International Climate Initiative (IKI) Large Grants 2025 – Call for Proposals

Open to NGOs, universities, research institutions, intergovernmental organisations, UN bodies, and private companies. Must apply as a consortium (min. 2 orgs). Lead org must have ≥5 years international cooperation experience in ODA countries. National governments are generally ineligible. 50% local action rule applies.

IKI Large Grants (ILG) 2025

The International Climate Initiative (IKI) Large Grants combine the previous Thematic and Country calls into a single annual funding instrument of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN). Projects must address one of 11 thematic or country priorities:

Country Priorities

1. Electricity storage for renewable energy integration in Mexico (EUR 15–20M)
2. Resilience of India's forests, ecosystems and biodiversity through NAP implementation (EUR 15–20M)
3. Climate-smart conservation of South Africa's grasslands and wetlands (EUR 15–20M)

Thematic Priorities

4. Electricity grids and storage for energy transition (EUR 12–15M)
5. Urban bioenergy value chains for methane reduction (EUR 12–15M)
6. Decarbonisation of emission-intensive sectors in Sub-Saharan Africa or South/Southeast Asia (EUR 12–15M)
7. Climate resilience of coastal cities in South and Southeast Asia (EUR 12–15M)
8. Integrated bioeconomy for climate protection and biodiversity (EUR 12–15M)
9. Mobilisation of financial resources for NBSAP implementation (EUR 12–15M)
10. Prevention and rapid response to invasive alien species (EUR 12–15M) 11a. Scaling up successful mitigation-relevant IKI approaches (EUR 12–15M) 11b. Scaling up successful NAP/EbA adaptation approaches (EUR 12–15M)

Key Requirements

• Application must be submitted as a consortium of at least 2 organisations
• At least 50% of IKI funding must be implemented by local organisations in partner countries
• Lead organisation must have ≥5 years experience in international cooperation in ODA countries
• Maximum 5 partner countries per project
• Projects must not have started before submission
• Submission exclusively via the IKI online platform
• Project concept: max. 8 pages (Arial ≥11pt)
• Letter of endorsement required for bilateral thematic priority outlines

Selection Criteria

Projects are assessed on formal eligibility (minimum requirements) and technical/qualitative criteria including theory of change, ambition, innovation, gender justice, exit strategy, and replicability.