Climate Change Adaptation Modality (CCAM)

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The Climate Change Adaptation Modality (CCAM) is a funding modality under the Civil Society Fund.

The CCAM finances climate change adaptation interventions supporting that poor and vulnerable groups in developing countries become more resilient to the effects of climate change.

Unsure whether your idea is eligible for CCAM-funding? Try working through our flowchart and look into the key concepts (in Danish).

CISU has made small adjustments to the guidelines and application format based on the experiences from the first round of applications in February 2023. The revised guidelines (pp 40-47) and application format are available to you as of October 2023.

Download formats, guides and guidelines for your application

Support for Climate Adaptation is part of Denmark's overall support for climate adaptation, reported to the UNFCCC, OECD, and EU. CISU administers this form of support in accordance with the OECD-DAC Rio Markers for Climate Change Adaptation. Interventions under Support for Climate Adaptation are thus included in the Rio Marker system, which is the internationally agreed framework for reporting on climate adaptation. Each intervention receives a score based on the "Rio marker for climate adaptation" regarding its focus on climate adaptation.

To qualify for funding under Support for Climate Adaptation, your intervention must have climate adaptation as its primary objective. Interventions are therefore eligible for support only if:

The primary objective of the intervention is climate adaptation, as evident from its design or rationale.
All results, outputs, and activities are directly or indirectly linked to climate adaptation (thus contributing to achieving the goal of climate adaptation).

CISU has developed a Climate Integration Tool for organisations that are not already addressing climate aspects in their interventions.

Under tools you can find a guide on where to start if you want to work more intensively on climate change. There are specific questions to assist you in the analysis process, as well as concrete activities you can include in planning a new initiative.

There are also 6 documents focusing on one or more of the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals. These are the goals that most CISU grants aim to achieve.

The Climate Integration Tool was developed in 2020.

In the CCAM Guidelines, you can find various links to relevant tools that CISU recommends using in the development of interventions.

Definition of core concepts

See definitions for climate adaptation and climate resilience in the UNFCCC Glossary.

For further interest in terminology, CISU recommends:

London School of Economics Explainers

DIIS Explained

Rio Markers

The Rio marker system is used in the assessment criteria to obtain support from CCAM: OECD-DAC Rio Markers for Climate Handbook.

Monitoring and evaluation

CCAM emphasizes robust tools for monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEAL). For inspiration for your MEAL procedures, see, for example, GiZ's Repository of Adaptation Indicators: Real case examples from national Monitoring and Evaluation Systems.

Danish civil society organisations can apply for up to 5 million DKK annually under Support for Climate Adaptation. This means that regardless of the number of applications, the total amount a Danish organisation can apply for in a year cannot exceed 5 million DKK. Support for Climate Adaptation is not included in the Annual Grant Ceiling of 6 million DKK under the Civil Society Fund. Funding from Support for Climate Adaptation cannot be included in the calculation of core funding for CISU program grant organisations though.

The application deadline for CCAM in 2024 is 7 February, 2024, at 12:00 PM. Applications will be evaluated by CISU's Assessment Committee, and applicants will receive a response no later than 10 April, 2024.

Since Climate Adaptation Support is a funding mechanism under the Civil Society Fund and is based on the same fundamental principles and values, the assessment of applications is always proportionate to the requested amount, the applicant organisations' experience, context, and purpose. Similarly, the assessment criteria for Climate Adaptation Support and the Civil Society Fund are the same with some differences related to the Rio Marker system.

The following elements from the Rio Marker system are integrated into the assessment criteria for Climate Adaptation Support:

The application must describe risks, challenges, vulnerabilities, and the impact of climate change on the lives of poor people in a contextual analysis. This can be done, for example, by using material from existing analyses, assessments, or reports. Integrated into assessment criteria 1.1 and 1.2.
The application must demonstrate a clear link between the activities of the intervention and the identified risks, challenges, vulnerabilities, and the impact of climate change on the lives of poor people. The application must explicitly describe how the intervention will reduce risks, challenges, vulnerability, and impact on the lives of the target group. The strategy for the intervention must clearly indicate how the goals, expected results, activities, and indicators of the intervention directly or indirectly contribute to climate adaptation and the climate resilience of the poor and climate-vulnerable groups. Integrated into assessment criteria 1.2, 3.1, 3.3, 4.1, and 4.2.

Read more about CCAM in the Civil Society Fund Guidelines available here.

click here if you wish to file a complaint

Any complaints about the handling of an application will initially be discussed by CISU's Head of Secretariat, the Chairperson of the Board, and the Chairperson of the Assessment Committee, who will consider the nature of the complaint and decide on its further course.

As a general rule, complaints cannot lead to changes in decisions made in the Grant Assessment System. However, if there are substantial and demonstrable formal errors in the processing of the application, it may be referred for reassessment. Assessments made in the Grant Assessment System cannot be altered.

All complaints will, in any case, be included and used constructively in the ongoing evaluation of professional practices within CISU, involving the Board, Assessment Consultants, Assessment Committee, and the Secretariat/Advisors.

CISU's procedures for feedback and complaints are outlined in CISU's Code of Conduct here.

As a member organisation, you can always request advice throughout the application process. Remember to book well in advance of any deadlines.

Book an advisory session here

Applicants whose organisations are not members of CISU can receive guidance on application procedures. Contact CISU at +45 86120342 or puljer@cisu.dk.