Apply for a Community Development Grant

Project concepts are accepted at any time during our fiscal year, July to June!

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP) implemented by UNDP provides technical and financial assistance to civil society organisations (CSOs) for projects focused on environmental conservation and restoration.

Step 1: Check if your organization is eligible to apply

Barbados based, registered civil society organisations (CSOs):

Step 2: Check if your project qualifies for funding

Currently, we fund requests for amounts between US $2,000 and $50,000. 

Funding is available at two levels:

Planning Grants: these help applicants initiate a participatory planning process, undertake research, assess their capacity and/or hire consultants to help them define a project and prepare a proposal to access a Full Grant. These grants are up to a maximum of US 5,000.

Full Grants are awarded for project implementation up to a maximum of US 50,000.

Country Programme Strategy

The Country Programme Strategy (CPS) is the primary living document which clearly articulates the platform for GEF SGP programming in Barbados. It serves as the framework for project implementation, monitoring and evaluation and is the vehicle for developing and maintaining a results-oriented programme during the current Operational Phase. Interested project proponents should refer to the CPS when preparing their application forms and ensure that they are aligned to the relevant focal/thematic areas.

All projects should fit within the following thematic areas:

• Sustainable agriculture and fisheries, and food security

• Community-based conservation of threatened ecosystems and species

• Low carbon energy access with co-benefits

• Local to Global Coalitions for Chemicals and Waste Management

• CSO - Private Sector - Government Policy and Planning Dialogue Platform

Tips for a successful concept or proposal

Environmental impact

• Identify the environmental problem, issue, need or opportunity you wish to address

• Identify the strategies to address the problem

Be inclusive

• Involve community participation by including women, youth, disabled, poor and vulnerable groups in developing, implementing, and evaluating the project. Projects that facilitate these areas will be given priority. 

• Engage partners in local government, the business community, and other civil society organizations

Access community resources

• Include co-funding resources like money, land, supplies, infrastructure, labor, and office, and meeting space. These resources can come from your organization, those who will participate in the project, and other sources.

• Identify a path to become sustainable after the GEF SGP grant ends.

Learn more about In Kind Contributions.

Results and impact

• Impact the community in a positive and measurable way

• Show potential for strengthening the capacity of all participating organizations

Step 3: Complete the Application

Project Concept 
Complete with the requested information.

Planning Grant 
Complete with the requested information.

Project Proposal
Our standard application has two required parts:
1: Proposal: Complete with the requested information.

2: Budget: Follow the model in the downloadable Excel spreadsheet.

Step 4: Submit your application

Submit completed applications via email to the National Coordinator, david.bynoe@undp.org

Step 5: Review of Concept/Proposal

Upon review of your project concept or proposal, we will notify you of your application status within two months.