The Clean Cities, Blue Ocean (CCBO) Annual Program Statement for the Philippines seeks Concept Papers from organizations that are interested and qualified to implement local grants that support the program’s objectives to reduce ocean plastics pollution. Grants will be awarded to select organizations to implement effective, locally-led solutions and approaches to combat ocean plastics pollution directly at their source.

The Clean Cities, Blue Ocean (CCBO) seeks to support effective, locally-led solutions and approaches in the Philippines for 3R practices (reducing, reusing and recycling) and solid waste management (SWM) that combat marine debris.

To be effective, 3R/SWM solutions must be grounded in local contexts and systems and must be implemented in close collaboration with local government to build a long-term enabling environment that amplifies impact and ensures sustainability beyond the life of the CCBO program.

In August 2019, Tetra Tech was awarded the Clean Cities, Blue Ocean (CCBO) Program, a five-year contract from the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Bureau of Economic Growth, Education, and Environment’s Office of Land and Urban. CCBO is responding to the global crisis of ocean plastic pollution by targeting pollution directly at the source in cities and towns, specifically in rapidly urbanizing areas throughout low- and middle-income countries.

Objectives

CCBO is a five-year project, targeting ocean plastics pollution directly at their source in cities and towns, specifically in rapidly urbanizing areas throughout low- and middle-income countries. CCBO is working to strengthen the capacity of cities and towns to improve waste management practices through innovative and evidence-based reuse and recycling strategies and establish enhanced local and regional markets for recycled plastic. CCBO seeks to:

• Strengthen local and regional markets for recycled plastic and improve effective and locally appropriate SWM infrastructure;
• Increase capacity and effective governance of SWM and recycling systems, particularly at the city level; and
• Support behavior change and the development, implementation, and enforcement of improved policies and regulations around SWM and the 3Rs;
• Build public-private partnerships and enhanced multi-stakeholder alliances that strengthen program collaboration, impact, and sustainability.

Illustrative Activities

Examples of topic areas that CCBO anticipates funding include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Promotion of 3R practices and markets, such as the research, design, and testing of locallyappropriate recycled or upcycled plastic products or technologies, as well as alternative product delivery models for fast-moving consumer goods.
• Implementation of stakeholder-led Social Behavior Change (SBC) initiatives for improved 3R/SWM practices, such as community-based recycling programs, programs to promote systematic sorting in households, or campaigns conducted with members of the private sector targeting consumers.
• Improved livelihoods and security of waste collectors and handlers, such as the design and application of route optimization strategies for waste collectors, innovative or evidencebased tools that broaden the customer base of waste collectors and handlers, or programs to decrease safety and health risks for those that work in the sector.
• Promotion of gender equality and women’s economic empowerment, such as job creation and support to develop or expand women-owned businesses.
• Expanded knowledge on SBC opportunities and potential solutions, such as new research to identify current SWM practices and the structural, economic, logistical factors that contribute to them.
• Support to local governments to develop, implement, and enforce relevant policies and regulations, such as assessments of institutional capacity for sustainable SWM; development and promotion of local evidence-based 3R/SWM strategies, tools, or technologies to inform and improve local and national policies; design and testing of 3R/SWM decision-making software for governments.
• Inclusion of all actors in the waste value chain in proposed solutions, such as through participatory research with waste collectors, junk dealers, and others at first stages of the SWM chain, as well as with businesses higher up on the value chain.
• Application of new or expanded use of tested technologies to enhance system efficiency, such as those to monitor service delivery models by communities and governments, or those that can strengthen service delivery, or improve revenue, cost recovery, accountability, and transparency.
• Litter capture systems, including the design and testing of collection infrastructure and systems in rivers and canals.

Funding Information

• CCBO anticipates awarding multiple grants from this solicitation. The number of awards is dependent upon the number of meritorious applications received, available funding, and CCBO’s technical priorities. Awards are expected to range from $50,000 to $250,000 based on the technical approach proposed. Depending on the availability of funds, number of awards, and technical approach, CCBO may work with selected organizations to increase or decrease their overall budget. In accordance with Automated Directives System (ADS) 302.3.4.13, grants to U.S.-based organizations are limited to $100,000.
• The applicant shall specify the period of performance for the project being proposed. It is anticipated that the duration of the grants will be 12 to 24 months but may be longer or shorter depending on the technical scope of work. Depending on the scope of work proposed, CCBO may work with the applicant to develop a performance-based or multi-phased grant in which a successful grantee must complete Phase 1 prior to being considered for Phase 2 funding.
• It is anticipated that grant implementation will begin between June and July 2020 for those Concept Papers received before the first cutoff of April 6, 2020, provided a Full Application is reviewed and approved by CCBO and USAID. All subsequent awards are expected to begin between 2-3 months after the submission and successful acceptance of the Concept Paper and Full Application.

Geographic Focus

In the Philippines, CCBO has developed a short-list of initial “pilot” engagement sites, considering areas where: strong existing and successful initiatives can be built upon; biologically significant areas can be strongly impacted; local government units (LGUs) are exhibiting strong interest and ability to buy-in; private sector and civil society stakeholders are active or interested in working; and there is high potential for greenhouse gas reduction/mitigation from plastic waste or solid waste reduction.

Using these criteria, CCBO will prioritize three “pilot sites” in the Philippines:

• Metro Manila is home to Manila Bay, where plastic pollution challenges are of high national importance and have made headlines across the globe. CCBO intends to add value in the mitigation efforts relative to plastic pollution problem in Manila Bay, facilitate engagement of interested private sector and donor organizations, and support ongoing national-level efforts of the Philippines’ Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
• Batangas City and Batangas Province is a coastal location—complete with a national port—and significant marine biodiversity, active tourism industry, and supportive local government all present ideal characteristics for a primary CCBO engagement site. The existence of waste infrastructure to build upon represents a unique opportunity to strengthen an existing platform toward a “model system.”
• Iloilo City and Iloilo Province is a developing tourist hub, biologically significant marine area, and has recently launched voluntary SWM initiatives. For example, in September 2019 the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office announced their implementation of the "Barangay Kapitolyo Solid Waste Management" program, which covers five major policies, such as a refuse or reduce strategy; sewage management; segregation or source policy; no segregation, no collection policy; and a recycling strategy. The desire to utilize governance to improve waste and recycling conditions offer the challenge of establishing effective enforcement mechanisms, which can drive significant waste system improvement.
• Additional sites: While grant activities in the program’s first year will be prioritized in the aforementioned pilot sites, CCBO will consider other areas of the Philippines that are proven sources of marine debris, and in which the Concept Paper demonstrates alignment with grant objectives, particularly the ability to leverage partnerships and investment to scale the impact of a CCBO grant.

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible applicants include:
  • Non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, community-based organizations, private foundations and universities, research institutions, business associations, and private companies (profit is not allowed under grants);
  • Non-US organizations;
  • US organizations (limited to $100,000 budget);
  • Organizations who have received a USAID MWRP grant;
  • Organizations who have never received a USAID award before; and
  • Organizations who are working or are able to work in the one or more of the pilot sites.
• Eligible applicants must demonstrate the following:
  • Be legally registered to operate in the Philippines;
  • Be in good standing with all civil and fiscal authorities in the Philippines;
  • Be willing to sign applicable assurances and certifications if invited to submit a Full Application; and
  • Provide a valid DUNS number with submission of a Full Application (not required with the Concept Paper).

For more information, visit CCBO.