HOW TO REVIEW
GCF - FUNDING PROPOSALS
Florencia Ortúzar Greene

NGO that uses the law to protect the environment and
communities that depend on it.
Environmental Justice for Latinamerica

Connecting local communities and CSO with the Board

About Funding Proposals
o Long and complex documents,
written in English
o Always follow the same
structure

A guide to review funding proposals
o Key aspects
o Questions to ask yourself
o Write down everything that
is doubtful or worrying!

Time is running out!
o FPs are generally published
21 days before the BM
o Cat A and B projects must
publish impact studies in
advance
Cat A: 120 days
Cat B: 30 days

Relevant sections: executive summary
o General idea of the project
or program
o Around 1.5 pages long
o Explains climate change
problem to solve, proposed
actions, and impacts and
benefits

Relevant sections: project/program information
o purpose and objectives?
o relation to climate change?
o activities?
o the organizations/companies/
institutions involved? Their
reputation? Any publications,
articles or reports?
o type of financing (grant, loan,
guarantee, equity investment)

Relevant sections: expected performance against
investment criteria
o responds to the needs of the
people?
o safeguards human rights and
climate justice?
o gender equity and indigenous
peoples?
o aligned with climate priorities
of the country/region where it
will be implemented?

Relevant sections: local communities
o Do you have contacts?
o Where participatory
processes adequate?
o Are there indigenous
communities involved?
o Are vulnerable segments
included?

Relevant sections: social and environmental risks
GCF funded activities should not cause
negative impacts.
o potential social and environmental
impacts
o how serious and likely are they?
o mitigation and compensation
measures
o cumulative impacts of other
infrastructure projects in the area
o budget for impact management?

Relevant sections: gender
On the evaluation:
o updated and relevant information for this project?
o Data specially generated or does it only cite sources?
On the action plans:
o measures beyond guaranteeing 50% of women beneficiaries?
o actions to empower women?
o measures aligned with the activities of the main proposal?
or just “add-ons”?
o Access of women's local knowledge? included in the design of
the proposal?
o adequate budget for the plan?
o participation of a gender expert beyond a short-term
consultancy envisaged?

Look in other places
o Take a look at the Secretariats
and ITAPs evaluations
o Look for the Project in your
national environmental
evaluation system
o Look for contacts who
participated

To wrap it all up
1. Describe main strengths
and weaknesses
2. Classify in green, yellow or
red
3. Think about questions for
AEs
4. Propose concrete
conditions

Florencia Ortúzar Greene
fortuzar@aida-americas.org
AIDAorg
@AIDAorg
Interamerican Association for Environmental Defense
www.aida-americas.org