposal are explained below:

Area 1: Community-based conservation of threatened ecosystems and species – we are looking for community-based initiatives that, among others.
•    Improve the effectiveness of biodiversity and ecosystem conservation and management through equitable governance systems by recognizing and respecting the rights of local and forest-dependent communities. 
•    Improve community-led biodiversity friendly practices and approaches, including promoting blue economy approaches (e.g. agriculture, fisheries, forestry, tourism, infrastructure, etc.). 
•    Enhance community led actions for protection of threatened species.
•    Support innovative conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in forest landscapes, grasslands, river basins and catchments, wetlands, and coastal and marine ecosystems, as well as mainstream biodiversity conservation principles and practices in key production sectors in the landscape-seascape.

Area 2: Sustainable agriculture and fisheries, and food security - – we are looking for community-based initiatives that, among others.
•    Increase efficiency and effectiveness of overall food production and value chain, including in vulnerable ecosystems (mountains, island ecosystems, etc.).
•    Enhance the sustainability and productivity of priority socio-ecological production systems, particularly for food staples and commodities, livestock, fisheries and aquaculture. 
•    Support local farmers and fishers to adopt science-based agroecological, regenerative, and biodiversity conservation principles and practices and adapt these to local contexts using traditional knowledge
•    Increase diversification and livelihood improvement.
•    Remove deforestation from the supply chain and expand restoration of degraded lands.

Area 3: Low-carbon energy access co-benefits - – we are looking for community-based initiatives that, among others.
•    Support implementation of Paris Agreement and the NDCs
•    Promote renewable and energy efficient technologies providing socio-economic benefits and improving livelihoods.
•    Promote affordable clean energy in remote areas and vulnerable communities in critical landscapes-seascapes, including scaling-up low carbon transformation through engagement with the private sector and investments in digital technologies and innovation. 
•    Promote off-grid energy service needs in rural and urban areas.

Area 4: Local to global coalitions for chemicals and waste management – we are looking for community-based initiatives that, among others.
•    Support communities at the forefront of chemicals and waste-related threats, either as users or consumers. Interventions that focus on innovative, affordable, and practical solutions to chemicals and waste management, including plastics, electronic waste, polychlorinated biphenyls and other persistent organic pollutants.
•    Promote plastics/solid waste management and circular economy.
•    Reduce/remove use of chemicals in agriculture.

Area 5: Catalyzing sustainable urban solutions – we are looking for community-based initiatives that, among others.
•    Improve capacities to promote community-driven, socially inclusive and integrated solutions to address low-emission and resilient urban development.
•    Demonstrate innovative socially inclusive urban solutions/ approaches to address challenges faced by local urban communities in terms of energy and water use efficiency, waste and chemical management, green areas and infrastructure, watershed protection, ecosystem services and biodiversity, low-cost cooling and heating using renewable energy, and non-motorized transport systems, among others.

Priority landscapes/seascape

SGP will continue leveraging opportunities with other GEF programmes in Tanzania and integrated programmes. During OP8 SGP will focus implementation of its portfolio of projects in three main landscapes:
•    Landscape 1: Serengeti Ecosystem (spanning the Mara through Arusha Region and West Kilimanjaro, 
•    Landscape 2: Jozani Ecosystem in Zanzibar (including Unguja and Pemba), and 
•    Landscape 3: Central Tanzania (Focusing on Dodoma Region). 

Serengeti and Jozani ecosystems have been continued from the 7th Operational Phase and thus providing an opportunity to continue building on gains, strengthening the investment and network made at community level to enhance impact at scale, including through replication and scaling up of successful models. Central Tanzania (Dodoma Region) is relatively a new but strategic landscape included during this 8th Operational Phase. By focusing implementation of projects in these three main landscapes entails dedicating up to 70% of OP8 grant making resources (i.e. GEF and other co-financing resources) to these landscapes. Grant making activities outside the priority landscapes/seascapes are expected to utilize up to 30% of resources during OP8. Allocation for projects outside priority landscapes will need to be innovative, inclusive, and impactful, with potential to attract and integrate more partners, or with potential for developing mechanisms, initiating/catalyzing processes for future funding/incentives.  

Eligible potential grantee partner 

1)    Be a Civil Society Organization, a non-governmental partner – such as local communities/traditional and grassroots organizations, community-based organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), faith-based organization (FBOs), non-governmental academic or educational institutions (nonprofit) and other related non-governmental groups registered in Tanzania. 
2)    Be a Civil Society Organization, a non-governmental partner - based in and/or working around proposed landscapes and project areas. Private sector, commercial entities, individual, and governmental organizations (e.g. regional governments, municipalities, etc.) are currently not eligible.
3)    Be a Civil Society Organization, a non-governmental partner – that develop a project idea corresponding to one of the GEF focal areas and is aligned with the 5 focal areas strategies and cross-cutting initiatives of SGP Country Programme Strategy (CPS) as provided in this call.

Planning to apply? – Key consideration

Applicants and Project Concept Notes from interested eligible organisations should take note of the following:
•  Concept notes form/template: All project concept notes must be completed using the concept notes form/template provided under this call.
•   One submission per applicant: Only one Concept note submission is required from applying organization using the format/template provided under this call and not otherwise. Other methods of concept note submission such as video/audio submission will be considered on exceptional circumstances.
•.  Language: Concept notes should be prepared and typewritten in English language (preferably), however for organizations that lack the capacity to present their project ideas in English can still submit their typewritten Concept Notes in Kiswahili language. 
•  Alignment to focal areas: Concept notes should be tailored to correspond to one of the GEF focal areas and aligned, in an integrated manner with one of the 5 focal areas strategies and cross-cutting initiatives of SGP Country Programme Strategy (CPS) as provided in this call. 
•  Consistent with local and national priorities: Be consistency with environmental conservation, community development-related country priorities as articulated in Sector policies, plans and programmes, and National Development Frameworks, and the overall National Environmental Master Plan for Strategic Interventions (2022-2032) in Tanzania,   
•  Wide community reach: Develop project concepts that have a wider community reach, which mobilize bottom-up actions and consider addressing gender issues at project formulation stage, promote social inclusion and show potential for scaling up. 
•  Cash/in-kind co-financing: Be able to mobilize a matching contribution/co-finance of at least 10% of total project costs in-cash and/or in-kind. 
•   Innovation and tangible results: Develop innovative projects with tangible results, avoid business as usual approaches to conservation and community development.
•   Logical flow: Concept notes should clearly indicate a logical connection between the problem/opportunity, objective, proposed solutions/activities and expected results. 
•   Project duration: Project implementation period should not be less than 12 months or more than 24 months. 
•   Project Budget: Present budgets in Tanzania shillings (TZS) to an amount not exceeding the equivalent of regular SGP grant of USD 50,000. 
•   Unsuccessful proposals from last call for concept notes: Organizations that were not shortlisted during the previous call for concept notes can revise, reassess relevance update and align their concept ideas to the current call for resubmission using the new format/template provided under this call.
•  Recently completed GEF SGP-funded projects: Grantee partner (grant recipients) of recently completed GEF SGP-funded projects are encouraged to apply under this call for concept notes to further build on the foundations/gains, strengthening the investment and network made at community level to enhance impact at scale, including through replication and scaling up of successful models in a more innovative way.
•  No application or processing fee required: GEF SGP does not charge a fee at any stage of project concept development, selection process or project implementation. 
•   Feeback: Feedback to all applicants will be provided after assessment of concept notes is completed, only Shortlisted applicants will be contacted and guided for further preparation of full proposals.

•  For enquires and clarification please write to email: faustine.ninga@undp.org or call 0785401265.

How to Submit your Concept Notes – please follow the instructions below:

Step 1: Download a Microsoft Word Document Project Concept Notes template/format and fill in details as required. The Template can be downloaded through the Link: https://shorturl.at/danCj

Step 2: Submit a soft copy of a duly filled Project Concept Notes in PDF Format through the email: registry.tz@undp.org with a copy to faustine.ninga@undp.org well in advance before the deadline set on 22nd JANUARY 2026 (1400HRS). The subject/title of your email should read: ’SGP OP8 Concept Note’ and not otherwise.

Step 3: Self-register your submitted concept notes through the Registry platform accessible at the Link: https://shorturl.at/VLxxh

Download this announcement through this link: https://shorturl.at/RJnYR

Please note that submission of hard copies of project concept notes is not required but can be acceptable in exceptional cases where a soft copy submission is not possible, through the address below:

Resident Representative, 
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 
PSSSF Commercial Complex, 
Sam Nujoma Road, Kinondoni, P. O. Box 9182
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. 
Attention: National Coordinator, GEF Small Grants Programme