Established in response to decisions from the Convention on Biological Diversity COP15, the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF) will scale up financing for the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
The GBFF aims to help countries achieve the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework goals and targets with a strategic focus on strengthening national-level biodiversity management, planning, policy, governance, and finance approaches. The fund was ratified by 186 countries and launched at the Seventh GEF Assembly in Vancouver, Canada in August 2023.
As of June 2025, a total of $386 million has been pledged to the GBFF by 12 sovereign and subnational contributors: Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Province of Québec, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
GBFF In Focus
Since 2024, the GEF’s Global Biodiversity Framework Fund has moved from launch to full-speed operation, with seven projects already reviewed, approved, and funded, and dozens more in the pipeline. GBFF In Focus is a series showcasing how the new biodiversity fund is changing the game for how countries can invest in nature, starting with seven projects in Brazil, DRC, Gabon, Mexico, and Peru and a trinational project in the Congo Basin. These projects moved from concept approval to implementation in just six months, and stand out for their inclusive, integrated approach to building a more nature-positive future.
89ae.jpg?h=c74750f6&itok=xc9ECNIn "Indigenous Mbuti women dance after sunset in their hunting camp deep inside the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, Democratic Republic of Congo. Photo credit: Thomas Nicolon/FAO")
Second Tranche
Two new calls for proposals under the second tranche of the GBFF are now open. The first, which runs from August 11 to September 12, 2025, will be open to Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries and/or proposals by international financial institutions only. The second round will last from October 27 to December 12, 2025, and all countries and agencies will be eligible. For more information, please read the accompanying announcement or contact us at gbff@thegef.org. Webinar recordings are available below.
First Tranche
The Global Environment Facility hosted a series of briefing sessions for operational focal points and agency representatives on the start of GBFF programming. Participants were updated on the decisions of the first GBFF Council, which convened on February 8 and 9, 2024, and informed on the first two GBFF selection rounds that were open from February 21 to March 1, 2024, and March 4 to April 1, 2024, respectively. The briefings covered the Fund’s operationalization, its resource allocation system and selection criteria, its project cycle, and its Project Preparation Grant request form.
Key Documents
- Establishment of a New Trust Fund: The Global Biodiversity Framework Fund - the agreed arrangements for the GBFF, including scope, structure, financial resources, policies, and governance
- Programming Directions - describes the activities eligible for funding
- Project Cycle Policy - sets the rules governing the cycles for GBFF-financed projects
- Resource Allocation Policy - explains how GBFF financial resources are allocated in a country-driven manner
- Country Maximum Dollar Value of Funding Request(s) for the Fifth Selection Round of the GBFF
Templates to submit funding requests
For entering a selection round:
Once selected/PPG approved:
Draft GBFF Guidelines on Actions by IPLCs for Comments