The key aim of this research project was to increase understanding of the role of international funding in developing countries in supporting climate change adaptation (CCA) across scales and, especially, on the ground. Three questions informed the research:
  1. How do we to track and measure the change in adaptive capacity of beneficiaries and implementers as a result of CCA programmes?;
  2. What is the effectiveness of CCA projects implemented by local organisations with international funding? 
  3. What are the barriers and opportunities for ensuring that international funding for CCA benefits vulnerable groups?. 

The study was based on a review of existing literature and extensive fieldwork. The programme: “Taking Adaptation to the Ground: A Small Grants Facility for Enabling Local Level Responses to Climate Change" served as the case study for analysis.

This research linked to a number of other ACDI projects that are asking similar questions (e.g. ASSAR). It also contributed to the advancement of research in the field (e.g. through publications). The project increased understanding of what constitutes an effective institutional configuration for CCA in developing regions, both in terms of the kind of organisations that are most conductive to successful implementation of CCA strategies and the configurations that support effective transfer of fund from international to local level.