LOCAL government units (LGUs) can now submit project proposals to access the People’s Survival Fund (PSF) — a grant facility for LGUs to implement local climate change adaptation initiatives.
Aligned with the objective of advancing local resilience, the Department of Finance (DOF), chairing the PSF Board, issued the Call for Proposals enabling access by LGUs to PSF.
To access the PSF, LGUs are tasked to complete the following documentary requirements: 1) Letter of Intent; 2) Accomplished Project Proposal Template; 3) Adaptation references such as Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessments, CCA-DRR-Enhanced Comprehensive Land Use/ Development Plans, and Local Climate Change Action Plan; and 4) the Annual Investment Plan.
Submissions are expected to be made through the PSF Board Secretariat in the DOF. The Call for Proposals closes on 31 March 2023.
The People’s Survival Fund (PSF) was created by Republic Act 10174 as an annual fund intended for local government units and accredited local/community organizations to implement climate change adaptation projects that will better equip vulnerable communities to deal with the impacts of climate change.
It supplements the annual appropriations allocated by relevant government agencies and local government units for climate-change-related programs and projects.
The Philippine government previously programmed at least P1 billion into the PSF which will be sourced from the national budget.
The allocation may be augmented by mobilizing funding sources such as counterpart local government units, the private sector, and individuals who support adaptation initiatives.
In 2015, the PSF was launched to provide long-stream finance for adaptation projects of LGUs and local/community organizations aimed at increasing the resilience of communities and ecosystems to climate change.
Under Republic Act 10174 of 2012, the PSF is managed by a Board, chaired by the DOF, with the Climate Change Commission PH, Department of Budget and Management, National Economic and Development Authority, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Philippine Commission on Women, and sectoral representatives as members.
The PSF Board has set the criteria for selecting recipients who submit proposals to fund their adaptation projects and programs.
Local government units with high poverty incidence, are exposed to climate risks, and has a key biodiversity area will be prioritized. On the other hand, local/community organizations will be eligible to access the fund upon accreditation based on organizational independence, track record in the community and/or field of expertise, financial management and participatory practices.
The PSF is intended for adaptation activities that include water resources management, land management, agriculture and fisheries, health, among others, and serve as guarantee for risk insurance needs for farmers, agricultural workers and other stakeholders.
It will also be used for establishing regional centers and information networks and strengthening of existing ones to support climate change adaptation initiatives and projects, for setting up of forecasting and early warning systems against climate-related hazards, support to institutional development such as preventive measures, planning, preparedness and management of impacts relating to climate change, including contingency planning for droughts and floods.
More information about the PSF, including templates, may be downloaded through the CCC website at www.climate.gov.ph.
CurrentPH News Service
