Call For Submissions – RSPO Smallholders Support Fund (RSSF) 2023

The RSPO Smallholder Support Fund (RSSF) 2023 will be open for submissions of initiatives  supporting smallholders starting 1 February 2023 until 28 February 2023. RSPO is encouraging smallholder groups from all countries to apply for this RSSF grant, which will help improve their livelihood, achieve RSPO certification and increase market access support to the global market. Endorsed by the Board of Governors in 2013, the RSPO Smallholders Support Fund (RSSF) was created as a platform that directly provides financial support to independent smallholders in oil palm producing regions.

In an effort to further improve current practices and increase smallholder inclusion into the RSPO System, the RSSF will work towards the implementation of the RSPO Smallholder Strategy to meet a  number of its objectives. The RSSF funds distribution will be channeled towards implementing:

Objective 1: Livelihood
RSSF supports the inclusion of oil palm smallholders around the world, leading to more sustainable practices, reduced negative impacts of oil palm cultivation and improved livelihoods; and

Objective 2: Certification
RSSF provides small-scale financial support, helping enable oil palm smallholders worldwide to achieve RSPO Certification. 

RSSF will be accepting applications for the following types of projects: 

CERTIFICATION PROJECT

This RSSF grant will be awarded to activities preparing smallholders for certification, such as paying for Better Management Practices (BMP) training, initiating a documentation system, or strengthening the organisation’s Internal Control System (ICS).

Note: Co-funding is required for this application.

Certification project template

LIVELIHOOD PROJECT

This RSSF grant will be directed mainly towards capacity development for smallholder groups that promote livelihood improvement at group level. This includes supporting group formation or group strengthening such as the establishment of cooperatives and systems to manage the groups [e.g. Internal Control System (ICS)/Internal Management System (IMS)], training implementation for Best Management Practices (BMP) including Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), social, environmental practices, developing and/or enhancing business skills (e.g. negotiation, communication, marketing, financial literacy, leadership and land legality covering mapping, mediation, and documentation, etc).

For this first round of application, the RSSF for the Livelihood project is ONLY open to the following countries; Colombia, Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana, Indonesia, Mexico, Malaysia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Sierra Leone, Thailand and Uganda.

Note: Co-funding is required for this application.

Livelihood project template

ONE-OFF ASSESSMENT PROJECT 

This RSSF grant covers costs related to specific assessments required for RSPO certification such as High Conservation Value (HCV)-High Carbon Stock (HCS) full assessment and related facilitation costs, as well as assessment for certification readiness such as Gap Assessment.

One-Off Assessment project template

ONE-OFF AUDIT COST PROJECT (open throughout the year)

100% of the audit costs of all potential certification processes of independent smallholder groups, with the option to include one surveillance audit for each applicant. The funding does not include Pre-Audit Assessment. Applications for funding for a One-Off Audit Cost Project are available throughout the year.

One-Off Audit Cost project template

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to apply for an RSSF grant in 2023! Submit your full proposal by 28 February 2023 to [email protected]. 

You may submit your budget in your local currency. Any incomplete proposals will not be processed. 

If you have questions, please email the RSPO RSSF Team at [email protected].