Call for concept proposal to the Table Mountain Fund
Introduction
The Table Mountain Fund (TMF) was established in 1998 with funds from local and international sources. TMF is a significant partner of C.A.P.E. (Cape Action for People and the Environment), the multi-stakeholder conservation partnership that drives fynbos conservation efforts. Furthermore, TMF aims to cement partnerships, in particular those between civil society and the state, while placing emphasis on experimenting with new approaches to solving conservation problems.
Vision
The Table Mountain Fund is a world-leading Conservation Trust Fund– initiating, developing and providing seed and catalytic funding to projects that restore and protect the natural wilderness of Table Mountain, the Cape Peninsula and the entire Cape Floristic Region (CFR) as a valuable heritage accessible to all South Africans and other citizens of the world.
Mission
The Table Mountain Fund will establish itself as the premier fund for achieving significant conservation interventions in the CFR through supporting the C.A.P.E. strategy and other priority conservation interventions locally and nationally.
TMF now calls for concept proposals that are in line with the stipulated focal strategic objectives outlined below. The total amount of funding available for all projects for this financial year is R 1 030 000.
Focal TMF Strategic Objectives
The 2013 – 2019 TMF Conservation Strategy has a total of eight strategic objectives. The focus of this call will be to provide catalytic funding for novel projects addressing three of these objectives, namely:
- _Protected Area expansion: To collaborate with key partners and land owners in protected area expansion and management effectiveness with a focus on Critical Biodiversity Areas, listed Threatened Ecosystems, and the priority TMF Climate Change Adaptation Corridors.
- _Investment in Ecological Infrastructure: To promote investment in ecological infrastructure and biodiversity for sustainable livelihoods and job creation.
- _Inclusivity in conservation: To support the growth and development of new entrants to the conservation sector and/or the C.A.P.E. partnership, and to facilitate the inclusion and involvement of a wider range of stakeholders in conservation.
Who can apply?
Registered organisations in good standing and with a specific interest in undertaking conservation work in the CFR are encouraged to apply. Under exceptional circumstances, organisations not yet registered as NPOs may be considered.
What types of applications can be considered for funding?
Projects must:
- _Address high priority conservation needs;
- _Be exemplary and catalytic;
- _Tangibly and directly support the delivery of the C.A.P.E. strategy, with strong linkages and partnerships in place to ensure the undertaking is supported, taken up, handed over, or owned, and in this way long-term security of the project is facilitated;
- _Not duplicate existing initiatives;
- _Demonstrate value for money; and
- _Demonstrate best practice.
In addition to the above, the following applications will be favourably considered:
- _Projects based within the TMF Climate Change Adaptation Corridors;
- _Projects lead by civil society;
- _Projects that are well supported by partners in conservation;
- _Projects that have attracted significant co-finance;
- _Projects that seek to test and demonstrate the convergence between Rural Economic Development and conservation; or
- _Small grant projects (i.e. below R30 000), that support new entrants into conservation.
The following projects will not be considered:
- _Production of videos and films or the publication of books (excepting resource materials);
- _Attendance of and travel to conferences/symposia etc. or the cost associated with hosting such events;
- _Bursaries and scholarships;
- _Research not aimed at solving management problems and not linked to priority conservation needs or the objectives of TMF.
- _Core institutional support or the purchase of capital equipment and assets;
- _Development of private conservation enterprises and/or private nature reserves, with the major aim of generating a profit;
- _Salaries, except as an integral component to a project;
- _Developmental projects without a core environmental component;
- _Conduit agencies – TMF and WWF-SA wishes to co-operate with other bodies by means of capacity building and sharing expertise, and will therefore only fund primary agencies involved in environmental conservation; or
- _Routine management of the Peninsula mountain chain (unless deemed a conservation priority and not covered by existing management activities).
Assessment of applications
Applications will be considered on the basis of the criteria provided above by the Project Review Panel. Given that the nature of the call is competitive, even projects which meet all stipulated criteria may not be awarded funding. Applicants may be invited to develop their concepts into full applications based upon comments received from the Project Review Panel (which may also ask for independent review of any application). All applicants, whether successful or not in their application, will be provided with feedback by the 30th June 2016.
Grant size
The following grant options are available:
(1) A maximum of R 215 000 p.a., for a maximum of three years (i.e. grants may not exceed R645, 000.00 in total); or
(2) Once-off small grants of up to R30 000.
The Concept Proposal
Concepts are envisaged to outline details of the project at a high level and should be no more than three A4 pages in length. The following headings must be addressed in concept proposals (please note that incomplete concept proposals will not be considered for funding):
Section 1: Project Name
Section 2: Information about the organization (name, status, date of establishment, registration, etc.)
Section 3: Project location and map
Section 4: Conservation Problem Statement
Section 5: Project Objectives
Section 6: Conservation Benefits
Section 7: Alignment with the focal TMF strategic objectives
Section 8: Budget (state TMF and other contributions separately)
Section 9: A summarised Implementation Schedule with timelines (maximum of 3 years), preferably in a log-frame format
Section 10: Critical assumptions
Section 11: Partners or collaborating organization/s (indicate whether relationship is already active or proposed)
Section 12: Project team members (name, surname, age, gender, role, employer and experience)
Section 13: Potential risks and responses (risks, likelihood (high, medium, low), consequences, Risk Management approach)
Apply for a grant
Applications should be emailed to the contact details provided below, by close of business on 29th April 2016. All applicants, whether successful or not will be provided with feedback by the 30th June 2016.
To: Carla Wood
Project Coordinator: Table Mountain Fund
Centre for Biodiversity Conservation
Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
Tel: 021 762 8525
Email: cwood@wwf.org.za
