Principles, criteria, and processing

    1. Principles

The Naturefriends Climate Fund is financed by private donations. It enables the implementation of Naturefriends projects in the African countries that 

• raise the awareness for climate protection, 
• contribute to the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, and/or 
• support adaptation to the impacts of climate change. 

The projects need to comply with at least two of the three criteria above and be implemented by African member organisations of Naturefriends International (NFI). 

    2. Sustainability

Special attention is paid to a sustainable impact, i.e., long-term positive economic, ecological, and social effects of the projects. This includes:  

• active participation of the local population, 
• empowerment of the local population to continue the activities after the official end of the project, 
• strengthening the local community, especially women and/or young people, 
• respect for local communities and their culture and lifestyle,
• the careful use of natural resources, 

    3. Formal criteria

In addition, the following formal criteria need to be complied with: 

• submission of a detailed project description and the clarification of any questions within the framework of an online hearing, 
• responsible handling of the funds, 
• project progress reports submitted at the milestones specified in the funding contract (including photographic documentation and interim billing), 
• a final evaluation of the project (including photographic documentation) with a detailed list of all costs and submission of all invoices and receipts, 
• submission of a report on the medium and long-term impact of the project after an individually agreed period, 

    4. Submission of projects

All African member organisations of NFI (categories A, B, C) are invited to submit suitable projects. The secretariat provides a submission form and forwards the submissions to the steering group. 

It is recommended to pay particular attention to the following points: 

• presentation of the professional capacity of the submitting organisation, 
• description of the different stages of implementation, including a timetable, milestones, and the foreseen public relations activities, 
• presentation of the sustainable effectiveness of the project, considering the above-mentioned sustainability criteria, 
• clear listing of all costs. 

After the steering group has agreed on a project submission, a formal funding contract is prepared by the office and approved by the NFI board. 

    5. Administration

The administration of the Climate Fund is carried out by a steering group whose members are appointed by NFI’s member organisations with voting rights and by NFI bodies and include one representative of the Naturefriends African network. The steering group works on a voluntary basis and guarantees that 100 % of all donations benefit local projects. 

The steering group selects suitable projects based on the submission documents and an online hearing. It monitors the implementation of ongoing projects and checks the progress, the accounts, and the achievement of the objectives.

   6. Commitment of the NFI member organisations

All member organisations support and promote the Climate Fund and the activities on climate justice to the best of their ability. They help to raise awareness of the Climate Fund among their members, for example through reports in their member magazines, newsletters, and other media, by supporting the social media campaigns and other public relations activities of NFI, and through their own events and initiatives.