The Small Grant Facility

The Small Grant Facility is the mechanism though which funds are provided for small-scale projects. Each member country receives funds to establish a Small Grant Facility to deliver projects under two categories: less than US$10,000, and between US$10,000 to US$25,000. MFF also encourages co-financing of these projects, especially by the private sector.

Small Grant Facility projects are an important approach for supporting local action in the form of community-based project activities.

The National Coordinating Body (NCB) in each country has full ownership of the Small Grant Facility, by calling for proposals and selecting the projects for funding. The projects themselves are managed for each NCB by the country office of IUCN or UNDP.

Between 2008 and 2011, more than 80 Small Grant Facility projects were carried out across the MFF region. These focused primarily on supporting NGOs and community-based organizations working to meet the needs of coastal communities. By linking these projects to government agencies, much interest has been generated among officials in scaling up their learning to other agencies and to policy makers. For example, the research-oriented projects in India have encouraged the Ministry of Environment and Forests to provide funds to build upon MFF’s work.

Results
The majority of small projects have contributed to alleviating poverty and empowering communities through the development of sustainable livelihoods. Results of these projects have also led to behavioural changes that have reduced pressure on natural resources, particularly by reducing illegal fishing practices. At the same time they have provided additional sources of income. For example, the cultivation of Aloe vera in a Sri Lankan community has increased the monthly income of traditional fisher families by 26 per cent, while reducing local fishing effort by 5 per cent.

Projects have also contributed to improving coastal governance by supporting Integrated Coastal Management and by influencing national policies. An MFF supported scientific survey in Gujarat, India, found two new mangrove tree species for that state, prompting the state government to declare part of this area a biodiversity heritage site.