The Voices for Just Climate Action (VCA) Small Grant Mechanism—also known as the Next
Level Grant Facility (NLGF)—aims to foster local ownership and create community-driven
solutions for scaling up responses to the climate crisis. The climate emergency
disproportionately impacts vulnerable populations in the global south, exacerbating socio-
economic inequalities. Traditional climate funds often overlook grassroots organizations due
to bureaucratic barriers and security concerns, leaving these groups without access to
necessary resources.
To address this gap, the VCA alliance launched the NLGF, a €3.5 million fund supporting
seven countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Indonesia, Kenya, Paraguay, Tunisia, and Zambia. In Zambia
Peoples Process on Housing and Poverty in Zambia. This grant empowers communities and
local allies to lead in prioritizing and developing solutions to climate challenges. By enabling
bottom-up decision-making, the NLGF helps local groups respond more effectively to
climate emergencies, focusing on sustainable and inclusive natural resource management.
The grant supports initiatives aligned with the VCA Theory of Change, addressing both
immediate emergencies and long-term opportunities.