Open Call for Proposals: Small Grants
19 December 2024 – 14 February 2025
Background
All EKOenergy-ecolabel consumers contribute at least 0.10 € per MWh to EKOenergy’s Climate Fund. These contributions are used to support new renewable electricity projects in low- and middle-income countries, creating positive impacts for local communities and advancing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
So far, EKOenergy’s Climate Fund has supported 122 renewable energy projects across various sectors with almost €4 million, most of which have been funded through our open calls.
General Information
EKOenergy’s Climate Fund is currently seeking to fund 15-20 short-term solar PV and wind energy projects taking place in low- and middle-income countries.
- Projects must be community-prioritised initiatives coordinated by non-profit NGOs and implemented in cooperation with enterprises, authorities, and other relevant stakeholders.
- Grants range from €15,000 to €40,000 for most applicants. Organisations that received grants from EKOenergy in 2023 or 2024 may apply for up to €60,000.
- We strongly encourage proposals for projects located in Malaysia, South Africa, and India, as there is growing interest among EKOenergy consumers to support initiatives in these regions.
Eligibility and Selection Criteria
For a comprehensive overview of the criteria, please visit our Funding Information page. Before submitting a proposal, ensure your organisation is eligible for funding and your project aligns with our criteria.
General eligibility
- The main applicant must be an organisation with registered non-profit status in their country of registration.
- The community that the project will support must have an active role in the project from the planning stage to ensure that their needs and priorities are central to the project’s focus.
- The applicant must demonstrate organisational capacity and strategic goals to promote renewable energy.
Successful projects will
- At least 50% of the funding must be allocated to new solar PV or wind energy installations, including systems they will power.
- Promote renewable energy within and beyond the served community.
How to Apply
Please ensure that you have all the necessary information and the mandatory, free-form PDF proposal (see below for more information and requirements) prepared before proceeding with the platform – do not make test submissions! Submissions without an attached PDF proposal will not be processed. Test and incomplete submissions create significantly more work for us.
Submit your proposal via our new application platform: EKOenergy Grant Application Platform. We do not accept proposals by email.
You do not need to sign up or create an account to use the platform. The platform will only ask for:
- The grant size requested (in euros).
- Basic organisation details (name, contact information, website and social media links).
- Contact person’s details.
- On the final page, upload your proposal in PDF format (this is mandatory – we do not proceed with submission without this document!)
Proposals must
- Be written in English.
- Be no more than three (3) pages long (excluding an optional front page).
- Be submitted no later than Friday, 14 February 2025 (end of the day in all time zones).
Proposals must include
- Basic organisational details (a brief overview of mission, previous projects, and expertise relevant to the proposal).
- A summary of a project plan with a clear exit strategy, including details on planned installation capacity and the estimated number of beneficiaries.
- A description of the community’s involvement in the project planning to demonstrate how their needs and priorities have been considered.
- A communication and advocacy plan.
- A rough budget.
We do not provide templates for proposals. If you encounter issues with the platform or have questions, contact Climate Fund Coordinator Laura Blomberg at laura.blomberg@sll.fi.
By submitting a proposal to EKOenergy, you agree to share it with reviewers, including the EKOenergy Secretariat and external experts. Please refrain from including confidential material. All proposals will be retained for monitoring beyond the call period.
Next Steps
All applicants will be contacted in the months following the application deadline to provide updates regarding the status of their application. Please note that the selection process involves multiple rounds of evaluation, so it may take some time before we reach out.
Applicants who advance further in the selection process will be asked additional questions, participate in interviews, and provide references for checks.
Preliminary decisions are expected to be made in May, with final decisions completed in June. The first payments will be processed after agreements have been signed.
Additional Information
For more details, please visit our Funding Information page. There, you can find FAQs, funding exclusions, and a detailed description of the selection process.
You can also explore our list of previously funded projects to get an idea of the types of initiatives typically supported by the Climate Fund.
For further questions, contact Laura Blomberg, EKOenergy’s Climate Fund Coordinator, at laura.blomberg@sll.fi.
Published: 19 December 2024
