Overview of the Readiness Programme
The Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme (the Readiness Programme) supports country-driven initiatives by developing countries to strengthen their institutional capacities, governance mechanisms, and planning and programming frameworks towards a transformational long-term climate action agenda.
The Readiness Programme provides grants and technical assistance to National Designated Authorities (NDAs) and/or focal points (FPs). Readiness funding can also be deployed to strengthen Direct Access Entities. The objective is to enhance the capacity of national institutions to efficiently engage with GCF. Dedicated readiness funding may also assist countries in undertaking adaptation planning and developing strategic frameworks to build their programming with GCF.
All developing country Parties to the UNFCCC can access the Readiness Programme. GCF aims at least 50 per cent of the readiness support goes to particularly vulnerable countries, including Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and African States.
GCF Readiness Programme applications: working with trusted partners
GCF has recently written to its network of National Designated Authorities (NDA) following approaches made to NDAs by unauthorized third parties in relation to Readiness applications. The letter can be found here.
Data on this page as of 10 March 2024
Available funding
The Readiness Programme is designed to be a flexible tool to support developing countries. Based on the submission of high-quality proposals, the Readiness Programme can provide:
Up to USD 1 million per country per year for support related to institutional capacity building, coordination, policy and planning, and programming for investment. Of this overall amount, NDAs/FPs may request up to USD 300,000 per year in direct support to help establish or strengthen a NDA or focal point to deliver on the Fund's requirements. A maximum of USD 100,000 can be used for NDA-led stakeholder meetings.
The calculation for Readiness commitments against the annual cap of USD 1 million per country per year is based on the date that approval notification is sent to the country.
Up to USD 3 million per country for the formulation of National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and/or other adaptation planning processes. This may include support for subnational adaptation plans and/or sectoral adaptation planning processes.
GCF can also provide capacity building for national or regional organisations (Direct Access Entities) seeking accreditation to the Fund, once they are nominated by their local NDAs.
Areas of support
Countries are fully encouraged to address capacity and technical gaps to achieve priorities described in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), NAPs, and other national climate change strategies. Support requested under the Readiness Programme should aim to achieve one or more of the following objectives: capacity building, strategic framework development, adaptation planning, pipeline development, and knowledge sharing and learning. For more information on the areas of readiness support, refer to Annexes I and II of the Readiness and Preparatory Support Guidebook.
Support list
This can include strengthening of the NDA, enhancing coordination mechanisms, and other capacity building support for direct access entities, executing entities, and civil society and private sector stakeholders to engage in the programming process.
Support under this objective may include the development of Country Programmes, Entity Work Programmes, long-term low-emission strategies and action plans; efforts to update, enhance or implement NDCs; efforts to improve the enabling environment for climate finance, such as engaging the private sector and/or devising or adapting innovative technology and financial mechanisms for deployment.
The Programme can support the development of a national, subnational, or sectoral adaptation plan, catalyzing private sector engagement in adaptation finance, and producing the evidence-based adaptation investments.
Support under this objective may include the development of concept notes, pipeline metrics and indicators, and costed action plans for priority documents such as NDCs.
Knowledge sharing may include organization of peer-to-peer and South-South learning exchanges, and development of tailored knowledge products.