United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) GEF Small Grants Programme

The UNDP-implemented Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP) plays a critical role in supporting Caribbean communities to tackle the region’s unique environmental and socio-economic challenges. Active in multiple Caribbean countries—including Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Lucia, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, and others—the programme funds grassroots projects that build resilience against climate change, conserve biodiversity, and create sustainable livelihoods. In the Caribbean, SGP prioritizes adaptation to climate impacts such as hurricanes, coastal erosion, and sea level rise. Projects often focus on community-based coastal and marine conservation, sustainable fisheries, agroecology, regenerative farming, renewable energy, and waste reduction. SGP also emphasizes traditional knowledge and indigenous practices, ensuring that women, youth, indigenous peoples, and marginalized groups play central roles in designing and implementing projects. By providing small grants—typically up to US$50,000 per project—the programme empowers local NGOs and community-based organizations to take direct action while also strengthening capacity, encouraging knowledge sharing, and scaling successful models. Over the past two decades, SGP has funded hundreds of projects across the Caribbean, making it one of the most significant enablers of grassroots environmental resilience in the region.