Bridging Finance and Implementation: From Catalytic Grants to Sustained Ecosystem-based Climate Action
Date: November 9, 2026 / Events
Event details
Date: Monday, 16 November 2026
Time: 11:30–12:30
Location: IUCN/WWF Pavilion, Blue Zone, UNFCCC COP31
Organiser: Global EbA Fund
Format: Partner lightning talks and discussion
About the event
How can catalytic grant funding help turn climate and biodiversity commitments into lasting action on the ground?
While initial grant funding can help communities and organisations develop and test innovative Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) approaches, sustaining and scaling these solutions requires more than replicating successful projects. It calls for stronger institutions, enabling policies, long-term partnerships and sustainable financing that can carry effective approaches beyond individual project cycles.
At UNFCCC COP31, the Global EbA Fund will bring together partners from its global portfolio to explore how catalytic grants can help bridge the gap between local implementation and broader climate and biodiversity ambitions.
Drawing on practical experiences across diverse ecological, socioeconomic and institutional contexts, the session will examine how small- and medium-scale grants can strengthen institutional capacity, support community-led action, and help develop investment-ready initiatives aligned with national and global commitments, including Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), and Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets.
Through a series of lightning talks, partners will share field-tested lessons on advancing EbA across marine, coastal, agricultural, forest and urban landscapes. The discussion will highlight approaches to strengthening community ownership and gender responsiveness, integrating EbA into policy and planning, and mobilising sustainable finance for climate-resilient development.
The session will also explore the challenges that remain in moving from catalytic funding to sustained implementation, identifying practical pathways to address policy, financial and knowledge gaps and support the wider uptake of effective EbA approaches.
By connecting local experiences with national and global climate and biodiversity priorities, the event will highlight how catalytic funding can serve as a foundation for lasting ecosystem-based climate action that benefits both people and nature.
Who should attend?
The event is intended for climate adaptation and EbA practitioners, policymakers, government representatives, donors, climate finance institutions, civil society organisations, development agencies, researchers and other stakeholders working at the intersection of climate change, biodiversity and sustainable development.
Participants will gain practical insights into how catalytic grant funding can support the transition from project-based implementation to sustained ecosystem-based climate action, and how partnerships, policy alignment and inclusive approaches can help unlock opportunities for scaling.
Join the discussion
Catalytic funding can open the door to innovative ecosystem-based adaptation, but lasting impact depends on what happens next.
Join the Global EbA Fund and its partners at COP31 to explore how grants, partnerships and enabling conditions can help transform locally tested EbA approaches into sustained climate action at scale – strengthening resilience for people, ecosystems and the future.
