Simplified Approval Process (SAP) funding proposal preparation guidelines: A practical manual for the preparation of SAP proposals

These guidelines have been developed to support GCF accredited entities (AEs) in the preparation of funding proposals under the simplified approval process (SAP) pilot scheme.

This document provides general clarifications on the indicative content expected in a SAP funding proposal submitted to GCF. More specific SAP Technical Guidelines on the type of activities by sector have also been developed separately by the Secretariat.

This document refers to policies approved by the GCF Board in relation to the preparation of funding proposals, such as the integrated results management framework, the monitoring and accountability framework and the initial investment framework, among others.

SAP Funding Proposals should be submitted using the Digital Proposal Submission (DPS) system accessible for all AEs and NDAs through the GCF Apps Portal. This guideline has been updated to be consistent with the DPS.

To compliment these guidelines the Secretariat has also released an e-learning course on how to develop a SAP funding proposal. The e-learning course is available on the GCF's dedicated e-learning platform.

Please note that while this document will be updated over time, it is possible that the future versions of the SAP funding proposal template might refer to different headings and field identification numbers. The SAP funding proposal template is downloadable on the GCF SAP webpage.

Cover date 01 December 2022
Document type Publication Guides
Table of contents
  • Introduction
  • The GCF funding proposal package
  • Section A: Project/programme summary
  • Section B: Project/programme details
  • Section C: Financing information
  • Section D: Logic framework and monitoring, reporting and evaluation
  • Section E: Expected performance against investment criteria
  • Annexes to the funding proposal
  • 8 steps to the Simplified Approval Process