The international call for proposals addresses small regional, national, and local organisations based in an ODA-eligible countries (except for current and potential EU member candidates except for Ukraine). You are invited to apply directly for funding of local or regional climate and biodiversity action. IKI Small Grants provides funding between 60,000 and 200,000 euros and is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Government.

Project proposals must focus on one or more of the following IKI funding areas:

• Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions
• Adaptation to the impacts of climate change
• Conserving natural carbon sinks with a focus on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation
• Conserving biological diversity

Eligibility check:

Organisations interested in submitting a proposal must first pass an eligibility check based on the criteria listed above. In this first stage, submit your application through the platform providing information on your organisation together with the following supporting documents:

• Registration certificates
• Financial statements covering the last three available years including relevant information on the applicant’s revenue
• Completed revenue template
• Accounting & procurement guidelines

Documents:

Funding Information 2024 (PDF, English, 586 KB)

Application Guideline 2025 part 1 (PDF, English, 716 KB)

Revenue template (XLSX, English, 635 KB)

Organisations interested in participating in the 6th IKI Small Grants call must submit this information and these documents via the application platform by 15th January, 2025.
Project proposals
Organisations that qualify and eligible will subsequently be invited to submit their project proposals and budget until 12th March, 2025, through the same platform.
FAQs
The FAQs present a quick overview. For comprehensive details on funding criteria, please carefully read the IKI Small Grants funding information and the application guidelines provided on this website.

The recording of the IKI Small Grants Launch Event in 2019 can offer further insights. You can find this and other recordings on the “Resources” page.
A: Who can apply for funding?

For detailed information regarding the eligibility criteria please see the funding information.
In the current call for proposals, IKI Small Grants does not support:

• Government organisations (e.g., ministries, municipalities, public universities).
• Branches of organisations based in a non-ODA country.
• Consortia, as this would imply forwarding project funds from the lead organisation to partners in the consortia. Forwarding funds is not permitted.
• Research projects, unless they have a strong implementation component. This means basic research projects with a primary focus on data collection, evaluation, and publications are not eligible as such. However, a project that has its main focus on addressing the needs of target groups and achieving substantial changes in the IKI Small Grants’ funding areas is welcome to carry out project-related research as a side activity.

B: What else is required from organisations that want to apply?

Applicants should be not-for-profit organisations and private companies only if they pursue strictly non-profit objectives as part of their proposed project. No individuals, natural persons, one-person organisations or governmental organisations are eligible.

Applicant organisations must have been operative for at least three years.

Over the past three years applicant organisations must have generated an average annual revenue of at least EUR 60,000 and no more than EUR 500,000.

The applicant organisation must have dedicated accounting staff and have accounting principles that ensure internal as well as external control mechanisms and must also employ a software-based accounting system.

C: When can I expect a first contact from IKI Small Grants?

After the call closes 15th January 2025, the submitted application will undergo a thorough check and treated with the utmost care and attention.

After 15th January, organisations will receive confirmation if they are eligible to continue the application process and submit their project proposals until 12th March 2025. As soon as the selection process for project proposals has been finalised, all submitting organisations will be informed.

In the meantime, please refrain from inquiries about the status of your proposal.

D: Can I hand in an application in any language other than English?

Applications must be submitted in English. Pease bear in mind that all communication after submitting your application will be in English too. IKI Small Grants works with organisations from many countries with a wide range of languages. Perfect English language skills are not required. However, good working English from at least one person in the project team is essential for effective cooperation. You are welcome to seek assistance in proposal writing from third parties including professional translation and/or online translation tools.