2026 Call for Proposals: Mountains ADAPT small grants for East African Community (EAC) and South Caucasus (SC), Community-based organizations in eligible countries across the East African Community (EAC) and South Caucasus (SC) are invited to apply for the first call for proposals under the Mountains ADAPT Small Grants Project.
The initiative supports inclusive, community-led, ecosystem-based solutions that help mountain communities respond to the growing impacts of climate change while protecting natural ecosystems and strengthening local livelihoods.
Selected organizations can receive up to US$30,000 to design and implement practical, high-impact solutions that address climate-related challenges in mountain communities. In addition to financial support, successful applicants will receive capacity development and training to strengthen their ability to implement, monitor, and sustain their proposed solutions.
This opportunity is designed to empower local organizations to turn community knowledge into action—building climate resilience, protecting mountain ecosystems, and creating more sustainable livelihoods for communities most affected by climate change.
Applicants are encouraged to carefully review the full details and submit their applications before the specified deadline to seize this grant opportunity.
Last Date of Submission: 15th September 2026
2026 Call for Proposals: Mountains ADAPT small grants for East African Community (EAC) and South Caucasus (SC) Steps to follow
Community-based organizations can apply for the Mountains ADAPT Small Grants by following these steps:
- Complete the application form: Submit the online LimeSurvey application with all required information and supporting documents.
- Application screening and evaluation: Eligible applications will proceed to the proposal evaluation stage. Applicants may be contacted if additional information or clarification is required.
- Regional selection: A regional selection committee will review the applications and select up to 15 projects across the East African Community (EAC) and South Caucasus (SC) regions.
- Full proposal development: Selected applicants will be invited to work with the program team to develop a full proposal and detailed implementation plan.
Information Required in the Application
Applicants should be prepared to provide:
- Organization capacity and experience: Registration details and relevant experience implementing projects in mountain regions.
- Climate challenge: A clear description of the climate risks and impacts the project will address, supported by relevant visual evidence where possible.
- Proposed solution: A practical, nature-based or ecosystem-based approach that responds to local community needs and incorporates gender considerations.
- Beneficiaries: Identification of target communities and groups, along with the expected environmental, social, and livelihood benefits.
- Supporting documents: A valid organizational registration certificate.
2026 Call for Proposals: Mountains ADAPT small grants for East African Community (EAC) and South Caucasus (SC) Eligibility Criteria
Applicants should meet the following requirements:
- Be a locally based and legally registered non-governmental organization operating in a mountain region of an eligible country.
- Be based in one of the eligible East African Community countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, or Tanzania.
- Be based in one of the eligible South Caucasus countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, or Georgia.
- Address a climate change risk or vulnerability affecting mountain communities, with a strong focus on ecosystem-based adaptation.
- Demonstrate prior experience working directly with mountain communities.
- Provide all essential information and required documentation through the application form.
Application Form
Eligible organizations can access and submit the application through the official Mountains ADAPT application form.
Timeline & Deadline
Application deadline: 15 September 2026 at 11:59 p.m. (East African Time / South Caucasus Time).
Selection: Successful proponents are expected to be contacted during the third quarter of 2026.
Implementation: Selected projects are expected to begin implementation during the fourth quarter of 2026.
Tip: Before submitting, make sure your proposal clearly connects the climate challenge → ecosystem-based solution → community needs → expected benefits, and that all required organizational documents are attached.
Why This Grant Opportunity Is Important
The Mountains ADAPT Small Grants opportunity gives local organizations the resources and support they need to help vulnerable mountain communities respond to climate change.
Mountain communities often depend heavily on natural resources for food, water, income, and livelihoods, making them particularly vulnerable to climate-related risks and environmental degradation. This grant provides an opportunity to address these challenges through ecosystem-based adaptation, combining climate resilience with the protection and restoration of natural ecosystems.
The opportunity is especially valuable because it puts local organizations and communities at the center of climate action. Successful applicants can receive up to US$30,000, along with capacity development and training support to strengthen their ability to implement sustainable solutions.
Projects can create benefits beyond climate adaptation by helping communities improve livelihoods, protect natural resources, strengthen food and water security, and build long-term resilience.
Tips for a Strong Proposal
1. Clearly explain the climate challenge
Describe the specific climate risks affecting your mountain community. Explain who is affected, how they are affected, and why the problem requires action.
Use local evidence, photographs, community data, maps, reports, or other relevant information to demonstrate the scale and urgency of the problem.
2. Put the community at the center
Show that the proposed solution responds to the actual needs and priorities of the community.
Explain how community members will participate in designing, implementing, and monitoring the project.
3. Make ecosystem-based adaptation clear
Your proposal should clearly demonstrate how the project will use, restore, or protect ecosystems to help people adapt to climate change.
For example, your project could focus on:
- Forest or watershed restoration
- Sustainable land management
- Agroforestry
- Climate-resilient agriculture
- Water conservation and harvesting
- Biodiversity protection
- Soil restoration
- Nature-based disaster risk reduction
4. Explain your solution clearly
Don’t simply describe what you will do. Explain why your approach will work and how it will address the identified climate challenge.
Connect each major activity to a specific expected outcome.
5. Demonstrate community benefits
Clearly identify who will benefit and what will change as a result of the project.
Where possible, include measurable targets such as the number of households reached, hectares restored, farmers trained, water systems established, or livelihoods improved.
6. Integrate gender and inclusion
Explain how women, youth, vulnerable households, and other relevant groups will participate and benefit.
Avoid treating gender as a separate activity—show how inclusion is incorporated throughout the project design and implementation.
7. Demonstrate your organization’s experience
Highlight your previous experience working with mountain communities and implementing relevant environmental, climate, livelihood, or community-development projects.
Show why your organization is well positioned to deliver the proposed solution.
8. Prepare a realistic budget
Make sure your budget is directly connected to your proposed activities and expected results.
Every major expense should have a clear purpose and contribute to achieving the project’s objectives.
9. Think about sustainability
Explain what will happen after the grant ends.
Consider who will maintain the project’s results, how communities will continue the activities, and whether the solution could be expanded or replicated elsewhere.
10. Tell a clear story
A strong proposal should follow a simple logic:
Climate challenge → Community needs → Ecosystem-based solution → Activities → Measurable results → Long-term benefits.
Make it easy for reviewers to understand exactly what problem you are solving, why your solution is appropriate, and how the grant will create lasting impact.
How to apply?
This first round of call for proposals will fund up to 15 projects in the EAC and SC. Solution proposals should be submitted through the application link by 15th September 2026 at 11:59 pm (East African Time/South Caucasus Time).
Note: For more comprehensive details click the link below
Get full access to the grant information, visit the Official Website Link
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who can apply for the Mountains ADAPT Small Grants?
Eligible applicants are locally based and duly registered non-governmental or community-based organizations operating in mountain regions of the eligible countries in the East African Community and South Caucasus. Applicants should also have prior experience working directly with mountain communities.
2. How much funding is available?
Selected organizations can receive up to US$30,000 to design and implement solutions addressing climate change impacts on mountain communities.
In addition to financial support, successful applicants will receive capacity development and training to strengthen implementation of their proposed solutions.
3. What types of projects are eligible?
Projects should address a climate change challenge or vulnerability affecting mountain communities and have a strong focus on ecosystem-based adaptation.
Potential approaches may include ecosystem restoration, sustainable agriculture, water management, biodiversity conservation, livelihood resilience, and other nature-based solutions that help communities adapt to climate change.
4. Which countries are eligible?
The opportunity covers eligible mountain regions in the following countries:
East African Community: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania.
South Caucasus: Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.
Applicants must be locally based and operating in a relevant mountain region.
5. What is the application deadline?
Proposals must be submitted through the official application form by 15 September 2026 at 11:59 p.m. (East African Time / South Caucasus Time).
Selected proponents are expected to be contacted in the third quarter of 2026, with implementation expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Application: Mountains ADAPT Official Application Form
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