The Smallholder Fund is a project-bound small grant scheme that was created to improve smallholders’ capacity to achieve and maintain FSC certification, to strengthen their ability to benefit from the FSC system, and to increase supply of FSC certified materials.
The Smallholder Fund has been resourced using a proportion of the FSC Annual Accreditation Fee. It holds €420,000, which is to be distributed by the end of October 2013. It provides resources directly to smallholders, not to intermediary organizations such as those implementing projects with smallholders. Applicants can be either FSC certified or in the process of becoming certified, and must meet eligibility criteria for small, low-intensity or community production.
The timetable for the 2013 application process is:
- Application for Pre-selection: 16 May–19 July 2013
- Pre-selection and contacting selected projects: 20 July–09 August 2013
- Full Application: 10 August 2013–31 August
- Main selection and contacting selected projects: 1 September–30 September 2013
- Legal and administrative procedures: 1 October –31 October 2013
For more information on the Smallholder Fund please click here.