Strategic Collaborative Fund Phase 2

Who we are

SEI Asia, with support from the Swedish government (Sida), launched the Strategic Collaborative Fund Phase 2 (SCF2) programme in 2018 to enhance the current 2030 Agenda efforts in Asia and the Pacific.

SCF2 aims to foster regional cooperation and policy dialogue for sustainable development and environmental sustainability, through capacity building, knowledge sharing and increased collaboration.

Human rights and gender equality are central to SCF2, as it champions regional and inter-regional collaboration for transboundary environmental policy development.

SCF2 invites potential partners to submit concept notes for regional environmental policy forums, with focus on five key themes: disaster management and emergency response, agrobiodiversity, air pollution and climate change, freshwater ecosystems, and gender.

What we seek

SCF2 welcomes concept notes for regional strategic events in Asia, specifically in South and Southeast Asia, that highlight the advancement of environmental sustainability, gender equality, human rights and poverty reduction.

The proposed events should include representatives from government, private sector, civil society, research or academic institutions and development partners to ensure an inclusive and substantive dialogue.

Based on specific contexts, SCF2-supported events should benefit the Asian region, particularly marginalized groups including those living in poverty, women, youth, children, ethnic minorities and other environmentally vulnerable groups.

Themes for 2021

1. Air pollution – Addressing air pollution and climate change
2. Agrobiodiversity – Harnessing the Benefits of Agrobiodiversity to Build Sustainable and Inclusive Food Systems
3. Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management – Social media for inclusive resilience in Southeast Asia
4. Freshwater Ecosystems – Practical actions in protecting and restoring freshwater ecosystems for sustainable use and climate change adaptation
5. Gender – Gender and migration in a changing climate

Grant value 

 For 2021, SEI will support four themes (air pollution, agrobiodiversity, disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation, and ecosystems), covering one grant per theme.  

A maximum of SEK 450,000 (approximately USD 45,000) will be awarded per grant. The grants can fund one or more events in their entirety or provide supplemental funding to already confirmed co-funded event(s). The delivery period of event organization and impact monitoring must be within April 2021 – December 2021. 

Who can apply 

Interested applicants must send proposal for events on any of the four themes. Proposals should also include a human rights and gender angle, to be considered. 

SEI and Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law will provide support during the preparation and/or implementation of events, as agreed with grantees, to help elaborate these perspectives. 

The following can apply for the grant: 

1. Nonprofit organizations or networks that based in Asia can apply. Organizations outside the region can be considered if the proposed event addresses issues relevant to Asia and can engage regional stakeholders. They should:
   – Have experience in hosting relevant policy dialogues that engage different groups and stakeholders. 
   – Feature key speakers and participants who are able to share knowledge and experience in environmental sustainability, while addressing cross-cutting issues of gender equality, human rights and poverty.
2. Private sector players can apply, if their proposal seeks to engage with the public sector and/or civil society organizations. Funding cannot be used for covering private sector actors’ participation in the supported event (related travel and accommodation expenses). It should, however, be used to increase participation of other stakeholders such as civil society and the public sector. A cost-sharing option for micro and small enterprises with resource constraints can be considered.
3. Government agencies that have mandates, expertise and capacities in thematic areas are encouraged to apply in partnership with other organisations.
4. Organizations that are currently Sida’s grantees are not eligible to apply as the lead organization, but can be part of the consortium. 

Selection criteria 

 The concept notes should: 

• Provide evidence of regional-level outreach and scope in the Asia region (South and Southeast Asia), as opposed to a country-level event 
• Address the thematic focus and relevance to environmentally sustainable and inclusive development 
• Demonstrate how the event leads to positive impact on gender equality, rights-based approaches and poverty reduction 
• Demonstrate how the event would target and benefit the citizens of the region, with particular attention to the poor, women and other marginalized groups 
• Ensure diverse participation including the public sector, private sector, civil society organizations, research and academic institutions and development partners 
• Use innovative methods and technologies to enhance participation and active discussion among participants 
• Show proponents’ institutional capacity for organizing regional events
• Demonstrate the linkage between the regional event’s expected outcomes and SEI’s strategic policy engagement

Guidance note on human rights and gender equality

Human rights and gender equality are central to SCF, as it champions regional and inter-regional cooperation for transboundary environmental policy development. Based on specific contexts, SCF-supported events should benefit the Asia-Pacific region, particularly marginalised groups including those living in poverty, women, youth, children, migrants, ethnic minorities and other environmentally vulnerable groups.

SEI and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute (RWI) are jointly supporting the integration of gender equality and human rights into the SCF2 programme, including through coaching and support of grantees.

This guidance note aims to support applicants to integrate human rights and gender equality in the design of their SCF2 project proposals.

Deadline

Submissions are now closed.

Contact

For further information please contact Wanaporn Yangyuentham, Programme Manager, at scf@sei.org.

SCF Announces Partners for Regional Events in 2021

SEI’s Strategic Collaborative Fund programme has selected organizations who will host regional environmental policy forums in 2021 on five key themes: air pollution, agrobiodiversity, climate change adaptation and disaster risk management, freshwater ecosystems, and gender and migration.

Each partner will receive the financial support up to SEK 450 000 (approximately US$45 000) and technical guidance on the planning and implementation process of one or a series of events that will help advance solutions on environmental sustainability, gender equality, human rights, and poverty reduction.

The following regional events will be conducted (virtually or in-person depending on the location) starting June 2021until early 2022:

Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia) Center, Inc.

Sustainable and Inclusive Solutions for Air Quality and Climate Change: A Virtual Regional Learning Event for Southeast Asia (Theme: Air pollution)

Mekong Institute (MI)

Mainstreaming Agrobiodiversity for Sustainable Food System in the ASEAN (Theme: Agrobiodiversity)

Institute for Circular Economy Development (ICED), Vietnam National University

Towards a Climate Resilience Society For All: Harnessing The Transformative Power Of Inclusive Social Media And Digital Platforms For Climate Adaptation And Resilience Building In Southeast Asia (Theme: Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management)

Asian Institute of Technology

Towards Mainstreaming Ecosystem Services In National Policies For Sustainable Management Of Freshwater Ecosystems In South And Southeast Asia (Theme: Freshwater Ecosystems)

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)

Engendering Climate-Induced Migration Perspectives From Asia (Theme: Gender)

For more information on these upcoming events, please check out the SCF events page.

Online Courses

The integration of human rights and gender equality is central to the SCF2, as it champions regional and inter-regional collaboration for transboundary environmental policy development. 

Through a collaboration with Raoul Wallenberg Institute (RWI) and Stockholm Environment Institute Asia gender cluster, evidence-based human rights and gender equality approaches are integrated into the programme implementation through capacity building such as direct coaching and providing open online courses.  

 This ensures that human rights and gender equality become central to regional environmental and climate change policy with the intent of achieving SDG integration. 

Course 1: Rights-based approaches to environmental sustainability

Course 2: Gender, Environment and Sustainable Development

Guidance note

This guidance note aims to support grantees to integrate human rights and gender equality in all steps of their events, from the design to the implementation, and monitoring and evaluation stage.