GCA is an international organization that works as a solutions broker to catalyze action and support for climate adaptation solutions, from the international to the local, in partnership with the public and private sector. This is to ensure that we learn from each other and work together for a climate resilient future. Adapting to the impacts of climate change provides a “win-win” for livelihoods, food security, water supply, health, security, and economic growth. GCA’s work elevates the visibility and political importance of climate adaptation and facilitates solutions, such as smarter investments, new technologies and better planning for more resilience to climate related threats. GCA is a rapidly growing organization with offices in Abidjan, Beijing, Dhaka, Groningen, and Rotterdam and a planned new office in Nairobi in 2025. 

GCA’s 2020-2025 business plan and strategy have three pillars:  

• Programs: Food Security; Using Nature for more resilient infrastructure; Water for Urban Growth and Resilience; Climate Finance; Youth Leadership.
• Knowledge: Building adaptation knowledge globally through cutting edge products such as the State and Trends in Adaptation Report and the Adaptation Knowledge Portal.
• Advocacy and Awareness: Formulating policy messages to move the global, regional, and local adaptation agendas forward.

Under the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP) GCA’s work on youth leadership and education aims to mobilize the next generation of adaptation leaders in Africa to lead the youth adaptation movement and engage in adaptation decision-making and action. In particular, the Youth Leadership and Education program aims to strengthen the capacities of young people across the African continent to make their communities more climate resilient and facilitate knowledge exchange with other continents.

In 2025, the Global Center on Adaptation’s Youth Leadership and Education program is working to enhance the capacity of youth organizations to accelerate adaptation action in Africa. This will be achieved through significantly growing the Youth Adaptation Network.

The Youth Adaptation Network (YAN) is an umbrella platform to engage, empower, and amplify the role of young people in the adaptation agenda. This unique network brings together young people from around the world to translate knowledge into action and advocate for accelerated adaptation from the local to the international level.

In 2025, GCA is amplifying the world’s largest Youth Adaptation Network in Africa. One youthled organization per African country will be selected as the In-Country Focal Point for the Youth Adaptation Network. Two contact people per youth organization will be nominated.

The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) invites universities, or registered non-profit organizations (e.g. local and international non-government organizations, youth-led organizations, community based organizations, companies limited by guarantee) in Africa to submit proposals for a partnership to implement an online training program focused on strengthening the capacities of youth-led organizations, members of the Youth Adaptation Network in Africa. This program aims to enhance the capacities of youth organizations in proposal writing and project/small grant management, followed by the disbursement of small grants to selected organizations to support replication of adaptation training at the national or local level. This initiative aligns with GCA’s commitment under the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP) to empower young people to take the lead in adaptation and resilience-building efforts across the continent.

• Only registered non-profit organizations (e.g., INGO, NGO, CBO, African Universities, Company Limited by Guarantee or Training Institutions) are eligible to receive a subgrant from GCA.
• The organizations responding to this call must meet the minimum eligibility criteria and demonstrate their capacity to implement all the technical criteria.
• Proposals and all supporting documents must be submitted as a PDF, no later than 23 June 2025, 23:59, Central European Time (CET) to subgrants@gca.org and cc’d to youth@gca.org.
• The proposal must include:

• Important to note:

• Proposals received after the closing date and time will not be considered. Organizations will be notified once a decision about the Sub-Grant is made.
• For all questions or requests for additional information contact youth@gca.org. The email subject heading should be clearly marked with the following information: Call for Partnership: Strengthening the African Youth Adaptation Network through Online Training and Small Grants
• If an interested organization has concerns about completing the templates, please reach out.
• Proposals and all supporting documents must be drafted in English.
• GCA reserves the right to decline disclosure of the specificity of decision derived by GCA mission due to reasons related to confidentiality.
• GCA reserves the right to accept or reject any submissions, and to annul the selection process and reject all submissions at any time, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected implementing partners.

Please download the Call for Partnerships document for more information