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Project Preparation Grants - PDF Block A
1. Introduction:
- Only PDF A grants are provided by the GEF for funding activities to prepare GEF Medium Sized Projects. PDF A grants - up to $25,000 – can be obtained to cover in-country preparation expenditures.
- PDF A grants can finance local and external consultant services, local consultations, and workshops, translation of documents into local languages, travel costs for local experts, scientific, technical and environmental reviews of proposed projects. PDF A grants cannot finance costs of Bank staff or consultants retained by the Bank unless, on an exceptional basis, a country requests a particular staff member or Bank consultant by name. In such cases, travel and subsistence costs could be covered. The grants cannot finance capital goods other than those directly required to carry out the Block A grant activities.
2. Processing Procedures:
- The Block A application form, titled "Proposal for PDF Block A Grants" that can be obtained from the Bank’s GEF Regional Program Manager and the GEF Secretariat web site. The form consists of four parts. Part I is generally filled out by the Bank and provides information for the GEF Secretariat to track these grants and report on them to the GEF Council. Part II of the form—to be filled out by the project proposer—seeks information on the activities to be financed by the grant and how they relate to GEF objectives. Part III, also filled out by the project proposer, is intended to provide background on the grant applicant: this section is fully filled out when the grant applicant is a non-government entity (NGOs). Part IV, filled out by the Bank. Block A requests must be endorsed by the GEF Operational Focal Point of the Country where the project is intended for.
- Completed proposals are submitted to the appropriate Bank’s GEF Regional Program Mangers directly or through the Bank’s country staff. Proposals are reviewed within the Bank to ensure (1) concept "fit" with national strategy/priorities and (2) whether the Bank’s Country Unit/Sector Unit is willing to manage/supervise the Block A grant, and (3) the eligibility and soundness of the concept. Once the Bank’s review process is completed, a proposal is circulated to the other GEF Implementing Agencies (i.e., UNDP and UNEP) for review and to the GEF Secretariat and GEF’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) for information who will have 5 working days to transmit comments to the Bank. Fund approval is made by the Bank.
- It is expected that the activities financed by a Block A Grant will be completed within one year from the date of the Letter of Agreement. The grant recipient has 60 days after the one-year period to provide the Bank the outputs specified in paragraph 4 of the Letter Agreement and the financial accounting of the use of the proceeds of the Grant.
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