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About IKI Small Grants

The German Federal Government is committed to strengthening climate and biodiversity action worldwide. Through its funding programme, the International Climate Initiative (IKI), itsupportsambitious projects on climate change mitigation, adaptation as well as forest and biodiversity conservation internationally. The IKI Small Grants programme is part of the IKI and funds local actors which are the driving force for change and essential for effective climate and biodiversity action worldwide. IKI Small Grants fosters bottom-up solutions while strengthening capacities of local actors.

The German Federal Government supports approaches that implement and ambitiously develop the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and adaptation goals anchored in the Paris Agreement. This includes measures to conserve and rebuild natural carbon sinks, taking into account environmental, economic and social concerns. The IKI also supports its partner countries in achieving the goals of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). 

Why IKI ‘Small’ Grants?

Achieving the global and national targets formulated in the Paris Agreement and the CBD requires the active participation of all social groups worldwide, especially on the local and regional level. However, local organisations in ODA-eligible countries often lack access to international funding, or financing mechanisms are not tailored to their specific needs. With the IKI Small Grants programme, founded in 2019, the IKI strategy is extended and reaches out to small regional, national, and local organisations and their decentralized solutions. It is specifically aimed at organisations that already have experience in local project implementation and want to grow further.

Two approaches – one goal

IKI Small Grants comprises two funding lines: International Calls and Funding Institutions, accompanied by extensive Capacity Development measures. Both lines share one common goal: supporting small-scale, local, or regional climate and biodiversity action in ODA-eligible countries.

International Calls seeks to reach projects directly through regular calls for proposals and the provision of direct funding. Over a 7-year period, about 15 million euros will be provided to approximately 120 selected projects.

Funding Institutions cooperates with six national and regional institutions engaged in the area of climate and biodiversity. It provides them with administrative and technical advice and funding of five million euros in total to implement their own calls for proposals and funding lines.

IKI Small Grants is implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The programme runtime is from 2019 to 2030. GIZ’s IKI Small Grants team in Berlin and GIZ country offices worldwide support the selected organisations through targeted, demand-driven capacity development. This approach aims to strengthen climate and biodiversity actors worldwide and encourages these organisations to accelerate their role as agents of change.

International Calls

From funding for solar-powered water pumps for women smallholder farmers in India, to the promotion of eco-schools in Malawi and ecological restoration of wetlands in Colombia. The component ‘International Calls’ supports local actors to mitigate greenhouse-gas emissions, adapt to the impacts of climate change and to conserve forests and biodiversity worldwide. It aims to promote small, context-tailored, and innovative ideas while at the same time supporting the implementing organisations in developing and expanding their own capacities and networks.

‘International Calls’ regularly conducts international calls for proposals which are announced on this website and via the IKI newsletter. In a one-stage selection procedure, small regional, national, and local organisations based in an ODA-eligible country can apply directly for funding of the implementation of local or regional climate and biodiversity projects. Organisations must have at least three years of relevant experience and the average annual revenue of the organisation should range between 60,000 and 500,000 euros.

‘International Calls’ is aiming to fund more than 120 individual projects by 2026 with a funding volume between approximately 60,000 and 200,000 euros each (depending on the call).

Are you a member of a non-profit organisation engaged in climate or biodiversity action and you have a creative project idea? If your organisation is registered in an ODA-eligible country and you are active in the non-profit sector, please take a look at our ‘International Calls’ section for detailed information on our funding opportunities.

Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions

Development and implementation of instruments to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions either directly or indirectly through developing mitigation capacities.

Adaptation to climate change

Implementation of measures to reduce vulnerabilities and to increase the adaptive capacity of the population or of affected groups.

Conserving natural carbon sinks/REDD+

Adoption of measures for the restoration and ecosystem-based adaptation of forests. Long-term reduction of emissions from deforestation and the degradation of forests.

Conservation of biodiversity

Measures designed to conserve biodiversity directly or to build capacity for biodiversity conservation that adress the global loss of biodiversity.

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