Submit a project

Projects presented to the FFEM must meet the following eight criteria:

1. contributes to the preservation of the global environment;
2. contributes to local sustainable development in one or more developing countries;
3. has innovative features;
4. has a demonstrative and replicable nature;
5. provides for post-project economic and financial sustainability; 
6. is ecologically and environmentally viable; 
7. has social and cultural acceptability;
8. has an appropriate institutional framework.

For each project proposed, special attention will also be paid to:

• Theory of Change; 
• its monitoring and evaluation mechanism;
• its overall environmental outcome; local ownership (which is a guarantee of sustainability);
• its partnership dimension;
• how gender and social ties are taken into account;
• the sharing of knowledge stemming from the project.

Applied research activities that give rise to or that are in relation with development activities can be funded by the FFEM. Basic research activities are, however, not eligible to receive its financial support.

The FFEM cofinances in any developing country eligible for official development assistance. Priority is given to Africa: the FFEM’s objective is to commit approximately two-thirds of its resources there.

The FFEM’s grant contribution9 ranges from €500,000 to €3,000,000 per project. The number of projects for which the FFEM’s contribution exceeds €2,000,000 can be decided only by the Steering Committee.

FFEM funding is provided only within the scope of cofinancing. Cofinancing is funding that contributes directly to the specific objectives of the project and that is necessary for its achievement. The cofinancing bodies, including the FFEM, work in close synergy in the steering and/or management of the project, which is handled by one of the cofinancing bodies on behalf of the others.

FFEM funding comes in addition to the cofinancing provided by the project initiators, the direct beneficiaries, or any other financial partner. Operational costs are shared, and local or other financial resources are mobilized. This both promotes and demonstrates ownership of the project by its initiators and the local beneficiaries, in turn helping to ensure the sustainability of the activities once FFEM support has ended. Cofinancing by the project initiators and/or other financial partners should amount to:

• 70% of the overall budget in standard cases;
• 50% of the overall budget for a project that has a remarkably innovative feature or for the case of projects initiated by Southern stakeholders whose cofinancing comes from the South.

At each stage of the examination process, the status of the cofinancing (requested, to be requested, or received) must be indicated. Project evaluation will include an analysis of the effective mobilization of the cofinancing that had been expected.

The duration of the activities cofinanced by the FFEM may not exceed five years, except in cases for which justification is formally provided. It is not the FFEM’s duty to ensure the sustainability of a project beyond the period initially provided for. It is up to the project initiator to identify, during the project implementation, the financial resources that will ensure the continuity of the project beyond five years.

Project examination involves the Secretariat and the Scientific and Technical Committee, which both give their opinion on the project, and the Steering Committee, which approves project identification and decides in the end on FFEM funding.