The International Climate Initiative (IKI) Large Grants Call 2025 is a competitive funding program jointly issued by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) and the Federal Foreign Office (AA). This initiative supports international climate action and biodiversity conservation through large-scale funding opportunities that target transformative, high-impact projects aligned with the Paris Agreement and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
This annual call invites eligible implementing organizations—both German and international—to submit project outlines in response to one of eleven thematic or country-specific priority areas. These priorities span a range of interventions such as electricity storage in Mexico, forest resilience in India, grassland restoration in South Africa, urban bioenergy value chains, decarbonization in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, and scaling of successful mitigation and adaptation strategies. All projects must focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, adapting to climate change, or conserving biodiversity.
The 2025 call for ideas begins on November 17, 2025, and closes at 2:00 PM CET on February 17, 2026. Interested organizations must submit a detailed project outline through the IKI application portal during this period. Each outline must address one of the defined thematic or country priorities. One to two projects per priority will be selected for funding, with grant amounts ranging between 12 and 20 million euros, depending on the scope and focus.
Eligible applicants include both German and non-German institutions, provided they qualify as implementing organizations or are engaged as contractors through German federal agencies. All submissions undergo a two-stage evaluation process, beginning with an outline phase followed by a full proposal phase for selected candidates. Selected projects will receive funding agreements directly from BMUV or AA through the IKI Office, managed by ZUG gGmbH.
The IKI Office serves as the primary point of contact for inquiries and support. Organizations can reach the office by email or phone during designated contact hours. Detailed thematic and country priorities, as well as submission requirements and evaluation criteria, are available in the official funding documents provided by IKI.
Ensure close alignment with one of the thematic or country priorities; use current NDC or NAP documents where applicable; demonstrate scalability.
