Call for proposals: CCAC Food & Nutrition Challenge 2025

The Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) is seeking innovative, cross-sector projects that address a specific challenge, particularly those uniting the super pollutant community around a common goal. This year's focus is on the Food & Nutrition Challenge, which aims to advance multiple focus areas to tackle food loss, waste, and malnutrition while reducing super pollutants.

📅 Opportunity Details

• Date Published: July 01, 2025
• Application Deadline: August 06, 2025
• Category: Contest
• Sponsor Organisation: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

🌟 About the Challenge

The Food & Nutrition Challenge 2025 seeks innovative, cross-sector proposals that address the following focus areas:

• Strengthening natural cycles: Improving nutrient and material flows between rural and urban systems or within circular/bio economies. This includes diverting organic waste for better uses (e.g., landscaping, farming, bio-based products) and boosting resilience through planning, infrastructure, and financial mechanisms.
• Advancing agroecological practices: Preserving soils, improving food security, and enhancing resilience to climate change through measures like compost application, soil management, crop diversification, and agroforestry.
• Expanding energy-efficient cold chains: Developing sustainable cold-chain services using low-GWP refrigerants to reduce food loss, including farmer access to post-harvest storage and transportation infrastructure.
• Preventing food wastage: Supporting the redistribution of edible food waste through infrastructure and investments, aligned with the objectives of the COP29 Declaration on Reducing Methane from Organic Waste.
• Strengthening financial systems: Creating transparent systems to document GHG emission reductions and using clear indicators to demonstrate the impact of proposed solutions.

💰 Benefits

• Estimated Project Cost: $2,000,000

✅ Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible, proposals must:

• Target at least two focus areas outlined above and demonstrate cross-sector approaches to reducing food loss and waste.
• Be innovative, collaborative, and scalable, addressing multiple challenges.
• Show measurable GHG/super pollutant reductions and impacts using clear indicators.
• Clearly outline the proposed approach/methodology.
• Engage with sub-national, private sector, and other stakeholders.
• Encourage consortiums, including local NGOs, government entities, and international organizations.
• Include co-funding or in-kind contributions from private sector stakeholders or other donor schemes.
• Target activities in ODA-eligible countries.
• Be complete, relevant, submitted on time, within the budget range, and less than 24 months in duration.
• Comply with CCAC gender criteria.

Additional Notes:

• Eligible Entities: Non-profit entities, including NGOs, IGOs, and government entities.
• Ineligible Entities: For-profit entities cannot receive CCAC funding but may participate as collaborators or co-funders.

📝 Application Process

Step 1: Concept Note Submission

1. Complete the Challenge Programme Concept Note (Download here).
2. Fill out the Challenge Programme Google Form (Access here).
3. Upload the Concept Note (in Word format) and any additional documents to the Google Form.
4. Submit the Google Form to the CCAC Secretariat for review.

Step 2: Full Proposal Submission

• If your Concept Note is successful, the CCAC Secretariat will invite you to submit a detailed project proposal and budget.
• Full proposals will undergo an in-depth review by the CCAC Secretariat and technical experts.
• Final selection of proposals for funding will be made by the CCAC Board.

Note: If your Concept Note is not successful, you will be notified by the Secretariat.

📌 Application Deadline

• Deadline: August 06, 2025

For more details, visit the official CCAC Food & Nutrition Challenge 2025 page.
To apply, complete the Google Form application.

This is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to global efforts in reducing food loss, waste, and super pollutants while addressing malnutrition and climate change.

• Estimated project cost: $2,000,000