call for proposals

Grant Collection

• The Call prioritizes CSO-led collaborative social accountability approaches within climate action that entail coalition efforts that engage local communities and citizens including vulnerable groups, and work with public sectors, at local, state and federal levels. The goal is to co-create solutions to jointly identified problems in the climate sector.
• Lead CSOs will need to present a reasonable and clear system to sub-grant a significant part of the grant to local CSOs in GPSA opted-in countries.
• CSO proposals will need to show how they will include marginalized and vulnerable groups in the social accountability processes. Importantly, it will be critical to make the links between the CSO-led processes and appropriate reform initiatives or programs led by the public sector at the local, state and federal levels.
• Lead CSOs will also demonstrate clear objectives and methods for strengthening both civil society and state capacities, particularly for working adaptively and collaboratively, and for advancing social accountability knowledge and learning from implementation.

What is the priority theme of this CfP?

This GPSA Call for Proposals (CfP) focuses on merging climate action and social accountability through what we are calling ‘green accountability’. Green accountability creates systemic ways for people to have a voice and role in the climate decisions that most impact their lives. It places citizens and civil society at the heart of climate finance to direct funding, implement solutions, and hold decision-makers accountable for effective and equitable climate action. The CfP aims to support and develop green accountability among social accountability practitioners and sustainable development CSOs. CSO sub-grants will contribute to ensuring that marginalized communities and local communities have a seat at the climate policy table and improve outcomes and reduce the risks of corruption and capture. The sub-grants will focus both on mitigation and adaptation, for example through implementation of the Principles for Locally Led Adaptation. The design of GPSA financed projects is based on the use of collaborative social accountability (please find more detail on this in the GPSA’s Theory of Action).

Eligibility

All legally registered CSOs can apply for this CfP. CSOs include legal entities that are part of a broad-based sector of organizations which operate in the public sphere and interact with the state, market, communities and individuals. The sector encompasses a wide range and variety of non-governmental, not for profit entities -including media – associating to advance the interests and values of their members or others based on cultural, economic, social, or other aims. They include charitable organizations, faith-based organizations, professional organizations, labor unions, workers’ organizations, associations of elected local representatives, foundations and policy development and research institutes, and more. If your organization is a non-profit international inter-governmental organization, it is not eligible to apply for a grant. Please find more details in the GPSA Operation Manual. The GPSA will not support:

• Entities or groups with partisan associations
• Grant applications which include activities which, because of the high inherent risk of political interference, are likely to raise issues related to the World Bank’s mandate as enshrined in its Articles of Agreement. These activities include political dimensions in governance, for instance, support of efforts to help organize political parties, or to the organization, running and monitoring of elections; political campaigning; and
• Grant applications which include sectarian and religious proselytizing activities.

Grant Size

The grant amount is fixed at $4 million and will be disbursed in 24 months. Grants must close by December 30, 2025, as the GPSA Multi-Donor Trust Fund closes June 30, 2026.

Criteria used by the GPSA for assessing proposals

• Hold legal status as a civil society organization.
• Have at least 3 to 5 years of proven experience in social accountability and/or climate action.
• Demonstrate experience with managing on-granting schemes and present a clear and reasonable implementation plan for realistic allocation of budget resources amongst applicant CSO and any sub-grantee CSOs.
• Provide information about its past and current experience in applying social accountability in environmental and climate work.
• Prepare a logical, achievable implementation strategy, including a sound budget.

Orientation Session

The GPSA will host an orientation session for CSOs on May 9, 2023. You can sign up for the session here. The session will cover FAQs, grant selection process, and further details about the Green Accountability Call for Proposals and respond to questions from participants who attend the session.

REGISTER FOR THE ORIENTATION SESSION

How to Apply

1. Applications are submitted through the GPSA website: www.thegpsa.org.
   1. Please visit the GPSA website and click on the link to the Green Accountability Call for Proposals.
   2. Review the FAQ and the information document on the Call for Proposals.
   3. Download the Word Application Form template.
   4. Fill out the Application Form and submit it to the GPSA by email to GPSACall4Proposals@worldbank.org by May 24th, 2023.
2. Please note: all grant applications, without exception, must be submitted in English. The GPSA will not consider applications written in other languages.
3. If you have any questions about the grant application process, you may contact the GPSA’s Help Desk at gpsa@worldbank.org.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS APPLICATION FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION