The Adaptation Fund is making Technical Assistance grants available to accredited National Implementing Entities (NIEs) in order to strengthen the capacity of NIEs, particularly in the areas of environmental and social risk management, as they design and implement concrete adaptation projects.

The grants are intended to help NIEs tap into external (international or national) expertise in the form of short-term consultant assignments. They are being made available as part of the Adaptation Fund’s Readiness Programme for Climate Finance, a two-year initiative which aims to help strengthen the capacity of national and regional implementing entities to receive and manage climate financing, particularly through the direct access modality, and to adapt and build resilience to counter changing climate conditions in sectors ranging from agriculture and food security to coastal zones and urban areas.

The Technical Assistance grants are meant to support, among other areas, the following types of activities within the grantee NIEs:

• Developing procedures/manuals/guidelines for screening projects for environmental and social risks
• Developing procedures for undertaking project environmental and social risk assessment and for formulating risk management plans
• Developing policies/avenues for public disclosure and consultation
• Developing transparent and effective mechanisms for receiving and resolving complaints about environmental and social harms caused by projects/programmes during implementation
• Training of select entity staff to carry out the relevant tasks related to the implementation of the Fund’s Environmental and Social Policy

The call for Technical Assistance grants will be launched in late August – early September 2015. All Adaptation Funds accredited NIEs will be eligible to apply. The maximum size of a grant is US$20,000. If the grant is approved, the NIE will be responsible for recruiting the consultant directly.

For more information on the Technical Assistance grants, please check the Adaptation Fund website.