LocationsWithin the framework of Project: “Strengthening SDG Localization in Thailand Phase II”
National Call for Proposal for Grant Submission by NGOs/CSOs working on issues related to the SDGs at the sub-national level, seeking innovative approaches
October 28, 2025
A. BACKGROUND
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) serves as the UN’s lead development agency, supporting Thailand’s progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in partnership with the Royal Thai government, civil society, and local stakeholders.
Since 2019, Thailand has prioritized SDG Localization, with the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) and Ministry of Interior (MOI) leading the effort. In response, UNDP implemented the EU-funded SDG Localization Phase I (2022–2024), collaborating with MOI to accelerate SDG action across 15 provinces. This phase achieved the creation of 15 provincial SDG profiles, improved data for local governments, and awarded grants and training to civil society organizations to promote sustainable, impactful projects.
The COVID-19 pandemic and evolving geopolitical challenges have slowed SDG progress, disproportionately affecting Thailand’s most vulnerable populations. These factors have widened inequalities, restricted resources, and disrupted cooperation, underscoring the urgent need for responses centered on inclusion, gender equality, and human rights, while encouraging cross-sector collaboration to strengthen resilience.
To address these challenges, UNDP, with MOI and EU support, launched “Strengthening SDG Localization in Thailand Phase II” (SDG-L 2.0) for 2025–2026. This phase aims to strengthen SDG Profiles and stakeholder engagement in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Tak, Narathiwat, and Bangkok, focusing on empowering civil society through grants and capacity building for measurable SDG progress.
UNDP provides both technical and financial support for subnational development, helping local communities strengthen governance, promote inclusiveness, and sustain SDG achievements. Initiatives include technical training in SDG Localization, business and human rights, and social innovation, all designed to equip local actors with tools to create innovative, community-driven solutions.
B. PURPOSE OF THE GRANT AWARD
The grant will support civil society efforts to localise SDGs by implementing projects that effectively measure progress on SDG indicators or propose new, locally relevant indicators for sustainable development. These grants will be awarded to up to five CSOs demonstrating a strong commitment to SDG-related projects to drive inclusive and equitable changes mainly at local to provincial levels. Moreover, the grants include building awareness around the SDGs, building capacity for civil society groups and the general public working on specific issues related to the SDGs, and supporting initiatives that can lead to new and innovative local development solutions that address the prioritized SDGs in the five provinces, namely- Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Tak, Narathiwat, and Bangkok.
C. SCOPE OF THE GRANT PROGRAMME
Funds will be allocated to NGOs/CSOs whose projects contribute to addressing one or more of the prioritized SDGs targeting at least one province or more than one province in the five provinces identified above. The proposal should also meet criteria and other conditions explained below.
In this regard, the grant will seek:
- To implement local projects in accordance with the SDG profile and indicators of the respective province, ensuring that each project contributes to measurable improvements and impacts in provincial SDG indicators.
- To increase awareness of the SDGs and SDG Localization among provincial and local stakeholders—including vulnerable groups—by building a gender-balanced, cross-community network that empowers members to develop entrepreneurial skills and implement inclusive, participatory solutions.
- To collaboratively design and develop a framework for collective cooperatives that facilitate the sharing of local initiatives among stakeholders from various sectors, with the goal of achieving SDGs and promoting the project's long-term sustainability and scalability.
Proposals should focus on increasing SDG and SDG Localization awareness among provincial and local stakeholders, especially vulnerable groups, by building inclusive, gender-balanced networks. Innovative, socially driven approaches are encouraged to build capacity, empower entrepreneurial skills, and promote solutions advancing gender equality, human rights, climate action, and environmental protection. All proposals must emphasize non-discrimination and inclusion of marginalized groups, with UNDP providing ongoing support and knowledge transfer throughout project implementation.
Applying organizations are expected to devise proposals which would offer practical solutions to achieve desired results, as explained below in the intervention areas. Applying organizations are encouraged to consider the development of a CSO coalition/platform.
Possible topics for grant projects include:
Project proposals should give primary consideration to the following priority areas; however, they are not limited to these topics, in order to allow applicants, the flexibility to propose ideas and innovations that best align with their local contexts.
- Enhancing social protection programme to mitigate risks and strengthen the resilience of vulnerable populations against the impacts of climate change and natural disasters. Creating innovative financial tools, like insurance schemes, to reduce risks and strengthen vulnerable groups' resilience to unexpected challenges is particularly valued.
- Supporting sustainable tourism through improved accessibility, skill-building in entrepreneurship and vocations, and strengthening regional hospitality networks for cultural and universal design initiatives.
- Protecting communities from cross-border pollution involves raising awareness, encouraging regional collaboration, monitoring sources, and supporting policies that address environmental risks and enhance resilience.
Additional Note: Cross-cutting topics such as inclusiveness and green job creation should be integrated across all subject areas. All proposals must incorporate the principle of leaving no one behind, ensuring that the livelihoods and resilience of vulnerable groups—such as women, children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, migrants, and ethnic minorities—are strengthened. Furthermore, employment opportunities and green jobs should be created in sectors, for example, nature and biodiversity conservation, renewable energy and energy efficiency, eco-tourism, cultural tourism, and waste management.
The proposals should include a clearly articulated theory of change and demonstrate how the lasting impact in each area is expected to be achieved. Particular attention will be paid to the community participation and sustainability of proposed actions.
D. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA (WHO CAN APPLY)
- Eligible applicants include non-profit organizations, social enterprises, community-based organizations, civil society organizations (CSOs) with 3-5 years of proven experience (i.g., financial statements or audit reports for the last 3 years) in project management, policy research, policy analysis, human resource development, service delivery and similar. Experience in managing projects with comparable budget sizes within the last 1 year will be considered an asset. Organizations should be registered in accordance with the legal requirements of the Government of Thailand and must be able to provide organization’s document upon request.
- Applying organizations applying for this grant need to have proven documents and professional experience or have existing interventions/initiatives with the current local administration authorities, provincial authorities and/or related government agencies at the sub-national level.
- Although it is not mandatory, applying organizations are welcome to submit proposals as coalitions. In this case, the main applicants must provide support letters from relevant co-applicants specifying the role of the co-applicant. In case of coalition, the main applicant shall have at least 2 years of proven experience in project management, policy research, policy analysis, human resource development, service delivery and similar, whereas co-applicants shall have at least 1 year of proven experience in the similar areas.
E. PROCEDURES OF GRANT PROPOSAL SUBMISSION
Those wishing to apply for grant under this call for proposal should submit the following:
- Copy of the Registration of the Organization
- Civil Society Organizational Structure
- Resumes of the proposed project team
- Sample of knowledge products (for example Annual Reports, or applicable Research products)
- Proposed Work Plan (See Annex A)
- Budget Form (See Annex A)
IMPORTANT: Please send Grant Submission Form electronically in one file (pdf format), signed and scanned to the following email: LowValueGrants.th@undp.org. The workplan together with Budget Form (See Annex A) shall be submitted as separate documents electronically in Excel format. If additional clarifications are required, questions can be sent to the same email address indicated above. Answers to questions will be provided within two working days.
Deadline for applications is 30 November 2025, 23:59 hrs Bangkok, Thailand. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.
Under the small grants programme, UNDP will contribute approximately to a maximum of USD 15,000 for each successful proposal.
Proposals with project staff salary costs exceeding 25% of the total budget will be disqualified without further consideration. Co-funding and in-house contributions are strongly encouraged.
Eligible costs include honorarium/salary, workshops and trainings, rental, stationery and office equipment, printing and translation, creation of online tools and resources, and other costs directly related to this assignment.
Expenditures such as infrastructure improvement, standardized equipment and goods, maintenance, utilities, overhead and similar costs are ineligible for this grant proposal.
F. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION TIMEFRAME
The implementation period for approved projects shall not exceed 6 months, counting from the date of the contract signature to the date when all relevant activities have been successfully completed.
G. SELECTION PROCESS
Decisions on awarding grants are made by a Grant Selection Board (GSB). The Board will be comprised of the representatives of UNDP, Ministry of Interior (MOI), National Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), European Union (EU) and other additional experts engaged in this process.
All GSB decisions on funding projects will be taken no later than three weeks after the closing date for applications. UNDP will inform successful applicants in writing no later than two weeks after the date of the GSB decision.
| Note: If the total cost of awards for successful applications exceeds the overall budgeted amount, GSB will award grants according to the total score for each application, starting with the highest scored application, until the available budget has been fully committed. However, if there will still be a number of eligible applications for which grants cannot be awarded due to the insufficient funds available, these non-funded applications will, upon the consent of the GSB, be placed on a reserve list, in descending order of their scores. In the cases where applications awarded grants have subsequently been withdrawn or found non-compliant, applications will be replaced from the reserve list in order of their respective scores for funding. |
| Note: Under exceptional circumstance an individual can be a grantee when legislation prevents excluded and marginalized group (e.g. LGBTQ people, sex workers, people affected by certain illness, etc.) from organizing and attaining legal status. The Head of UNDP Thailand may authorize the proposal if the qualified proposal illustrated the deliverables that best aligned with the project’s output/outcome. |
Applications will be disqualified and will not be further considered, if they:
- Do not comply with the priorities or instructions provided in this announcement;
- Contradict the principles of non-discrimination and gender equality.
H. SELECTION CRITERIA AND SCORING
Proposed projects will be selected based on the criteria outlined in Table 1 below.
Table 1. Selection Criteria and Scoring
| Selection Criteria | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The project articulates its support for beneficiaries through measurable impacts and achievements aligned with both the SDGs profile and the provincial development plans of the relevant provinces. This approach ensures that every initiative contributes effectively to discernible advancements in provincial SDG indicators.
Demonstrated relevance to social protection in the context of climate change and natural disasters, sustainable tourism, and transboundary pollution will be considered an asset and may result in additional scoring. | Max. 40 points |
| 2 | The project budget is relevant and feasible within the timeframe. | Max. 20 points |
| 3 | The project has provided a plan for its sustainability and scalability. | Max. 20 points |
| 4 | The project takes consideration of the principles of human rights-based and participatory approach, non-discrimination, gender equality, and inclusion of marginalized and vulnerable groups in designing and implementation. It also demonstrates collaboration with local partners such as provincial government agencies, local administrative organizations, and civil society organizations in the area | Max. 20 points |
| TOTAL | 100 Points | |
Grants will be awarded based on the relevance of the project and the scoring criteria listed above. Payments will be disbursed in two installments, with 70% provided upon completion of the first deliverable and 30% upon completion of the second deliverable. UNDP may adjust disbursement criteria as necessary.
To receive disbursement, the grantee must submit a progress report upon completion of the first deliverable and a final report after fulfilling the second deliverable. Please refer to the report template in Annex B.
IMPORTANT: You will be notified by email no later than three (3) working days after we have successfully received your application. If you do not hear from us within this timeframe, please, contact us during the next two days and request confirmation of receipt of the email. Otherwise, UNDP will not be responsible for any potential problems in terms of considering the application.
Attached documents:
Annex A. LOW VALUE GRANT PROPOSAL TEMPLATE
Annex B. REPORTING FORMAT
For more details and download application please click here:
English Version/Thai Version (PDF)
English Version/Thai Version (Word)
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