NORDECO was hired by the GEF Evaluation Secretariat to undertake the country evaluation of the Small Grants Programme (SGP) in the Philippines. The SGP has operated sinde 1992, provided funding to 225 project for a total value of US$ 6.4 million.

The SGP finances initiatives from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community based organizations (CBOs) and other local community organizations with the objective of generating global environmental results in ways that address country sustainable development priorities.

The SGP is a GEF corporate program and the UNDP provides overall operational management on behalf of the GEF. The maximum grant size is US$50,000, but the SGP averages approximately US$20 – 25,000. The evaluation focused on assessing the relevance, effectiveness (results) and efficiency of the objectives of the SGP as well as concepts and processes used by the SGP to further its objectives.

The evaluation included a portfolio review of 210 projects to provide an overview of SGP activities and results; in-depth review of 12 random selected small grants projects, field visits to Mindanao and Luzon, plus interviews with stakeholders. The country evaluation forms part of a global evaluation of the SGP. The evaluation focused especially on projects in climate change, biodiversity focal areas, but assessed also multi-sector and Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) projects. The programme setup and management was also assessed and recommendations for improvements provided.