Call for Proposals for SGP8 Landscape Level NGO Hub Grants

About UNDP SGP8:

The Eighth Operational Phase of the Small Grants Programme (SGP8) builds on more than 30 years of successfully empowering local civil society organizations (CSOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) to design and lead community-driven initiatives. This Programme is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by Forest Foundation Philippines, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB).

The SGP8 Country Programme draws on lessons learned from previous phases, particularly SGP 5 and SGP 7, and aims to ensure the smooth and effective implementation of projects that enhance household well-being and socio-economic conditions while balancing biodiversity protection with livelihood development. The Programme focuses on addressing environmental issues through behavioral change, promoting community action for environmental sustainability, strengthening capacities through the COMDEKS approach, and fostering landscape-level collaborations and partnerships.

The overall objective of SGP8 is to engage local CSOs and CBOs in implementing integrated landscape and seascape approaches at the local level. It incorporates key features of the GEF Small Grants Programme 2.0, including support for youth, women, and indigenous peoples, links complementary mechanisms such as microfinance initiatives, and catalyzes multi-stakeholder approaches through CSO strengthening, empowerment, and the use of dialogue platforms to achieve greater impact.

Landscape Level NGO Hub Grant:

The Landscape Level NGO Hub Grant is a grant awarded to a central unit that acts as a focal point for NGOs and community-based organizations (CBOs) involved in SGP8 projects in the landscape. It facilitates communication, coordination, and capacity-building among NGOs, CBOs, and civil society organizations (CSOs) participating in the program.

The NGO Hub provides technical support and guidance to grassroots organizations and community-based groups, helping them effectively develop and implement their environmental and community development projects. It also serves as a resource center for sharing best practices, lessons learned, and knowledge related to community-driven development and environmental sustainability.

Specific Tasks and Responsibilities of the NGO Hub: 

• Serve as the main coordinator and support hub at the landscape level for CSOs and CBOs involved in SGP8:
  • Facilitate continuous communication, collaboration, learning, and coordination among grantees and stakeholders to promote the complementarity of initiatives, avoid duplication, and strengthen cumulative landscape-level outcomes;
  • Engage, coordinate, and convene grantees and relevant partners, including Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCSs), local government units, national government agencies, PAMOs, academic institutions, private sector, and other stakeholders; and
  • Supporting multistakeholder governance, dialogue, and problem-solving processes aligned with landscape priorities and SGP8 strategic objectives.
• Provide technical assistance throughout the programme cycle to support NGOs, POs, IPOs, and other CBOs in accessing and effectively implementing SGP8 grants:
  • Assist in project development, safeguards and eligibility compliance, gender and social inclusion considerations, work planning, monitoring, documentation, sustainability planning, reporting, and knowledge co-development; and
  • Support proponents and grantees in responding to recommendations from the PMU and relevant review bodies, while helping ensure alignment with approved project objectives, outputs, timelines, safeguard measures, and reporting obligations.
• Support capacity development and institutional strengthening by working closely with the Project Management Unit (PMU), grantees, partners, and landscape stakeholders
  • Identify learning needs and facilitate capacity-building, peer-learning, and organizational strengthening activities related to project development and implementation, monitoring and reporting, safeguards, governance, financial management, communication, adaptive management, and other competencies necessary to achieve SGP8 outcomes and strengthen long-term community and institutional resilience.
• Collaborate with the PMU throughout the SGP8 cyclesupporting adaptive management, evidence-based decision-making, monitoring and evaluation, learning and knowledge management processesat the landscape level.
  • Support the development and maintenance of landscape databases, stakeholder directories, and knowledge systems such as the Community-Based Monitoring and Information System (CBMIS); 
  • Assist grantees in organizing and validating required monitoring and reporting data; and
  • Support field monitoring, validation, consultations, safeguards reviews, and programme assessments, as necessary.
• Serve as a knowledge manager and platform for communication, visibility, and knowledge exchange.
  • Facilitate the documentation and dissemination of lessons learned, innovations, and good practices related to community-driven development and environmental sustainability;
  • Ensure that communication materials and activities remain safeguards-compliant, culturally sensitive, non-partisan, and aligned with SGP8 communication and visibility protocols;
  • Support the use of appropriate local languages, safeguard sensitive community, indigenous, and biodiversity information; and
  • Facilitate learning events, exchanges, and other knowledge-sharing activities among grantees and partners. 
• Mentor and advise SGP8 grantees to ensure the quality, timeliness, and compliance of project outputs and reports while serving as a model for grantees in results-based implementation, safeguards compliance, fiduciary accountability, stakeholder engagement, adaptive management, documentation, and knowledge management.
  • Mentor and advise partners to strengthen the quality, timeliness, and compliance of project outputs and reports;
  • Maintain sound financial management, administrative, and procurement systems for its own grant, including complete, accurate, and audit-ready books of accounts, financial records, supporting documents, bank records, procurement files, asset registers, and liquidation reports, in accordance with the Grant Agreement’s General Grant Provisions, Operations Manual, and applicable UNDP-GEF standards; and
  • Ensure the timely preparation of financial reports, liquidation documents, and all required supporting documentation by them, and the other grantees, to the Project Management Unit (PMU). 
• Promote collaboration, open communication, partnership-building, and evidence-based dialogue among SGP8 grantees, implementing partners, and other landscape stakeholders to support timely coordination, joint problem-solving, and adaptive responses to emerging landscape and programme challenges. 
  • Where appropriate and consistent with SGP8 objectives, strategic initiatives, and agreed coordination protocols, the NGO Hub may support non-partisan advocacy, resource mobilization, networking, and partnership initiatives that contribute to replication, scaling, mainstreaming of good practices, and strengthening of landscape-level governance and sustainability outcomes. 
• Support grantees in understanding, integrating, and implementing applicable social and environmental safeguards throughout the project cycle, including compliance with risk mitigation measures identified during proposal review and evaluation.
  • Assist in strengthening safeguards awareness and application at the landscape level;
  • Ensure that safeguards considerations are consistently reflected in planning, implementation, and reporting processes;
  • Promote gender equality, indigenous peoples’ and women’s empowerment, youth engagement, and broader social inclusion in all aspects of the project; and
  • Ensure respect for Indigenous Peoples’ rights, customary governance systems, and Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) requirements, where applicable.

Project Sites:

One (1) landscape-level NGO Hub will be engaged for each of the following project site:

1. Aurora 
2. Quezon Province (expansion site)
3. Catanduanes (new site)
4. Catubig Watershed in Northern Samar, expanding to the Cluster 6 River Basin (Catarman Watershed, Pambujan Watershed, and Bantayan and Camparangan minor watersheds)
5. Calamianes Group of Islands
6. Siargao Islands Protected Landscapes and Seascapes (SIPLAS) expanding to Surigao del Norte

Eligible Applicants:

Eligible applicants for the landscape-level NGO Hub must either be a non-government organization (NGO) that is:

• Duly registered and legally recognized under Philippine laws;
• Actively working in, or directly involved with, the landscape where the proposed project will be implemented;
• Actively engaged in the conservation and development of forest, coastal, and/or marine landscapes and its natural resources in the landscape;
• Has a proven track record of collaborative working with CSOs, NGOs, CBOs, government, private sector and other stakeholders in the landscape; and 
• Demonstrates adequate institutional, technical, and financial capacity to implement and manage the project. 

Funding Allocation and Grant Duration:

Grants for the landscape-level NGO Hub may amount to up to US$150,000 (or in peso equivalent) and will be implemented from 3^rd Quarter of 2026 to June 2028. A total of six (6) NGO Hub Grants will be awarded, with one NGO Hub selected for each project site. 

Co-financing, through in-kind or investment mobilized, from the proponent, partners, and other donor institutions and projects/programs shall be required. As applicable, proposals should include budget allocation for assisting proponents in securing the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) process and the issuance of the Certificate of Precondition (CP).

Timeline and Application Procedure:

Activities	Dates
Deadline of Submission of Full Proposal	June 30, 2026
Evaluation of Proposals (staff-level and NSC-level)	July 2026
Announcement of Results and Start of Project Implementation	Q3 2026

Evaluation Criteria:

The proposals shall be evaluation based on the following considerations:

• Contribution to strategic initiatives 8 (Knowledge Management) and 9 (Results, Management, Monitoring and Evaluation) of SGP8;
• Technical soundness and feasibility, including the clarity and alignment of the proposed overall goal, specific objectives, target outputs or deliverables, activities, key indicators, and the likelihood of achieving the intended results;
• Financial soundness and feasibility, including the adequacy of funding and the use of realistic and justified cost estimates;
• Social soundness and feasibility, including the institutional arrangements required for project success, community support, potential security concerns, and compliance with free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC), if applicable;
• The ability of the proposing organization or institution to implement the project within the proposed timeline; and
• Sustainability of the project beyond SGP8 funding, including long-term capacity-building components for the community.

Full Proposal Submission:

Interested eligible proponents must submit a full proposal, including a detailed activity and budget plan for the first year and an indicative activity and budget plan for the succeeding years. 

• Full proposals must be submitted through the Forest Foundation’s grant portal: https://grants.forestfoundation.ph.
• Full proposal templates can be downloaded at the grant portal or requested by sending an email to sgp8@forestfoundation.ph. 

Contact:

Should you have additional questions or concerns, please contact: 

SGP8 Project Management Unit
Forest Foundation Philippines
2F Valderrama Bldg., 107 Esteban St., Legaspi Village 1229 Makati City, Philippines
Phone: (+63 2) 8891 0595; (+63 2) 8864 0287
Email: proposals@forestfoundation.ph or sgp8@forestfoundation.ph