Small grants

IUCN Sri Lanka is the National Secretariat of Mangroves for the Future (MFF) regional initiative that is being implemented in the country since 2008. MFF Sri Lanka implemented over 82 small grants to date and as an innovative step, decided to allocate resources to better understand the post-project sustainability of MFF projects. Fifty nine (59) projects have been implemented during 2009-2012 of which 54 were evaluated.

This study was commissioned by IUCN Programme Aires Protégées – UICN-PACO in late 2014 to develop comprehensive understanding for the scaling potential of the “small grants for biodiversity” model, and to improve the design and/or targeting of future investments.

This booklet documents the achievements of selected projects of the Mangroves for the Future (MFF) Small Grants Programme in Sri Lanka, with emphasis on drawing lessons to improve future project performance. The projects are presented under three thematic areas, namely Ecosystem restoration, Education and Awareness, and Livelihood enhancement. The contents are largely based on information gleaned from project progress reports and reviews, and notes of field monitoring visits.

The Community Conservation Support Fund (CCSF) in Sri Lanka supports innovative, community-based and natural resources management initiatives with the help of small grants. This booklet is an attempt to document achievements from several projects that were supported by grants from the CCFS, with emphasis on lessons that may influence future project work and also policies.