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 will launch its Spring 2025 RFP for both research and scaling projects on Thursday, January 9, 2025. All applications are required to submit an expression of interest by Thursday, February 13, 2025. Full applications will be due at 11:59 AM (noon) ET on Thursday, March 27, 2025. 

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 on a rolling basis. Interested applicants should complete this off-cycle LOI form. If the project is eligible to receive an off-cycle award, you will be invited to submit an application. Off-cycle proposals will be reviewed on a quarterly basis. Please email [email protected] with any questions about the off-cycle application process.

Application Instructions

J-PAL initiatives, including K-CAI, are changing to a new online portal (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 our online portal. Please review these instructions for applicants. For further information and troubleshooting, please contact us at [email protected].

Letter of interest: All applications are required to submit a letter of interest (LOI). They may be submitted between Thursday, January 9, and Thursday, February 13, 2025

Full proposals: During the LOI period, the K-CAI team will notify you via the portal once we have reviewed your LOI and you are clear to begin your proposal. 

J-PAL Air and Water Labs (AWLs): For more information on the AWL application process, visit the AWL website.