A pilot initiative of the GEF Small Grants Program (SGP), GEF’s premier mechanism for engaging civil society stakeholders in delivering environmental benefits, the GEF SGP CSO Challenge Program will be implemented by IUCN together with RTI International and supported with USD 10 million in GEF funding. Calls for proposals are expected to be announced in January 2026.  

“The GEF is increasingly strengthening its support to CSO-led conservation, and its engagement with Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs), women and youth“, said the GEF CEO and Chairperson Carlos Manuel Rodríguez. “For the GEF this is not just about equity, but also about catalysing transformative change. The GEF Small Grants Program and the forthcoming challenge programme are essential elements of our commitment.”  

The programme will be open to CSOs in all GEF-eligible countries, including from youth, women, and Indigenous Peoples. Eligible areas for support include sustainable agriculture; community-based management of threatened ecosystems and species; sustainable cities; low-carbon energy access; and chemicals and waste management.

The pre-launch event aimed to enhance awareness among the global CSO community, policymakers, and wider conservation community on the transformative impacts of CSO-led conservation and the opportunities presented by the programme. Attendees heard directly from remarkable CSO leaders working on the frontlines of the climate, species extinction and land degradation crises about their grassroots work creating, inspiring and leading organisations that are generating positive outcomes for people and planet.

Viviana Elsa Figueroa, Global Technical Coordinator of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity, said: “I want to congratulate this programme for enabling real transformative change and providing crucial support to civil society, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, women and youth. This is a great opportunity. We must increase direct funding for IPLCs, as we cannot achieve global biodiversity targets without protecting and securing Indigenous rights and territories”.

Participants exchanged on ways to enhance support for CSO-led conservation, including what kinds of partnerships, programmes, resources and policies are needed to empower and support CSOs to play an even greater role in accelerating environmental change.

Building on the strengths of civil society-led conservation, the CSO Challenge Program will help promote local ownership of high-impact sustainability projects, foster innovation through the inclusion of local and traditional knowledge and actors, deliver direct benefits to communities affected by environmental issues, and ensure the inclusion of underrepresented groups in global environmental solutions. 

More information on the programme is available here.