The PEFC Collaboration Fund seeks to support members and partner organizations in their dedicated efforts to advance sustainable forest management and forest certification around the world. Through the competitive small grants program, PEFC International wishes to extend its support to encourage locally relevant advancements in the sustainable management of forests.

Proposals will be considered for new and independent projects which embody and stand to deliver on the Fund’s objectives through the eligible means. In 2011, PEFC awarded over 120,000 CHF to five projects through the Fund.

Building on a PEFC cornerstone of ‘Think Global – Act Local,’PEFC is pleased to announce the call for proposals for the 2012 Collaboration Fund.

Collaboration Fund Objectives

• To stimulate new innovative approaches which contribute to PEFC strategic priorities;
• To act as a catalyst for locally relevant projects which embody PEFC’s vision of “a world in which people manage forests sustainably”;
• To encourage the establishment of new partnerships amongst organizations and/or strengthen existing partnerships;
• To provide co-funding that leverages additional financial sources.
• New approaches or activities to raise awareness, communicate and promote certification or certified products;
• Capacity building that enables the expansion of forest certification;
• Research relevant to PEFC’s International Standards or the implementation of National standards;
• Research and exploration to further integrate new products, services and/or approaches into PEFC certification schemes.

Eligible Activities

• New approaches or activities to raise awareness, communicate and promote certification or certified products;
• Capacity building that enables the expansion of forest certification;
• Research relevant to PEFC International's Sustainability Benchmarks or the implementation of national standards;
• Research and exploration to further integrate new products, services and/or approaches into PEFC certification schemes.

Eligible Grantees

PEFC members and other non-profit organizations are eligible to apply.  Project partners may also include private and public sector organizations.  If the lead grantee is not a PEFC member, it is desirable that a PEFC member is a project partner (find out more about  current PEFC members and how to become a PEFC member).

Grant Amounts

Proposals requesting a PEFC Collaboration Fund contribution of up to 40,000 CHF and have a project timeframe up to 2 years will be considered.  The fund will support new and additional activities rather than existing, ongoing work and running costs.  Grantees must provide evidence of at least 35% additional co-funding from other sources towards the overall project budget.  In-kind contributions may exceptionally be accepted as co-funding.

Proposal Guidelines

Eligible proposals will follow the PEFC Collaboration Fund Application Form provided.  Proposals will consist of two parts.

Part 1 should contain only the primary information of the proposed project including the title, lead grantee and partner organization(s) information, a budget summary and signature.  Part 1 should not exceed 4 pages.

Part 2 should contain more thorough information about the project’s relevance, implementation, and proposed deliverables.  Proponents are urged to keep the proposal concise, offering clear insight into the project idea in a limited number of sentences.  Part 2 should not exceed 6 pages.

Proposal will be received in A4 format and written in Arial, font size 11, single space. Though it is not encouraged, additional reference information may be submitted in an annex where necessary.

Proposal Assessment

All proposals received will be thoroughly reviewed and assessed against a comprehensive set of criteria.  To best fulfil these criteria, ask yourself the following questions before submitting your proposal:

Regarding your project:

• Does the project foster collaboration and bring together new partners?
• Is the project interesting from both local and international perspectives?
• Does the project put forward a plan to leverage funding from other sources and undertake new, additional activities?

Regarding Sustainable Forest Management & Forest Certification:

• Does the project idea embody innovation while at the same prove its relevancy and efficiency?
• Will the project deliver results locally and potentially internationally?
• Are there strong links between the project and PEFC’s scope, strategic priorities and ongoing projects?

Regarding PEFC International, PEFC members and PEFC certificate holders:

• Does the project stand to deliver benefit and value for PEFC stakeholders and our system?

Proposal Submission

All proposals must be signed by the proponent and submitted to the email address specified below.  Signature page can be faxed if necessary.  It is preferable that proposals are submitted in English, but where necessary can be submitted in Spanish or French. Proponents will receive written notice confirming receipt and registration of the proposal shortly after the submission deadline.

The deadline for proposal submission is 25 February 2012 by 17:00 CET. Proposals received after this time will not be considered or issued a confirmation.  Final decisions will be announced by 1 April 2012.

Proposals should be submitted by e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; Fax: +41 22 799 4550