Contents


Funding for Preparedness



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Funding Sources for Preparedness Activities

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Despite the proven cost-benefit of preparedness programming, funding is not easy to obtain. This page provides a list of selected potential sources for funding preparedness programmes. It is divided into:

Government Agencies


This part provides information on the following Government agencies, which provide funding for preparedness and/ or risk reduction activities:

  1. Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID)
  2. Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
  3. UK Department for International Development (DFID)
  4. European Commission's humanitarian aid department (ECHO), Disaster Preparedness programme (DIPECHO)
  5. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan
  6. Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD)
  7. New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAID)
  8. Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
  9. Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA)
  10. US Agency for International Development (USAID)

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  1. Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID - www.ausaid.gov.au/): Funding for Developing Country NGOs for poverty reduction and contribution to sustainable development; special attention to projects with environmental benefits; including education, infrastructures, disaster relief, operations, cultural and sport activities. AusAID also funds disaster preparedness under their Emergency Humanitarian aid programme. Further information available from the Australian Embassy or High Commissions or on their website. Contact +61262064000 or infoausaid@ausaid.gov.au

  2. Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA): CIDA's International Humanitarian Assistance programme funds NGO's with direct involvement in emergency projects, aiming to help ease human suffering resulting from conflicts and natural disasters in developing countries. Contact tel: 819 - 9943948; or info@acdi-cida.gc.ca, or go to their website or directly to the CIDA "Guidelines for Emergency Humanitarian Assistance Project Proposals and Reports".

  3. UK Department for International Development (DFID):

    The Conflict and Humanitarian Fund (CHF) provides grants to NGOs working in the area of conflict prevention, humanitarian assistance, disaster risk reduction, security, and justice. The CHF is not available to fund country specific projects of organizations. Funding availability: 3 - 5 years, maximum 200.000 £ a year. Contact email: chf@dfid.gov.uk or go to the CHF website. The CHF Guidelines for the 2007 Funding Founding Round are available here.

    The Humanitarian Response Fund (HRF) funds NGOs, UN agencies, Red Cross Movement for Response to specific emergencies, to alleviate the adverse humanitarian effects of natural disaters and man-made disaters. Telephone the Conflict, Humanitarian and Security Department (CHASE): tel. +44 (0)7023 0040. More information is available on the HRF website.

    Disaster Risk Reduction funds activities including prevention, mitigation and preparedness, up to £ 500,000. Contact at tel: +44(0)20 7023 1476 or look up further information on their website. A policy paper on Reducing the Risk of Disasters-Helping to achieve sustainable poverty reduction in a vulnerable world is also available. According to this document, there are 3 strands to resourcing for DFID's disaster risk reduction policy:

    • support global disaster risk reduction efforts: financing for this work will come primarily from DFID's central divisions. This includes support to : (i) the UN system for DRR and relevant agencies, (ii) global initiatives working to address different aspects of disaster risk including climate change, and (iii) the work of civil society to address global cross-cutting and cross-regional themes.
    • support efforts to reduce disaster risk at the country and regional levels: funding for this will come from DFID's regional divisions and country offices. The focus is on the most disaster-prone countries. Interventions are based on DFID country office priorities and capacity; level of national vunerabilities and disaster risk; and level of government capacity. Funding in country will need to be identified through prioritisation of existing country aid frameworks.
    • ensure communities are left less vulnerable to future crises by using response as an opportunity to engage with developing country governments: DFID will allocate approximately 10% of the funding provided by DFID in response to each natural disaster to prepare for and mitigate the impact of future disasters, where this can be done effectively. This is likely to be particularly relevant for sudden onset disasters and will only apply to response efforts above £ 500,000. These funds will usually be managed by the relevant regional division or country office.

  4. European Commission's humanitarian aid department (ECHO), Disaster Preparedness programme (DIPECHO) : Since the launch of the DIPECHO programme in 1996, DG ECHO has invested more than EUR 120 million in disaster preparedness. The DIPECHO programme had been expanded over the years and now covers six disaster prone regions: the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Central Asia, South Asia and South East Asia. The projects funded by the programme include simple and inexpensive preparatory measures, often implemented by the communities themselves. DIPECHO-projects will typically emphasize training, capacity building, awareness raising, establishment or improvement of local early-warning systems and contingency planning. As any other relief provided by DG ECHO, DIPECHO projects are carried out by European-based aid agencies and UN agencies in close cooperation with local NGOs and authorities. In 2007 alone, DG ECHO has allocated EUR 19,5 million for disaster preparedness in the Caribbean, Central America, South America, South Asia. For more information, see on the DIPECHO website. The following lines give some more information on regional DIPECHO action plans.

  5. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan: In order to respond to requests from the governments of disaster-stricken countries or international organizations, Japan has established a system of international emergency assistance to provide financial, personnel, and material assistance. For more information on Japan's International Cooperation in Disaster Reduction and Response, see the following website.

  6. Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD): Norad finances, cooperates with and is a source of information about Norwegian and international organisations, institutions and private companies. Contact: postmottak@norad.no or tel: +47 22 24 20 30 or see the NORAD website.

  7. New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAID): NZAID manages the Pacific Island Countries Participation Fund , which is an aid delivery mechanism within New Zealand's official development assistance (NZODA) programme. The objective of the programme is to fund attendance (including travel, accommodation, per diems, conference fees) by Pacific Islanders at regional and international conferences, where their attendance will strengthen ownership of regional and international development processes. The designated meeting must be consistent with the strategic outcomes as set out in the NZAID policy statement. For more information (including more specific guidelines and application forms), contact: PIC@nzaid.govt.nz or consult the Pacific Island Countries Participation Fund website

  8. Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is Switzerland’s international cooperation agency within the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). In operating with other federal offices concerned, SDC is responsible for the overall coordination of development activities and cooperation with Eastern Europe, as well as for humanitarian aid . For more information on SDC's engagement in humanitarian aid, see the following SDC website. More specifically for prevention and preparedness, contact the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit (SHA) : +41313223124; or hh@deza.admin.ch, or the Prevention and Preparedness team leader: bernhard.huwiler@deza.admin.ch

  9. Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA): Humanitarian aid: Disaster Risk Reduction funds Swedish and International NGO's to integrate a risk reduction perspective into all parts of development cooperation work when relevant, as well as to increase the direct support to disaster preparedness and risk reduction. Grants warded for fixed periods from a few months to several years. Contact tel: + 46 8 698 50 00; or sida@sida.se, or website.

  10. US Agency for International Development (USAID): USAID is the U.S. Government agency responsible for directing contributions to non-profit partners and international organizations like the UN agencies. Specific information on USAID's Preparedness and Mitigation Programs can be found here. Contact tel: +1- 202-712-4810; or pinquiries@usaid.gov. Also see the general USAID's website on Disaster Assistance or specifially the USAID Disaster Assistance Resource website with guidelines and proposed templates. The USAID Guidelines for Unsollicited Proposals and Reporting can directly be found under this link.


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Other funding sources


This part provides information on the funding sources:

  1. World Bank Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery
  2. Global Environment Facility
  3. Proventium Consortium
  4. Asia-Pacific Forum for Environment and Development (AFPED)
  5. UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), Tsunami Regional Trust Fund

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  1. World Bank Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery: Track II: Support to countries for mainstreaming disaster reduction in development. Recipients are country governments, United Nations agencies, International Financial Institutions (IFIs), Regional Intergovernmental Organizations or research organizations. Beneficiary countries are low or middle income countries prone to high disaster risks and/or requiring special attention due to adverse geo - economical settings. At the beginning of each fiscal year the GFDRR Secretariat invites proposals for support under Track II; deadlines are given each time a proposal is launched. The project aims to mainstream disaster reduction and management in country development processes to ensure that risk assessments, risk mitigation, risk transfer and emergency preparedness are incorporated into all strategic plans and programs (including limiting the impact of Climate Change). For FY 08 and 09 each recipient country can only receive up to $1.0 million over a 3 year program. Contact: hazardmanagement@worldbank.org, briceno@un.org, or sjha1@worldbank.org. Further information available on their website.

  2. Global Environment Facility: Funding for full-size projects is available for governments eligible to borrow from the Worldbank or receive technical assistance grants from UNDP. Projects aim to improve the global environment or advance the prospect of reducing risks to it. Contact Tel: (202) 473-0508 or E-mail: secretariat@thegef.org, or website. On funding for medium-size projects to governments or NGO's, further information is available on their website. There is also a small grants programme for community-based organizations and NGO's in developing countries to provide support for community-level initiatives that contribute to conserving global biodiversity, mitigating climate change and protecting international waters. Available funding goes up to USD 50,000. Contact the Central Programme Management Team, tel. +1 212 906 5039 or sgp.info@undp.org. For Climate Change: tel +1 212 906 5180 or stephen.gitonga@undp.org.

  3. Proventium Consortium: Research and Action Grants for Disaster Risk Reduction for citizens of a developing country under 35 years of age backed by a host organization (academic, public, NGO, community, private) based in the country where the project will be conducted. Projects must aim to bridge the gap between knowledge and action in disaster risk reduction. Examples of focus areas are: factors and incentives for disasters risk reduction, mechanisms to strenghten community resistance, local risk analysis and management, education, engagement of the private sector. Funding up to USD 5,000 per project. Contact: provention@ifrc.org, further information available on their website or under the following direct link.

  4. Asia-Pacific Forum for Environment and Development (AFPED) : The APFED Showcase Programme was launched in 2006 to support projects that promote innovative policies, measures, and actions for sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region. The programme provides a grant of up to US$30,000 to each sustainable development project that showcases innovative approaches to support the development, implementation, monitoring, and information dissemination of innovative policies, measures and actions for promoting sustainable development in the region. The granted funds may be used to support stakeholder consultations, feasibility studies, pilot scheme experimentation and demonstration. It is a prerequisite that the proposed project aim to generate tangible outcomes in changing behaviours and business practices toward enhancing sustainability, and improving environmental performance. For more information contact: apfed@iges.or.jp, or unep-apfed@un.org, or see the website, which also has information on how to apply for a grant. The direct link to the Guidelines is here.

  5. UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), Tsunami Regional Trust Fund: Funding for regional, sub-regional, and national organizations with certain qualifications, including adequate expertise and capacity in early warning system arrangements for tsunamis and/or other natural hazards and natural disaster management. Grants to support capacity building measures for the development of early warning systems for tsunamis in a multi-hazard content by supporting relevant prevention and preparedness activities. Tel.: (662) 288-1948 Email: pmd.unescap@un.org. To see the website of the UNESCAP Tsunami Regional Trust Fund, click here. Application forms are available under this direct link.



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