King Climate Action Initiative Request for Proposals
Taking a two-track approach to informing climate policy, the King Climate Action Initiative (K-CAI) at J-PAL funds proposals to design, pilot, evaluate, and scale innovations at the nexus of climate change and poverty. The Initiative has one regular funding cycle per year.
- K-CAI research awards fund full randomized evaluations, pilot research projects, and travel/proposal development projects to identify potentially high impact innovations and evaluate their effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.
- K-CAI Path-to-Scale awards fund technical assistance to governments, firms, and NGOs to adapt, pilot, and scale evidence-based climate change solutions with demonstrated impact.
Eligibility
J-PAL affiliates and K-CAI invited researchers are eligible to apply for all categories of research and scaling funding in collaboration with their implementing, policy, and/or other research partners. J-PAL postdoctoral fellows are eligible to apply for all types of research funding. Graduate students who have a J-PAL affiliate or K-CAI invited researcher on their thesis committee are eligible to apply for travel/proposal development grants or up to $50,000 in pilot or full RCT funding. J-PAL and IPA offices are eligible to apply for scaling funding with a J-PAL affiliate or K-CAI invited researcher as a collaborator. To be considered for K-CAI funding, all proposals are required to first submit a letter of interest.
Four Focus Areas
Working across developing countries that will be hardest hit by climate change and high-emitting developed countries, K-CAI supports research and scaling projects across four outcome areas, prioritizing projects that have the potential to benefit people experiencing poverty:
- Climate change mitigation: Reducing carbon and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to slow the pace of climate change and its damaging effects
- Pollution reduction: Reducing harmful carbon co-pollutants and thereby improving public health, without reducing critical access to energy
- Climate change adaptation: Building people and communities’ ability to adapt to the economic, social, and environmental impacts of climate change, particularly in low- and middle-income countries
- Energy access: Increasing access to affordable, reliable energy for people experiencing poverty and encouraging shifts in energy systems towards cleaner sources
To speed up the path from research to policy action, K-CAI will prioritize evaluations that use administrative and remote sensing data to generate results more quickly and collaborations with policy partners that can scale effective solutions.
Proposal Timeline
K-CAI is currently accepting proposals for its Spring 2025 RFP. Letters of Interest are due at 11:59 AM (noon) ET on Thursday, February 13. Applicants will be notified via email whether they are approved to apply to the Main Application round, which will open Thursday, February 20 with applications due at 11:59 AM (noon) ET on Thursday, March 27. Please note that all applications are required to submit a letter of interest by the February 13 deadline. Funding decisions will be announced in June.
For research and scaling projects facing a significant external time constraint or a time-limited policy window, K-CAI can also accept off-cycle applications for up to $75,000 on a rolling basis. Interested applicants should email [email protected].
Application Instructions and Submission Links
J-PAL initiatives, including K-CAI, are changing to a new online portal named WizeHive (as of late 2024) for all proposal submissions, proposal reviews, invoice submissions, and grantee reporting. To apply to K-CAI’s Spring 2025 RFP, you will first need to register via the online portal. Please review these instructions for applicants.
Letter of interest: All applications are required to submit a letter of interest (LOI) on the new online portal. They may be submitted between Thursday, January 9, and Thursday, February 13, 2025
Travel and Proposal Development LOI Application Link: https://j-pal.wizehive.app/program/kcai-travel/info
Pilot LOI Application Link: https://j-pal.wizehive.app/program/kcai-pilot/info
Full RCT LOI Application Link: https://j-pal.wizehive.app/program/kcai-full/info
Path-to-Scale LOI Application Link: https://j-pal.wizehive.app/program/kcai-scale/info
If you experience any errors or technical issues, you can first check this J-PAL guide to WizeHive as well as the platform's FAQ section. For additional support during business hours, please reach out to [email protected] and CC [email protected]. For all other questions, please email [email protected].
Full proposals: During the LOI period, the K-CAI team will notify you via the portal once we have reviewed your LOI and if you are selected to move on to the main application round. Proposals are due at 11:59 AM (noon) ET on Thursday, March 27.
J-PAL Air and Water Labs (AWLs): For more information on the AWL application process, visit the AWL website.
RFP Overview (Spring 2025)
Travel and Proposal Development Proposal Guidelines & Budget Template
Pilot Proposal Guidelines & Budget Template
Full RCT Proposal Guidelines & Budget Template
Path-to-Scale Proposal Guidelines & Budget Template
FAQs
Am I eligible to apply to K-CAI?
You are eligible to apply for K-CAI if you are a J-PAL affiliate, a J-PAL postdoc, a K-CAI invited researcher, a PhD student who has a J-PAL affiliate or K-CAI invited researcher on their thesis committee, or a J-PAL or IPA office working in collaboration with a J-PAL affiliate or K-CAI invited researcher.
I am a policymaker or implementing organization interested in evaluating an innovation. How can I connect with an eligible researcher in the J-PAL network?
Our team is glad to facilitate connections between potential partners and J-PAL’s network of researchers. We would be interested in hearing more about your organization and the program or policy you are interested in evaluating so we can identify if there are researchers in our network who may be available and interested. Please contact our team at kcai@povertyactionlab.org.
What does K-CAI’s scaling fund entail, and who qualifies for it?
K-CAI’s scaling fund (referred to as "Path-to-Scale") includes several very flexible types of funding, such as data collection and early-stage work. Path-to-Scale funding will be available to support technical assistance to partners in government, NGOs, and the private sector to adapt, pilot, and scale policies and programs that have already been evaluated with an RCT, and found to be effective. If you are unsure whether your project qualifies to be considered for scaling funding, please contact [email protected] and the K-CAI team will be happy to discuss options. A more in-depth Guide to Path-to-Scale Awards is available from the K-CAI main page.