Many civil society organisations (CSOs) are more focused on survival than trying to determine the most effective approach that will allow their organisation to be successful. Today, the focus on CSO capacity building is moving to the forefront for most organisations wanting to enhance their capabilities so that they can foster their effectiveness and viability. In Jamaica, CSOs are different, with varied strengths, institutional and operational gaps. Generally, the strengths of CSOs include commitment and passion, broad knowledge base, media relationships, good donor relationships, networking and collaborations, as well as recognition and respect of the Government of Jamaica (GoJ), while the gaps exist in the form of funding challenges, human resource deficiencies, weak governance and management structure, and project implementation shortcomings. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a further devastating effect on CSOs, especially the CBOs.

The A to Z of the SGP; a guide to the GEF Small Grants Programme 2017 notes that; ?the SGP provides financial and technical support to local communities, community-based organizations (CBOs) and civil society organization (CSOs) mostly in poor and often remote areas for initiatives that conserve and restore the environment while enhancing people?s livelihoods and wellbeing? This statement is true for many communities in Jamaica however, project writing can sometimes prove to be a daunting tasks for many community leaders. Funders generally require similar information as it relates to project goals, outcomes, outputs and activities. However, the format may be different, donor?s areas of focus may not be very clear to the community representatives. Project writing development requires understanding of donor?s requirement and how issues are linked to the wider context of local, national, and global priorities.

This project will seek to develop several knowledge products to share among CSOs that will enhance their capacities and awareness on proposal writing. Knowledge products include a simple guide to writing winning proposals, booklet on the compilation GEF SGP?s successful projects to name a few that will be disseminated. The project will also seek to build CSOs knowledge on partnership building, networking, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UN conventions to which Jamaica is a signatory. CSOs will also understand the COVID-19 protocols established and what they can do to mitigate infection within their communities.

The primary objective of this project is to strengthen CSOs capacity, especially in proposal writing and develop knowledge products to share best practices amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This is will contribute to the achievement one of GEF SGP?s objective, which is to build partnerships and establish networks to strengthen local and national capacities to address global environmental problems and promote sustainable development. Further, the development of a project-writing guide will arm community groups with the necessary information to allow them to contribute to the bottom up approach stimulating the creation of positive impacts. These projects (environmental initiatives) that are linked to the SDGs, provide a platform for the monitoring and accountability of Jamaica?s contribution to the global pathway. Furthermore, this intervention will assist the country to realise goal one (1) of Vision 2030, which speaks to empowering Jamaicans to achieve their fullest potential. Empowering community representatives whilst using a people centred approach that is able to contribute to goal 4, Jamaica has a healthy natural environment through sustainable management and use of environmental and natural resources, hazard risk reduction and adaptation to climate change as well sustainable urban and rural development. The expected results from this project are: 1. Knowledge Products Developed for dissemination among CSOs and key partners; 2. CSOs trained in Proposal Writing, Partnership Building, Networking SDGS, and the UN Conventions; 3. Improved Knowledge on COVID-19 Protocols on Recovery Response through community engagement.