Published on 14th November, 2019 in Daily the News (Nationwide), Daily the Dawn (Nationweide) and

Daily the Jang (Nationwide)

 Challenge Fund for Climate Smart Projects
(Request for Proposals/Application Guidelines)
Background
Challenge Fund is being initiated through an understanding between Ministry of Climate Change
(MoCC), Government of Pakistan and National Rural Support Programme (NRSP) for mutual
collaboration and coordination with the objective of launching of NRSP funded “Challenge Fund for
Climate Smart Projects” in order to fund projects that have positive impact on climate change issues
and also complement Pakistan Clean Green Movement. Successful ideas will later on be scaled-up
nationwide for larger benefits, by accessing funding from Green Climate Fund (GCF), MoCC and other
potential sources.

Whereas Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC) is a Ministry of the Government of Pakistan concerned
with climate change with the following key activities;
 Climate change & Environmental coordination
 Matters relating to Sustainable Development, Water & Sanitation, Sustainable Urbanization,
 Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) including UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Kyoto Protocol
 Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
 National policy, plans, strategies and programs regarding ecology, forestry, wildlife, biodiversity
and desertification
 All policy matters relating to development schemes/initiatives.

MoCC works through Environment, Forestry and Development sections/wings and through following
attached departments/implementing agencies; Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency, Zoological
Survey Department, Global Change Impact Studies Center.

Whereas NRSP was set up in 1991 with seed capital from the Government of Pakistan as a “not for
profit” Company registered with the SECP. It is governed by an independent Board of Directors which is
non-remunerative. The Government of Pakistan is represented by Federal Secretaries from Ministries
of Finance, EAD and Planning. This unique blend of Public-Private partnership enables NRSP to work
with various Ministries, Provincial Governments, Donors and Private sector in community driven
development (CDD) projects that have an impact on the lives of rural communities in a sustainable
manner. In terms of Climate Change, NRSP works closely with the Ministry of Climate change. It has the
capacity to work with projects both related to Climate Change mitigation and adaptation and has
implemented multiple climate related projects.

Introduction
NRSP in collaboration with Ministry of Climate Change (MOCC) launched “Challenge Fund for Climate
Smart Projects’’ and is inviting applications for the first round of funding for projects that can have a
positive impact on climate change and are scalable. Funding will be based on innovative ideas that have
already been tested and have shown demonstrable impact on communities. Funding will not be
available for theoretical ideas only. Applicants can be organizations, universities, students, groups,
researchers and private sector companies. Successful entities will not be eligible for any management
fee or indirect cost.

Proposals will be sought for Climate Adaptation related topics that cover increased resilience of health,
food and water security, livelihoods of people and communities, ecosystem and ecosystem services and

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infrastructure and build environment. Project ideas will have to focus on impact in terms of number of
direct / indirect beneficiaries
 Increased resilience of the following:
o Most vulnerable people and communities e.g. mitigation of operational risk associated
with climate change – diversification of supply sources and supply chain management,
relocation of manufacturing facilities and warehouses, etc.
o Health and well-being, and food and water security e.g. climate-resilient crops, efficient
irrigation systems, etc.
o Infrastructure and built environment e.g. sea walls, resilient road networks, etc.
o Ecosystem and ecosystem services e.g. ecosystem conservation and management,
ecotourism, etc.)

Eligible Entities
Pakistan based organizations, CBOs, NGOs, Research Institutes, Academic Institutions, Private sector
organizations (both for profit and not for profit). International NGOs which have Pakistan based chapter
duly registered under laws of the land and having NOC from EAD to work in Pakistan shall be eligible.

Project Duration
Total project duration of all projects will not exceed 12 months (1 Year).

Budget
Grants can be up to PKR 5 million.

Contact Details and Submission

Financial and technical proposals should be submitted using both methods i.e. email and post. Email
submission can be done at proposals@nrsp.org.pk (MS Word file for proposal template and MS Excel
file for budget template), whereas submission by post can be done at “National Rural Support
Programme (NRSP), 7th Floor, UBL Tower, Jinnah Avenue, Blue Area, Islamabad by addressing Grants
Manager NRSP. Questions related to this call for proposals can also be sent to the same email address
above, by clearly identifying the name of the organization and contact.

Templates
Templates for proposals and budget can be accessed from this web link:
http://nrsp.org.pk/tender-docs.html which will expire on December 23rd, 2019.

Timelines for Submissions, Reviews, Agreements etc

Sr# Descriptions Timelines
1 RFP Publish in the newspapers November 14th, 2019
2 Deadline for questions and queries from the applicants November 25th, 2019
3 Response to the questions and queries from NRSP December 2nd, 2019
4 Deadline for proposal submission December 23rd, 2019
5 Application Review and finalization of the list of potential grantees February 15th, 2020
6 Institutional assessments of the potential grantees (until) March 15th, 2020
7 Start date of the selected projects March 16th, 2020

Scrutiny of Applications: Points weightage

A. Overall Ability to Achieve Results (80 points)

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40 Points: Proposed Program Approach: Well-conceived and technically sound proposal that responds
to a critical need and provides convincing evidence of the Applicant’s ability to implement the activity
and achieve the stated results. It should be sensitive to the gender aspects and propose a team which
is capable to implement the proposed project interventions.

20 Points: Past Performance: The Applicant’s proposal demonstrates a successful track record in
implementing activities similar or related to that proposed in the Technical Proposal. The applicant must
have institutional capacity to implement innovative projects.

20 Points: Organizational Capacity: The Applicant has a demonstrated organizational capacity to

manage the proposed activity, including transparent personnel, procurement, and financial
management systems. It should have adequate internal controls and governance mechanism.
References support satisfactory completion of similar activities in the past.

B. Effectiveness and Reasonableness of Total Cost (20 points)

Demonstrated ability to minimize recurrent costs and maximize cost-effectiveness. The extent to which
the applicant has maximized the percentage of costs allocated to program delivery as compared to
administrative cost will be considered. The “cost realism” analysis is intended to assess the degree to
which (a) the budget reflects the actual requirements of the Technical Proposal and (b) the costs
included in the budget accurately represent the work effort described in the Technical Proposal.

Grant applications must score a minimum of 70 points out of 100 to merit further consideration.

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Application Format:
Challenge Fund for Climate Smart
Projects

National Rural Support Programme (NRSP)

7th Floor, Jinnah Avenue, Blue Area, Islamabad, Pakistan
T: +92 51 2822319; Fax. No. +92 51 2822779
Email: info@nrsp.org.pk
Website: www.nrsp.org.pk
Table of Contents
Application for Grant Funding under the Challenge Fund Programme .............................................................. 3
Section A: The Organization............................................................................................................................ 4
Section B: The Proposed Project..................................................................................................................... 6
Section C: Declaration from the Applicant ................................................................................................... 10
Section D: Application Checklist ................................................................................................................... 10
Annex-1: Environmental Documentation Form ............................................................................................ 11

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Application for Grant Funding under the Challenge Fund

Please submit all applications via email (MS Word or PDF documents) at proposals@nrsp.org.pk and by
post to:

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

National Rural Support Programme (NRSP)
7th Floor, Jinnah Avenue Blue Area, Islamabad, Pakistan
T: 051-2822319

Note:
a) Before filling this application form, please ensure that your organization is eligible for accessing
funds under the Challenge Fund Program and the activities/project you are proposing is in line
with the thematic areas/sectoral priorities;
b) Provide complete information including supporting documents like cost estimates (where
applicable), NOCs & Letter of Commitments (if required) from concerned line departments and
other stakeholders. Incomplete applications will not be processed further;
c) The space given under each category of the application is indicative. Applicants are encouraged to
use as much space as needed.
d) Your application should clearly indicate the subject of application which is “Climate Change
Challenge Fund Programme”

1. Date of Application: ____________________________________________

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Section A: The Organization

2. Contact information

a. Name of organization:
b. Type of the organization (CBO/NGO/
Private sector/Others – specify)
c. Name of the head of organization
d. Postal Address:
e. Office phone number:
f. Cell Number (organization head):
g. Fax:
h. Email:
i. Website:
j. Key Contact person – Name & Designation:
k. Contact number of Key Contact Person:

3. Registration Details of the Applicant Organization: Please attach copy of valid registration certificate
Registration Date: Validity of Registration (date):

4. Legal Status: (If applicable, tick the relevant section)

 Registered under Societies Registration Act 1860

 The Voluntary Registered under Social Welfare Agencies (Registration and Control)
Ordinance 1961
 The Voluntary Social Welfare Agencies (Registration and Control) Rules, 1962)
 Registered under Cooperative Societies Act 1925
 Registered under Section 42 of Companies Ordinance 1984
 Social Welfare Agencies (Registration & Regulation) Act 1996
 Registered under Trust Act 1882
 Charitable Endowment Act 1890
 Others, Please specify:______________________________________________

5. Organizational Funding Source

What are the major funding sources of your organization? Please Tick the relevant categories:
Donor organizations – national and international
Endowment
Government – federal and/or provincial
Philanthropists/individual donations
Private (corporate) sector
Member’s fee and contributions
Others – specify:

6. Details of Ongoing & Completed (donor funded) Projects

Enlist ongoing and completed projects (during last three years), placing the latest project on the top

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Project Donor/Funding Project Major Project Total
Source Location Outputs Duration Budget
(District/Tehsil) (From – To) (Rs.)

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Section B: The Proposed Project
Project Title:

Sectors: Please tick () the relevant box

Culture Disaster
Vulnerable Social Small-Scale
and the Preparedness
Populations Entrepreneurship Energy Solutions
Arts
Project Location:
Province(s) District(s) Tehsil(s) Union Council(s)

1. Project Rationale/Need Justification:

Describe in detail the situation/circumstances which have led to the need to develop the proposed
project. Support your arguments with primary and/or secondary research data and statistics. Please give
complete and appropriate references where required. The projects need to be demand oriented that
meet the actual needs of the community.

2. How is proposed project realigned with organization’s vision/mission and previous work
experience?

3. Project Objectives and Key Outputs/Activities

Please narrate the project objective(s) and details of key outputs/activities. The objectives must be
Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic & Time-bound.
Project Objective(s):

Key Outputs/Activities (please add more rows if required. The activities should be in line with
desired objectives)
1.
2.

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 3.
4.
5.

4. Implementation Methodology
Please give a detailed implementation methodology with a systematic flow of activities while focusing on
the following:
 How will your organization implement the project (this should cover details like who, what, why,
when, how and where); and
 In case the project involves partnerships with other stakeholders, explain in detail the distribution
of roles & responsibilities.

Note:
a) Please provide copies of NOCs/permission letters/other relevant documents if required from the concerned
authorities to carry out the proposed activity

5. Proposed Project Beneficiaries

1. Provide gender disaggregated details & numbers of the proposed beneficiaries
2. Please elaborate how the proposed project beneficiaries (individuals, households, institutions etc.)
will be selected. This should also include how project will benefit minorities, if any, physically
challenged persons and youth.

6. Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Project

Please note that environmental consequences of the proposed intervention (if any) need to be
identified, mapped and addressed at the planning & design stage.
The organization is therefore required to fill an Environmental Documentation Form (EDF), given with
the application as Annex-I.

7. Details of the Proposed Team for Project Implementation

Please provide information of the key staff proposed for the project with relevant technical skills and
responsibility given under the proposed project. Also provide their CVs (not more than 4 pages each)
indicating background information & stating relevant experience.

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 S. Name Proposed Qualification Total Currently working
No. Position Working with your
Experience organization (Y/N)

8. Monitoring Strategy
Please explain how your organization will ensure the following:
1. Monitoring project interventions for operational transparency (programmatic as well as financial),
and
2. Information management for reporting and documentation purposes

9. Cost Share (If any)

The Challenge Fund supports local self-help initiatives where applicant organizations and communities are
willing to provide significant local contribution in cash, labor or material. Please provide details how your
organization will arrange this contribution and budget it accordingly. It is important to note that after the
approval of project, your organization will be required to provide documentary evidences on the
mobilization of cost share and its expenditure. Cost share is not mandatory.

10. Itemized Budget Details of the Proposed Project (Pak. Rupees):

Itemized budget is an important component of the proposal and a critical element in determining the
eligibility of applications. Therefore carefully read below given instructions and provide itemized budget on
the given format.

Instructions for Budget Preparation:

 Provide detailed breakdown of budget, do not give a lump-sum budget.
 Provide a breakdown of how the cost share will be provided (in cash, labor or material)
 Provide detailed breakdown of the project activities as mentioned in the project proposal and provide
budget for each activity separately.
 The NRSP will fund only the direct project activities cost relating to direct delivery.
 Unrelated organizational overheads, administrative/supervision costs (like salaries of the management
of applicant organization, office rent etc.) and profit will not be funded by NRSP.
 The NRSP assumes that grant applicants will already be in operation and have adequate staff and most
of the capacity required to accomplish the key outputs in the proposed project.
 In some cases operating expenses may be permitted, where justified, as direct project implementation
costs.
 The budget should be in Pakistani Rupees,
 Use additional sheets for detailed budget while strictly following this template.

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 Please provide budget narratives where required.

Activity Unit Unit No. / Unit Total Funds Applicant

Type Quantity Cost Estimated Requested Cost
Cost from NRSP Share

*Budget in MS Excel format is required as separate file.

11. Tentative timeline of the major proposed activities

Activity Proposed start date Expected completion date

12. Post-Project Maintenance & Sustainability

Explain how your organization plans to ensure that the project interventions and benefits will sustain after
the completion of project. Enlist concrete measures that your organization will take in the post-project
period to monitor project interventions and provide assistance to the project beneficiaries. Also indicate
recurring cost, if any, needed to manage the post-project operations and indicate how this cost will be
managed by your organization or by communities.

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Section C: Declaration from the Applicant
S. No. Statements Yes No.
1. Whether organization will need necessary permissions such as: /No Objection
Certificate (NOC)/Letter of Commitments (LoC)/Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) from government and/or other stakeholders to
implement the project? (If Yes, please provide a list and copies with application)
2. The organization will be able to implement the proposed project without
creating any local conflict
3. The organization confirms that the project location is safe and subject to the
approval of project, NRSP staff can undertake monitoring visits safely.
4. The organization declares that none of its office bearers holds any political
office or is involved in political activities and that NRSP’s assistance will not be
used to gain any political mileage for the organization or any office bearer.

Section D: Application Checklist

S. No. Particulars Yes No
1. All sections of the applications have been filled as per given directions
2. Copy of valid registration certificate is attached
3. Resumes of the proposed team members are attached
4. Necessary permissions/NOCs/LoCs/MOUs (if required) have been
obtained and attached
5. Detailed and itemized budget is attached (including budget notes)
6. In case organization has undergone an external organizational evaluation
in the last five years, its report has been attached with the application
7. If applicant organization has implemented a NRSP funded project, its
project completion report has been attached. (In case of an ongoing
project, attach last progress report)
8. In case organization has conducted a baseline/need assessment/rapid
assessment of the proposed project area and/or beneficiaries, its final
report has been attached.
9. Organization has attached reference letters obtained from two of its
largest donors (Government, INGOs, Donor Organizations and
Corporate entities) with whom it has worked during the last 3 years.
To the best of my knowledge, I declare that all the above information is true and accurate.

Sincerely,
Name: Designation:

Signatures:
Date:
(To be signed by head of organization)

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Annex-1: Environmental Documentation Form
[INSERT PROJECT NAME]

A. Applicant Information
Contractor/grantee(organization) Parent grant or project
Individual contact and title Address, phone and email(if available)

Activity (brief description) Amount

Location of activity Start and end date of activity

B. Activities, screening result, and recommended determination

TABLE 1 Screening result Recommended Determinations

No significant adverse
Proposed sub-activities

significant adverse

significant adverse
Moderate Risk

With specified
mitigation, no
Very Low Risk

High Risk

impact

impact

impact
1.
2.

3.
4.

5.

6.

7.
8.

9.

(Continue on additional page if necessary )

C. Summary of recommended determinations (Check all that apply)
The activity contains (equivalent regulation 216 terminology)
Very low risk sub-activities Categorical exclusion (s)
After environmental review, sub-activities Negative determination (s)
determined to have no significant adverse
impacts
After environmental review, sub-activities Negative determination (s) with conditions
determined to have no significant adverse
impacts, given appropriate mitigation and
monitoring
After environmental review, sub-activities
determined to have significant adverse Positive determination (s)
impacts

D. Certification:

I, the undersigned, certify that:

1. The information on this form is correct and complete

2. The following actions have been and will be taken to assure that the activity complies with
environmental and social management guidelines of NRSP.

 These design elements and best practices will be followed in implementing this activity
 Any specific mitigation or monitoring measures described in the attached information will be
implemented in their entirety
 Compliance with these conditions will be regularly confirmed and documented by on-site
inspections during the activity and its completion.

_____________________________________ _________________________
(Signature) (Date)