Funding Modalities

GEF provides financing to various types of projects ranging from several thousands to several million dollars from the GEF Trust Fund (GEFTF), Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) and Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF). These are Full-Sized projects, Medium-Sized Projects, Enabling Activities, Programmatic Approaches, and Small Grants Program and are briefly described below. Additional details in the review and approval of these projects can be found under the policies and guidelines on the Project Cycle and under Templates and Guidelines.

Full-sized Projects (FSPs)

FSPs – Over $2 million – Project concepts may be developed by governments, non-governmental organizations, communities, the private sector, or other civil society entities, and must respond to both national priorities and GEF’s strategic programming objectives, and must satisfy eligibility requirements under the Conventions. Project proponents work closely with national GEF Operational Focal Points (who formally endorse project concepts) and GEF Partner Agency(ies), to develop concepts and move through the GEF project cycle. FSP concepts are approved by the GEF Council. After 18 months of preparation, the fully developed FSP is endorsed by the GEF CEO for subsequent approval by the GEF Partner Agency to start project implementation.

Medium-sized Projects (MSPs)

MSPs – Up to US $2 million – MSPs offer opportunities for a broad range of programming that is typically smaller in scale than full-sized projects and follow expedited procedures for their approval so that they can be designed and executed more quickly and efficiently. Funding such projects increases GEF flexibility in allocating its resources and encourages a wide range of stakeholders to propose and develop project concepts. Their approval is delegated by the Council to the CEO. Following CEO approval, the MSP is approved by the GEF Partner Agency to start project implementation.

Enabling Activities (EAs)

EAs – Up to $1 million – EAs represent a basic building block of GEF assistance to countries. EAs are means of fulfilling essential communication requirements to Conventions, provide a basic level of information to enable policy and strategic decisions to be made, or assisting planning that identifies priority activities within a country. Approval of EAs has been delegated by the GEF Council to the GEF CEO and funds can be accessed directly by the country or through a GEF Agency. EAs that go beyond their funding threshold are considered non-expedited, and would then follow the procedures for processing full-sized projects.

Programmatic Approach (PA)

PAs – Programmatic Approaches represent a partnership between country/ies, the GEF and other interested stakeholders, such as the private sector, donors and/or the scientific community. This approach sets aside larger financing to secure larger-scale and sustainable impact on the global environment, than a single FSP or MSP, through integrating global environmental objectives into national or regional strategies and plans using partnerships. A program works in a sequenced manner through several projects within it, to foster increased horizontal and vertical integration of global environmental issues into the country(ies’) or region’s development agenda. Programmatic approaches are approved by the GEF Council.

Small Grants Program (SGP)

SGP – Up to $ 50,000 – Small grant projects are given to non-governmental organizations in developing countries for community-based projects through the GEF’s Small Grants Program in an effort to demonstrate and achieve more sustainable livelihoods while achieving global environmental benefits. SGP is a GEF corporate program being implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on behalf of the GEF partnership, and is executed by the United Nations Office for Project Services. To learn more about SGP and how potential grantees can apply for a grant, visit the SGP page.