Regional small-grant programmes for conservation and civil society empowerment in the Mediterranean

A significant part of conservation funding in Mediterranean is contributed by small-grants programmes. Their raison-d’être is directly associated with the role of civil society organizations and communities which practise hands-on conservation with limited financial inputs but often with high effectiveness and efficiency. Social inclusiveness, gender equality, bottom-up approaches, livelihood security, are salient features of conservation models supported by small grants programmes. MAVA’s partnerships with CEPF, the GEF Small Grants Programme and the PPI- OSCAN are good examples of such initiatives, but many others exist in the region – such as, Conservation Collective’s funding for grass-roots conservation actions, and the BeMed micro-initiatives. This session will showcase relevant examples of small grants programmes, will share lessons from them, and will explore their potential role in upscaling conservation impact through greater engagement of civil society and supportive funders