US awards P288-M grant for conservation, climate solutions in PH

The grants, provided by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), will also support the Philippine government in conserving and restoring areas that need urgent protection. (File Photo By U.S. Department of Agriculture – 20110826-FS-LSC-0057, Public Domain)

MANILA – The United States awarded 13 civil society organizations (CSOs) with PHP288 million in grants for biodiversity conservation and natural climate solutions in the Philippines, the US Embassy in Manila said Friday.

The grants, provided by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), will also support the Philippine government in conserving and restoring areas that need urgent protection.

“These grants showcase USAID’s longstanding commitment to partner with the Philippine government and local organizations in protecting natural resources and improving how these resources, and the places where they are found, are governed,” USAID Philippines Acting Deputy Mission Director Jennifer Crow said in a statement.

“We also hope that these projects will generate local livelihoods and enterprises that uphold the value of the natural and cultural assets of the Philippines and improve the lives of local communities, including indigenous peoples,” she added.

Eleven CSOs will receive PHP16 million each to implement three-year conservation and climate projects to help communities adopt environmental-friendly practices, engage the public and private sector, and establish local enterprises that support conservation efforts.

The CSOs are the ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation, Inc., Jaime V. Ongpin Foundation, Inc., Mount Apo Foundation, Inc., NGOs for Fisheries Reform, PATH Foundation Philippines, Inc., Philippine Association for the Intellectual Development, Inc., Philippines Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Inc., Philippine Eagle Foundation, Inc., Sentro Para sa Ikauunlad ng Katutubong Agham at Teknolohiya, Xavier Science Foundation, Inc., and Zoological Society of London – Philippines.

Two grantees, meanwhile, will get PHP56 million each to support disability-inclusive climate actions.

The Oscar M. Lopez Center for Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management Foundation, Inc. will develop a dictionary of climate change-related terms in Filipino sign language, while Humanity & Inclusion Philippines will engage people with disabilities in climate change governance and improve their resilience to the impacts of climate change.

To recall, USAID established in 2021 a five-year PHP800-million grant facility to help CSOs implement biodiversity conservation and wildlife protection, among others.

The fund was launched through the Investing in Sustainability and Partnerships for Inclusive Growth and Regenerative Ecosystems (INSPIRE) project.