Supporting Innovative Solutions on Climate Adaptation

The World Bank recently announced its Development Marketplace competitive grant program (DM09). "The Development Marketplace is a competitive grant program administered by the World Bank. The 2009 global competition is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and additional DM partners." An award pool of more than US$5 million will support 20-25 projects. DM09 aims to identify "innovative, early-stage projects addressing climate adaptation. The DM is a unique opportunity to turn your idea into reality; if selected your project could receive up to US$200,000 in grant funding for implementation over two years."

The grant competition on climate adaptation focuses on three sub-themes:

1. Resilience of Indigenous Peoples Communities to Climate Risks--promote Indigenous Peoples communities' and organizations' development of innovative ways to conserve agriculture, land, water and soil management practices; apply innovative adaptation plans and communication strategies based on Indigenous systems to accelerate learning and knowledge sharing on climate change adaptation;
2. Climate Risk Management with Multiple Benefits--empower poor communities to test innovative, low-cost strategies to spread climate risk and forge innovative partnerships that increase vulnerable communities' access to climate risk management knowledge, information, and services that produces multiple social and environmental benefits; use innovative means to help educate communities on climate risks that leads to empowerment for action.; and
3. Climate Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management--develop innovative arrangements that diffuse climate-related disaster risks faced by the poor and vulnerable; create innovative low-cost approaches for spatial planning for climate resilience and for construction of housing and local infrastructure resistant to climate-related disasters; improve the capacity of local communities to access and use multi-hazard risk information to enhance their early warning systems and other community-based responses to climatic extremes and climate change.

Who can apply? Special eligibility criteria apply to sub-theme one. For sub-themes two and three, non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, foundations and development agencies based in the country of implementation may apply without additional partners. All other groups such as the private sector must partner with at least one organization; the type of partnership varies across types of applicants. Individuals cannot apply. Click here for more details on partnerships and eligibility criteria or check the guidelines. E-mail any questions not covered in the website to dminfo@worldbank.org.

All proposals must be submitted online. Proposals must be submitted through the DM online application form available on the DM website. Only proposals received before May 18, 2009 6 p.m. EST (20:00 GMT) will be considered.

The World Bank's official press release to launch DM09 explains that the "DM competitions attract nearly 3,000 applicants, from which about 100 finalists are selected. Finalists competing for grants will be invited to the Development Marketplace held November 3-5, 2009, in Washington, D.C."

I wish all the participants the best of luck and please feel free to share you innovative ideas on this blog.