The Raising Adaptation Impact and Ambition (RAIA) project has launched a competitive call for funding proposals to support research on the economics of climate change adaptation in Africa.

RAIA is a UK Aid-funded initiative under the Climate Adaptation and Resilience (CLARE) Research Programme of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The project is led by the United Nations Environment Programme in partnership with the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI Africa).

About the RAIA Project

RAIA seeks to close persistent gaps in economic evidence, research capacity, and policy tools needed to advance effective climate adaptation in lower-income countries across Africa.

The initiative works at the intersection of science and policy, ensuring that research findings translate into practical decision-making tools for governments. Its focus is on strengthening the ability of African economic researchers to produce high-quality, policy-relevant analysis that is co-developed with national stakeholders.

Through this call, RAIA will fund country-level research that supports governments—particularly Ministries of Finance—in integrating climate adaptation into national planning and budgeting processes.

Selected research teams will collaborate closely with finance ministries and key policy actors to ensure findings are actionable and aligned with national priorities.

Grant Details

• Funding amount: USD 80,000–120,000 per project

• Project duration: Approximately 11 months

• Number of grants available: 10–12

Thematic Areas

Proposals may focus on one or more of the following areas:

• Estimating the economic costs of climate impacts and adaptation responses

• Identifying financial, regulatory, or market-based instruments to advance climate action

• Improving tracking, allocation, and value capture of adaptation finance

All research proposals must integrate considerations of distributional impacts, gender equality, and social inclusion.

Key Dates

• Submission deadline: 5 March 2026 (23:59 EAT)

• Evaluation period: 6–20 March 2026

• Notification of selected projects: 23 March 2026

• Due diligence: 24–27 March 2026

• Contract signing: 1 April 2026

• Grantee orientation workshop: 6 April 2026