CEPF Call for proposals for funding Polynesia-Micronesia Biodiversity Hotspot under the Pacific Islands Program

The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) investment in the Polynesia-Micronesia biodiversity hotspot is a five-year investment program (2008-2013) that is managed through a partnership of CEPF and Conservation International’s Pacific Islands Program based in Apia, Samoa. The Pacific Islands Program acts as the Regional Implementation Team for CEPF in the region.

Call for Proposals

CEPF and Conservation International have issued a final call for proposals for the Polynesia-Micronesia hotspot for the five-year investment period, ending in 2013.

Types of grants
Two types of funding grants are available from CEPF:

• Full-grants or project proposals of more than $20,000 USD
• Small grants of $20,000 USD or less

Who can apply for a CEPF grant?

Non-governmental organizations, community groups, private enterprises, and other civil society applicants may apply for funding. Organizations must have their own bank account and be authorized under relevant national laws to receive charitable contributions. Government-owned enterprises or institutions are eligible only if they can demonstrate that the enterprise or institution has:

• legal personality independent of any government agency or actor;
• the authority to apply for and receive private funds;
• and, may not assert a claim of sovereign immunity

The broad entities for eligible parties described above, with those that promote building capacity of civil society and community groups are encouraged to apply. Community groups (including village councils, women’s group and youth groups etc) with limited capacity are also eligible to apply. Further, individuals are encouraged to work with civil society organizations, and communities to develop applications, rather than apply directly.

Eligibility Criteria
Projects must support one of the three main strategic directions for the Polynesia-Micronesia Hotspot:

• prevent, control and eradicate invasive species in key biodiversity areas [KBA];
• strengthen the conservation status and management of 60 key biodiversity areas and
• build awareness and participation of local leaders and community members in the implementation of protection and recovery plans for threatened species.
• Proposals now being accepted must meet all of the following eligibility criteria:
• Project is located in one of the following countries or territories: Cook Islands, Easter Island (Chile), Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Niue, Palau, Pitcairn islands, Samoa, Tonga and Tokelau or Wallis and Futuna.
• Project must support one of the three strategic directions in the ecosystem profile as detailed above;
• Grant will not be used for the purchase of land, involuntary resettlement of people or activities that negatively affect physical cultural resources, including those important to local communities;
• Grant will not be used for activities adversely affecting indigenous people or where these communities have not provided their broad support to the project activities;
• Grants will not be used to remove or alter any physical cultural property (includes sites having archeological, paleontological,  historical, religious, or unique natural values);
• Proposed activities observe World Bank safeguard and social policies.

Note that grants above $100,000 USD cannot be awarded.
Last date for submission of applications is October 14, 2011

For more information and details, you can visit this link.