Knowledge about the available tested adaptation solutions in mountains increases among governance stakeholders thanks to online portals, capacity development activities and knowledge exchange. However, often flexible easy-accessible funding is missing on the local mountain community level.
To close this gap, UNEP has engaged in the Mountains ADAPT project. This session will present learnings and findings from the first pilot phase in the South Caucasus and East African Community. A substantive stock-take and analysis of existing small grant schemes and grants programs has been undertaken through desk research and expert/donor interviews. The analysis has been focused on more than 30 financing schemes´ characteristics and practical operations that have been further investigated through follow-up interviews. The synthesis report provides a broad overview of existing schemes, including for the global level and both benefitting regions, discussing main findings along eight different categories such as identification of beneficiaries, application process, selection, grant nature, transfer, reporting, monitoring and evaluation and sustainability. In addition, recommendations for concrete next steps towards developing a mountain community small grants scheme for adaptation are elaborated.