Green Climate Fund Proposal Toolkit 2017

The Green Climate Fund Proposal Toolkit 2017 is a comprehensive guide produced by Acclimatise and the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) to assist project proponents in developing funding proposals for the Green Climate Fund (GCF). It details the GCF's investment criteria, the roles of key actors, and a ten-step methodology for designing projects that achieve a paradigm shift toward low-emission and climate-resilient development.

• The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is the world's largest fund dedicated to climate change, with US$10.3 billion pledged as of March 2017, aiming to help developing countries achieve a paradigm shift to low-emission and climate-resilient pathways.
• GCF projects are categorized by size into four tiers: Micro (US$0–10 million), Small (US$10–50 million), Medium (US$50–250 million), and Large (over US$250 million).
• The GCF architecture involves three primary actors: the National Designated Authority (NDA), which provides strategic oversight and no-objection letters; the Accredited Entity (AE), which is accountable to the GCF Board for project management and financial reporting; and the Executing Entity (EE), which carries out the actual project activities.
• The GCF utilizes four main financial instruments to support projects: grants (both reimbursable and non-reimbursable), concessional loans (including senior and subordinate loans), equity, and guarantees.
• Project proposals are evaluated against six core investment criteria: impact potential, paradigm shift potential, sustainable development potential, needs of the recipient, country ownership, and efficiency and effectiveness.
• The GCF's Results Management Framework (RMF) employs a 'backcasting' approach to develop logic frameworks, starting with the desired paradigm shift and working backward to identify objectives, outcomes, outputs, activities, and inputs.
• Environmental and Social Safeguards (ESS) are based on the International Finance Corporation's (IFC) eight Performance Standards. Projects are categorized as High (Category A), Medium (Category B), or Low/no risk (Category C).
• Gender integration is a mandatory requirement; proposals must include qualitative and quantitative gender indicators, align with national gender policies, and are highly encouraged to include a Gender Action Plan (GAP).
• The GCF project cycle consists of seven main stages: voluntary concept note submission, proposal submission with an NDA no-objection letter, analysis and recommendation (including ITAP assessment), Board decision, legal arrangements (FAA signing), disbursement and implementation, and finally monitoring, evaluation, and reporting.
• The Project Preparation Facility (PPF) provides grants up to US$1.5 million (capped at 10% of total funding requested) to help Accredited Entities, particularly direct access entities, turn concept notes into full funding proposals.

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (2017). Green Climate Fund Proposal Toolkit 2017. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/GCF-project-development-manual.pdf

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. Green Climate Fund Proposal Toolkit 2017. 2017. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/GCF-project-development-manual.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=Green Climate Fund Proposal Toolkit 2017 |date=June 2017 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/GCF-project-development-manual.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetwork2017green, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{Green Climate Fund Proposal Toolkit 2017}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2017}, month = jun, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/GCF-project-development-manual.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }