This category recognises grassroots initiatives led by community groups, local institutions, youth groups, farmers, or self-help groups. It honours projects that embed community leadership, traditional wisdom, and inclusivity, while delivering measurable environmental and social outcomes such as emission reductions, biodiversity protection, or livelihood improvements.
The assessment of forms in this category follows a two-stage process designed to ensure fairness, transparency, and consistency.
At this stage, assessors will check for eligibility and completeness. Applications must demonstrate that:
Organisation eligibility – The applicant belongs to a recognised category (NGO, CBO, government, academic, or other eligible type).
Relevance of initiative – The initiative aligns with at least one of the five defined sub-categories.
Completeness – All mandatory fields in the form are filled.
Community ownership – The initiative is led and implemented by community members, not entirely by external actors.
Evidence of implementation – The initiative has already commenced (ongoing, completed, or scaling up), and is not just in the planning stage.
Only applications that meet all these requirements will move to Stage 2.
Eligible applications are then scored on six criteria, with defined weights and scoring rubrics. The emphasis is on community ownership, impact, and evidence, supported by innovation, collaboration, and reach.
| 1. Community ownership (20%) |
| Assess how strongly the initiative is driven by communities themselves. |
| Look for inclusivity of women, youth, indigenous and vulnerable groups. |
| 2. Climate action integration (20%) |
| Evaluates how well the initiative incorporates climate mitigation or adaptation within broader community development goals. |
| 3. Innovation & use of local knowledge (15%) |
| Assesses the creativity in combining traditional practices with innovative technologies or approaches. |
| 4. Impact & evidence (25%) |
| Examines the results of the initiative, including environmental and social impacts such as emissions reduced, biodiversity protected, livelihoods improved, or resilience strengthened. |
| Priority is given to initiatives providing measurable and replicable evidence. |
| 5. Partnerships & collaboration (10%) |
| Assesses the involvement of partners (government, NGOs, private sector, etc.), clarity of roles, and their contribution to sustainability. |
| 6. Beneficiary reach (10%) |
| Looks at the scale of beneficiaries, both direct and indirect, with attention to whether vulnerable groups are included. |
