FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 23, 2026

The Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme at United

Nations Development Programme launches Grant Proposal

Strengthening Initiative

KOROR, PALAU —The Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants

Programme (SGP) implemented by the United Nations Development

Programme (UNDP), is designed to provide Palauan civil society

organizations (CSOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) with the

essential tools needed to transform grassroots ideas into fundable, impactful

projects.

The GEF SGP UNDP recognizes that our Palauan CSOs and CBOs play a

critical role in addressing environmental and social challenges. However,

many organizations and cheldebechel struggle to secure grants due to

limited capacity in developing competitive proposals. In recognizing this

critical need, the GEF SGP UNDP in collaboration with Rengelekel Belau Inc,

a local non-profit dedicated to youth empowerment and community

development, is launching a series of proposal development workshops to

strengthen community led initiatives. The series of workshops will take a

“learning-by-doing” approach as a capacity-building program to empower

local community organizations to apply for GEF SGP UNDP grants. The

program begins with an introductory session for the GEF SGP UNDP Country

Programme, highlighting the thematic focal areas (biodiversity, climate

change, sustainable land management, etc.), recommendations for

alignment with national and state policies, and best practices for writing

effective, competitive grant proposals. Additional sessions in this program

will focus on funding criteria, strategies for developing competitive

proposals, and monitoring and evaluation tools.

This program and sessions are open to any national and local NGOs, CBOs,

women-led groups, youth organizations, and groups representing persons

with disabilities. The GEF SGP UNDP in collaboration with Rengelekel Belau

Inc is committed to social inclusion and equity; project funds are available to provide reasonable accommodation and travel support for participants from

remote communities to ensure an equitable distribution of project benefits.

Interested organizations can visit www.rengelekelbelau.pw to complete an

online registration form or download a copy and send to

sgp@rengelekelbelau.pw.

Contact:

Mia Kuartei, Rengelekel Belau, Inc.

Office: 680-488-3493

Mobile: 680-775-3449

Project Email: sgp@rengelekelbelau.pw

The Small Grants Programme (SGP) is a corporate programme of the Global

Environment Facility (GEF) implemented by the United Nations Development

Programme (UNDP). Established in 1992, SGP is currently active in 127

countries and promotes community-based innovation, capacity

development, and empowerment through projects led by local civil society

and community-based organizations, with special consideration for

Indigenous Peoples, women, youth and persons with disabilities. SGP has

supported over 28,000 community-based projects on biodiversity

conservation and sustainable use, climate change mitigation and

adaptation, sustainable land management, conservation of international

waters, and chemicals and waste management, while generating sustainable

livelihoods.