Forum on Climate and Environmental Subgrants

On May 29th, Mondo organised a hybrid event, which took place simultaneously in the office on Mondo and Zoom. The objective of the event was to gather input for the upcoming medium to small grant rounds aimed at mitigating the effects and raising awareness of climate change in Estonia. This gathering brought together a diverse selection of stakeholders (29 participants from 24 different organisations), including NGOs, government officials, and environmental experts, united by a shared commitment to collaborate on climate action initiatives. The primary goal was to outline grant rounds that meet the evolving needs of Estonian communities as well as stimulate innovative approaches in addressing pressing environmental challenges.

Event Schedule:

• 14:00 – 14:10: Gathering, welcome
• 14:10 – 14:30: Introduction to the NoPlanetB project and overview of small grant rounds by Demy Landson, NoPlanetB Coordinator in Estonia
• 14:30 – 14:50: Introduction to Mondo, development cooperation direction in grant
  rounds by Mari Jõgiste, Mondo Global Education Expert, and Maria Sakarias, Mondo Board Member
• 14:50 – 15:20: “How can NGOs support Estonia in achieving climate goals?” by Eili Lepik, Head of the Green Reform Department, Ministry of Climate
• 15:20 – 15:30: Coffee Break
• 15:30 – 15:50: “Environmental Awareness of Estonians” by Mihkel Kangur, Senior Researcher and Ecologist at Tallinn University
• 15:50 – 16:30: Brainstorming session on addressing local environmental challenges using the World Café method
• 16:30 – 16:45: Summary and thanks

1. Expectations and needs for subgrant rounds
Mondo asked the event participants to highlight the most relevant topics from the NoPlanetB theme selection. The results showed that NGOs are most interested in writing projects on the following topics: sharing knowledge and services received the most votes, followed by consumption patterns and
sufficiency, and lastly, green cities.
The participants highlighted several key expectations and needs to improve the effectiveness of subgrant rounds. The most critical takeaway is the importance of flexibility and clear, straightforward processes. The following points summarize their perspectives:
• The NGOs brought out the importance to modify or adjust processes and requirements in a way that can be easily altered to fit different needs and situations, ensuring that they are flexible enough to accommodate various types of organizations, especially those who might be new to the process or have less experience.
• Participants prefer financial reporting which is clear and matches the scale of their projects, accommodating less experienced applicants.
• Grant rounds should have clear goals but allow flexibility in activities, costs, methodologies, and partnerships.
• Participants expressed interest in clear evaluation criteria and impact indicators to ensure projects align with broader objectives and avoid those projects which only address short-term organisational necessities.
• NGOs prefer general guidelines over detailed rules, and are open to collaborating with decision-makers. Participants brought out the possibility of involving local governments for co-financing opportunities.

2. Inclusion of less engaged community groups:
To effectively engage less involved community groups, several key strategies should be considered. It was discussed that it is crucial to identify the less engaged groups through research and then design outreach strategies that specifically address the unique characteristics and needs of these groups. The main takeaway was that the key to successful inclusion is to address fears associated with green transition.
Other interesting thoughts:
• In Estonia, less engaged groups may fear the economic impact of climate initiatives, such as job losses in traditional industries and increased living costs etc. The fears associated with green transitions should be tackled using data-driven, meaningful messaging. Providing transparent information, showcasing successful examples of green initiatives, and
actively involving communities in decision-making processes can help alleviate the fears and foster greater engagement.
• Participants brought out that a more structured approach could be followed to include less engaged community groups. Awareness development curve is a conceptual model used to describe the progression of awareness and understanding within a target audience or community. It typically involves several stages that individuals or groups go through as they become more knowledgeable and engaged with a particular issue or topic. Generally this includes phases of informing, educating, engaging, supporting, and mobilising.
• Relevant information could be shared with local governments, such as informational materials, webinars, or collaborative meetings, to help them understand and support citizen-led initiatives related to climate and environmental issues.
• The use of clear and understandable language, including translations for non-native speakers is important to disseminate information effectively.
• Participants suggested to provide training for community leaders or spokespersons to enhance their ability to communicate and engage with less informed community groups.

3. Collaboration opportunities between NGOs and local governments
To organize useful small grant rounds with collaboration at the center, participants emphasized the importance of engaging municipal officials responsible for daily decisions on climate change and environmental issues. They noted occasional challenges in information flow depending on the initiator, which can lead to bottlenecks. Participants also highlighted the need to actively encourage collaborations that may not have been initially anticipated but could add significant value to the grant rounds.
This involves identifying and fostering connections between organizations or stakeholders with complementary skills or resources.
• Participants suggested using platforms like Slack for grant recipients to discuss challenges, share solutions, exchange knowledge, and hold virtual meetings, enhancing collaboration across different locations in Estonia.
• The discussion highlighted the value of organizing physical meetings or collaborative efforts, such as volunteer activities, to foster direct interaction and practical project implementation.
• A good idea would be to promote the sharing of best practices in project writing and implementation to support each other. One participant suggested making collaboration with another NGO a requirement or at least a strong recommendation in the larger grant rounds.
• In cooperation with officials and other organisatons, participants stressed the importance of clearly defining time commitments and expectations from each participant to simplify collaboration efforts.
• The need for inclusivity was underlined, involving representatives from various sectors. Mondo could act as a facilitator to bring diverse stakeholders together effectively.
• Participants discussed the importance of informing officials about the project’s impact. Building officials’ expertise and promoting municipalities as co-funders (with a 10% co-financing requirement) was seen as a way to streamline application processes and foster collaboration.
• Providing tailored communication to officials was also highlighted as an essential step forward. Personalized communication to officials involves adapting messages and outreach strategies to suit the specific needs, preferences, and roles of municipal officials and other key stakeholders.

Conclusion
The discussions held during the Forum event underscored the critical importance of collaboration shaping effective small grant rounds, as well as the funder’s readiness to be flexible and adaptable during the process. Participants emphasized the need for streamlined processes that prioritize impact and results over administrative burdens, ensuring accessibility for all stakeholders, including newcomers and less engaged community groups. Moving forward, the insights gained will guide Mondo and its partners in crafting grant rounds that are responsive to local priorities and conducive to sustainable environmental action. By leveraging partnerships and maintaining open channels of communication, we are better positioned to drive meaningful change and contribute significantly to Estonia’s (and the EU’s) environmental goals.