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Proposal Writing & Open Data Sources

Module 3: Proposal Writing & Open Data Sources

Lakshmi Menon, Senior Analyst – Adaptation and Risk Analysis Sector
Center for Study of Science, Technology & Policy

Proposals and Concept Notes


CONCEPT NOTES

TYPE

PROPOSALS 

Initial document to introduce ideas

Purpose

Detailed, comprehensive document

2-5 pages (high level ideas)

Length

10-50 pages (depends on the complexity of donor requirements)

  • Problem Statement
  • Objectives
  • Target Beneficiaries
  • Budget
  • Expected Outcomes

Content

  • Detailed Problem Analysis

  • Objectives

  • Workplan

  • Budget

  • Monitoring and Evaluation

  • Funding Request

Provides an overview

Detail

Deep understanding of technical and financial aspects

Open to change, based on feedback from potential funders

Opportunity

Structured with specific guidelines

Overview

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Outline

  1. Understand Your Funding Needs and Priorities

    • What climate projects and initiatives do you want to undertake? (expertise, regional, capacity)
    • What are your organisation's financial needs?

Need-based (DRR)img00003.jpg


Context-based (Social Development)img00004.jpg

Project-based / Overheadsimg00006.jpg

Capacity-based (Mitigation)img00005.jpg

    • Government grants, Private foundations, Corporate donors, International Organizations

    • Specific interests of the funder need to be accommodated

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img00008.jpgSource: https://www.iberdrola.com/sustainability/what-is-climate-finance 


Need-based (DRR)

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    • Focus on the urgency and importance of your project

    • Use anecdotes, newspaper, media coverage and real-life examples


Narrative Workshops

img00011.jpgimg00012.jpg

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    • What is the issue / challenges you are trying to address - environmental, social, or economic challenges

    • Use data to support the claims

    • Based on your organisational capacity

Example

  • Flood Risk region in X district

img00015.jpg

  • Environmental Impacts:

    • Loss of natural forest cover, flora and fauna

    • Soil composition

  • Social Impacts:
    • Loss of lives and livestock
    • Health and Sanitations
  •  Economic Impacts
    • Livelihood Disruption
    • Infrastructure Loss

Source: Gendered vulnerabilities in diaras: Struggling with floods in the Gandak River Basin

img00016.jpgSource: Causes, impacts and patterns of disastrous river floods


    • Set Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound objectives

    • What do you intend to accomplish and how will you measure success?

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Example

  • Specific: Implement flood resilient housing/shelter to minimise loss of lives and livestock, improve sanitation and health in medium-risk regions
  • Measurable: Add 50 houses, 50 cattle sheds, 2 emergency shelters, 1 PHC
  • Achievable: In 3 phases, upskill residents with disaster resilient building techniques, and emergency preparedness protocols
  • Relevant: Flood-risk assessment shows high vulnerability in these sectors
  • Time-bound: 1 year and 6 months for implementation, 1 year and 6 months in M&E


 

img00019.jpgimg00020.jpgSource: https://compartments4.com/component/resilient-homes-challenge 



Example

  • Identify what is unique to the context
  • Define an approach that offers multiple solutions at once
  • For. e.g. Upskilling locals in making disaster resilient housing using local material


Break down the approach in steps

  • Milestones are major deliverables or outcomes from the objectives;
  • Activities are significant markers of progress and

  • Tasks are time-bound tasks that add up to activities.

CleanShot 2024-06-06 at 21.43.20@2x.png

 

Detailed Activity and Timeline
  • Gantt Chart to show how MAT are chronologically placed
  • Set realistic timelines for the MAT
  • Resource Allocation


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    • Correspond each activity to a realistic budget that itemises the costs associated with personnel and logistics separately

    • Justify how the funds are allocated, over the project timeline

    • Template style: Organization / Funder


CleanShot 2024-06-06 at 21.47.48@2x.png


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  • Define key performance indicators (KPIs)

  • Monitoring and evaluation methods to measure the progress / impact of the work

img00025.jpg

 

Example

  • After Project Implementation
  • Reduction in loss of life / migration
  • Surveys & Assessments
  • Reports & Media


 

 

 

img00024.jpgSource: Nias Recovery: Achievement and The Way to Sustainable Development


 


    • Highlight any existing or potential partnerships with other organisations or stakeholders.

    • Collaboration often strengthens your proposal and demonstrates a broader impact.


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Gol’s Data Sources:

CENSUS (HOME | GOVERNMENT OF INDIA (CENSUSINDIA.GOV.IN)

CLIMATE (HOME | INDIA METEOROLOGICAL DEPARTMENT (IMD.GOV.IN)

AGRICULTURE (AGRICULTURE CENSUS (AGCENSUS.NIC.IN)

FORESTS (WELCOME TO FOREST SURVEY OF INDIA (FSI.NIC.IN)

LAND USE (LAND USE STATISTICS INFORMATION SYSTEM (DAC.GOV.IN)

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT (HOME | INDIA HUMAN DEVELOPMENT SURVEY (UMD.EDU)


NATIONAL DATA AND ANALYTICS PLATFORM (HOME - NDAP (NITI.GOV.IN)

WATER RESOURCE INFORMATION (INDIA-WRIS (INDIAWRIS.GOV.IN)

ISRO BHUVAN (INDIAN GEO PLATFORM OF ISRO (NRSC.GOV.IN)

SOCIO-ECONOMIC (SOCIO ECONOMIC SURVEY | MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION | GOVERNMENT OF INDIA (MOSPI.GOV.IN)

HEALTH (NATIONAL FAMILY HEALTH SURVEY (RCHIIPS.ORG)

SDG INDEX (SDG INDIA INDEX AND DASHBOARD | ITECH MISSION (NITI.GOV.IN)


International data sources or tools

🛰️ ALASKA SATELLITE FACILITY (HTTPS://SEARCH.ASF.ALASKA.EDU)

🌡️ CLIMATE CHANGE KNOWLEDGE PORTAL (HTTPS://CLIMATEKNOWLEDGEPORTAL.WORLDBANK.ORG/)

⚠️ THINK HAZARD (HTTPS://THINKHAZARD.ORG/EN/)

☀️ MY CLIMATE FUTURE (HTTPS://MYCLIMATEFUTURE.INFO/)

🌧️ CLIMATE ANALYTICS TOOL (HTTPS://CLIMATEANALYTICS.ORG/TO OLS/)



Other Sources



District-Level Changes in Climate: Historical Climate and Climate Change Projections for the Eastern States of India


A framework for quantifying the climate co-benefits of MGNREGS works


Aqueduct

  • Open-source, peer reviewed data to map water risks such as floods, droughts and stress.

  • Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas, which maps and analyses current and future water risks across locations;

  • Aqueduct Food, which identifies current and future water risks to agriculture and food security; and

  • Aqueduct Floods, which identifies coastal and riverine flood risks, and analyses the costs and benefits of investing in flood protection.


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AgriAdapt

  • AgriAdapt was co-developed with agricultural decision-makers to provide free, reliable, accessible climate information to help them identify and understand the climate change risks they face.

  • Global, map-based and crop-specific data for coffee, cotton and rice value chains.

  • Information on changing land use suitability, projected shifts in temperature and rainfall patterns and much more.

  • The goal is to inform decisions about which crops to grow where and when, and ways to make processing, distribution and


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Overview

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