Consultancy to operationalise direct access to finance for LMMA communities and define the WIO LMMA Alliance’s role as a regional community financing 26 views0 applications

Terms of Reference for IUCN Consultancy

Title: Consultancy to operationalise direct access to finance for LMMA communities and define the WIO LMMA Alliance’s role as a regional community financing and support platform

Country Coverage: Tanzania and Madagascar

Objective of the Consultancy

The main objective of this consultancy is to move from the financing scenarios and recommendations developed during the first phase of work towards a practical, tested and scalable model for improving direct access to finance for LMMA communities in the Western Indian Ocean.

The first phase explored existing financing mechanisms, consulted relevant stakeholders and developed potential scenarios for strengthening access to finance for IPLCs and LMMAs. The purpose of this second phase is not to repeat this analysis, but to critically assess the findings, identify the most viable pathway and operationalise and test the selected model in two or three WIO countries, with Madagascar and Tanzania as priority pilot countries.

The consultancy will establish how an effective financing model can operate at seascape level and how it can enable LMMA communities to access appropriate and sustainable funding while maintaining strong community leadership, appropriate governance, accountability, safeguarding and fiduciary standards. The work should result in concrete financing propositions for the pilot seascapes, providing a practical basis for engagement with potential funders and future scaling.

The consultancy will also define how the WIO LMMA Alliance, now established as a regional community-led platform and hosted by IUCN as its Secretariat, can progressively support LMMA communities across the region to access and manage funding. This includes assessing the institutional, governance, legal, fiduciary and organisational arrangements required for the Alliance to fulfil an appropriate regional role in supporting communities’ access to finance, connecting them with donors and providing the capacity, accompaniment and support required throughout the funding cycle.

The consultancy should therefore connect practical financing mechanisms at seascape and country level with a longer-term regional model for the WIO LMMA Alliance, creating a pathway from the initial pilots towards a scalable approach across the Western Indian Ocean.

Ultimately, the consultancy should contribute to establishing the WIO LMMA Alliance as a trusted regional platform for LMMA communities, where communities can access funding opportunities, strengthen their capacity, connect with donors, have their leadership and achievements recognised, and ensure that their voices are heard in regional and global processes.

ackground

Project Reference: P04216

Donor reference: DR04216.74

About IUCN

IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together.

Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,400 Member organisations and around 15,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards.

IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous peoples organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development.

Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being.

About the Project

In September 2024, the first Western Indian Ocean (WIO) Locally Managed Marine Area (LMMA) Forum was held in Mahajanga, Madagascar, bringing together more than 200 participants from nine countries. The Forum resulted in the adoption of the WIO LMMA Declaration and a strong collective call to establish a regional LMMA Alliance. The WIO LMMA Alliance was subsequently officially launched at the Our Ocean Conference (OOC), with a Steering Committee composed of community leaders from across Africa providing leadership and guidance to the Alliance. The Alliance is designed to ensure that coastal communities and LMMA practitioners have a stronger collective voice in national, regional and global processes and that community leadership remains at the centre of regional LMMA development.

The WIO LMMA Alliance aims to address key regional challenges, including the absence of a shared understanding of LMMAs, uneven development across countries, and limited representation of LMMA communities in national, regional and global platforms. It also seeks to promote gender equity and inclusivity in LMMA management, strengthen local leadership and facilitate greater access to knowledge, technical support and financing for community-led marine conservation. The Alliance builds on existing networks and initiatives in the region, avoiding duplication of efforts and working as an umbrella platform to foster collaboration, learning and collective action. It also draws on Madagascar’s leadership and lessons learned from MIHARI, the largest LMMA network in Africa, to support the sharing and replication of successful community-led approaches across the region. The broader vision is to contribute to the establishment of a Pan-African LMMA Alliance, with the WIO serving as a starting point and regional learning space.

In support of the establishment of the Alliance, Mission Inclusion (Mi) and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) implement the Regenerative Seascapes for People, Climate and Nature (ReSea) project in partnership with local feminist organizations in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar and Comoros. The project is funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) as part of the Partnering for Climate initiative. Its broader goal is to enhance the physical and socioeconomic resilience of coastal communities in these five countries by accelerating uptake of nature-based solutions and gender-responsive conservation practices to protect, restore, and sustainably manage marine and coastal ecosystems and unlock a regenerative blue economy. The ReSea project contributes to the Western Indian Ocean-led Great Blue Wall (GBW) initiative by supporting the establishment of a network of sustainable, resilient, and inclusive seascapes in the target countries through a people-centric approach.

The GBW initiative is built around four key pillars that align with the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. Pillar 1: Blue Planet focuses on scaling and improving the management and governance of protected and conserved marine areas, with a strong emphasis on equity, gender-responsiveness, and local stewardship—supporting countries to achieve Target 3 of the GBF. Pillar 2: Blue Nature aims to restore and conserve critical ecosystems through gender-responsive Nature-based Solutions (NbS), aligned with GBF Target 2, and guided by the IUCN Global Standard for NbS. Pillar 3: Blue People promotes a regenerative and inclusive Blue Economy by empowering local communities, especially women and youth, in nature-based value chains for climate adaptation, aligned with GBF Target 9. Pillar 4: Blue Partnerships is a cross-cutting pillar focusing on strengthening connectivity at all levels and across different dimensions, including social, ecological, institutional, local, national, regional, international and cross-sectoral connectivity.

Within this broader context, the WIO LMMA Alliance contributes to the Great Blue Wall’s ambition for transformative and inclusive ocean governance by strengthening community-led marine governance and supporting the development, recognition and expansion of LMMAs across the region. The overall WIO LMMA Alliance initiative aims to drive transformative change through a functional and inclusive Alliance, increased numbers of LMMAs under effective and sustainable management, legal recognition of LMMAs, financial and technical self-sufficiency including mechanisms for direct access to funding, strengthened local leadership, research and knowledge generation, and stronger LMMA visibility and voice.

Access to appropriate, sustainable and long-term financing remains a significant challenge for LMMA communities across the Western Indian Ocean. Many community-led organisations and LMMAs face barriers to accessing conventional funding opportunities, including limited organisational and financial capacity, challenges in meeting donor requirements, limited access to appropriate financial systems, and insufficient opportunities to establish direct relationships with donors. As a result, communities may have limited access to the resources required to sustain and expand their locally led conservation and marine governance initiatives.

The first phase of work on sustainable financing therefore explored existing financing mechanisms and consulted relevant stakeholders to identify potential approaches for strengthening direct access to funding for IPLCs and LMMAs. This work resulted in a range of financing scenarios and recommendations for consideration. With the establishment and official launch of the WIO LMMA Alliance, there is now an opportunity to build on this first phase and move from scenario development towards the practical operationalisation and testing of a financing model that responds directly to the realities and needs of LMMA communities.

The next phase will focus on developing and testing a practical financing model at seascape level in two or three WIO countries, with Madagascar and Tanzania as priority pilot countries. The work will explore how funding can reach LMMA communities more directly, while ensuring appropriate governance, accountability, fiduciary management, safeguarding and community decision-making. It will also generate concrete financing propositions that can be used to engage potential donors and support the future scaling of the model across the region.

Following its establishment, the WIO LMMA Alliance is also entering an important phase of consolidation and growth in which its regional role and functions need to be further defined. In relation to financing, there is an opportunity for the Alliance to become a trusted regional platform that supports LMMA communities to access funding opportunities, connect with donors, strengthen their organisational and financial capacity, access technical and fiduciary support, and navigate the requirements associated with receiving and managing funding. The Alliance could also provide a regional space for communities to share their experiences, strengthen their collective voice, showcase their leadership and achievements, and advocate for financing approaches that are more accessible and responsive to community realities.

This consultancy will therefore build on the findings of the first phase of financing work to operationalise and test a practical financing model for LMMA communities, while assessing the institutional, governance, legal, fiduciary and organisational arrangements required for the WIO LMMA Alliance to progressively fulfil an appropriate regional role in supporting community access to finance. The experience from the pilot countries will inform the development of a scalable regional approach that can contribute to the Alliance’s longer-term ambition of strengthening sustainable financing, local leadership and direct access to resources for community-led marine conservation across the Western Indian Ocean.

Description of the Assignment

The consultant/team will work in close collaboration with the WIO LMMA Alliance Steering Committee, which provides community leadership and strategic guidance to the Alliance. The Steering Committee should be actively involved throughout the assignment, including in validating the financing approach, identifying community priorities, selecting and engaging with pilot seascapes, reviewing proposed financing and governance arrangements, and shaping the future role of the Alliance.

1. Review and operationalise the financing scenarios developed during Phase 1

• Review the financing assessment, scenarios and recommendations developed during the first phase and assess their feasibility and relevance in light of the current context and establishment of the WIO LMMA Alliance.
• Work closely with the Alliance Steering Committee to validate the findings, identify community priorities and assess the strengths, gaps, risks and opportunities associated with the proposed scenarios.
• Identify the most viable financing pathway for operationalisation and testing.
• Assess relevant existing financing mechanisms, institutions and structures in the selected pilot countries and identify opportunities to build on them.

2. Develop and test a direct-access financing model in selected WIO seascapes

• Develop and test a practical financing model that enables LMMA communities to access funding more directly at seascape level, with Madagascar and Tanzania as priority pilot countries and a third WIO country considered where appropriate.
• Work with the Steering Committee, selected LMMAs and relevant national and seascape actors to ensure that the model responds to community priorities and realities.
• Define the governance, fund-flow, disbursement, fiduciary, safeguarding, reporting and accountability arrangements required for the model to function effectively.
• Develop concrete financing propositions for selected pilot seascapes in Madagascar and Tanzania, including financing needs, proposed mechanisms, governance arrangements, expected results and pathways to potential donor funding.

3. Define the WIO LMMA Alliance’s role in supporting community access to finance

• Work closely with the Steering Committee to define the role and functions of the WIO LMMA Alliance as a regional platform supporting LMMA communities to access funding, connect with donors and strengthen their capacity to receive and manage resources.
• Assess how the Alliance could support communities with proposal development, financial and organisational readiness, bank account creation, grant management, safeguarding, technical support and donor engagement.
• Identify the functions that should be provided directly by the Alliance and those that should be facilitated through existing national networks, partners and technical institutions.
• Develop a practical model for community accompaniment throughout the funding cycle, from identifying opportunities and developing proposals through to implementation, reporting and learning.
• 4. Develop the Alliance financing architecture and country-level financing models
• Assess how the WIO LMMA Alliance could progressively function as a regional platform for mobilising, receiving, coordinating and facilitating funding for LMMA communities
• Develop a clear institutional and financial architecture showing the potential flow of funding from donors to the WIO LMMA Alliance, including the current IUCN-hosted arrangement, and onwards to appropriate seascape-level financing mechanisms and LMMA communities.
• Clearly define roles, responsibilities, decision-making, fiduciary oversight, safeguarding and accountability at each stage of the proposed funding flow.
• Propose an appropriate organisational structure for the Alliance’s financing function, including the roles, capacities and staffing required to support fundraising, grant management, community accompaniment, financial oversight, safeguarding, donor relations and reporting.
• Assess existing financing mechanisms and opportunities in each selected pilot country and determine how the WIO LMMA Alliance could add value rather than duplicate existing mechanisms. In Madagascar, this should include assessment of relevant mechanisms such as the Community Frontline Fund and LMMA-related financing initiatives, including their accessibility, suitability, scale, community readiness requirements and opportunities for collaboration.
• Identify gaps between existing financing mechanisms and the realities of LMMA communities, including barriers related to proposal development, financial management, organisational capacity, eligibility requirements, scale of funding or capacity to absorb and manage resources.
• Based on this assessment, propose a country-specific financing model for each pilot country, showing how existing mechanisms, the Alliance, national LMMA networks, communities, donors and other relevant actors could work together.
• Clearly distinguish where the Alliance should provide direct support to communities, where it should facilitate access to existing financing mechanisms, where it could act as a regional intermediary or recipient, and where it should help mobilise new funding.
• Use the pilot country models to develop a scalable regional architecture that can be adapted across the WIO region.
• Develop the WIO LMMA Alliance Fundraising Strategy and Investment Proposition
• Develop a WIO LMMA Alliance fundraising and resource mobilisation strategy based on the financing model, the pilot country propositions and the Alliance’s longer-term regional ambitions.
• Identify and segment potential donors and funding partners, including philanthropic, bilateral, multilateral and other relevant sources, and assess their potential alignment with community-led marine conservation and the Alliance’s financing model.
• Define the Alliance’s overall fundraising proposition, including the scale and types of investment required, priority funding areas, potential funding windows and the respective financing needs of LMMA communities, seascapes and the Alliance’s regional support functions.
• Develop a clear investment case for the WIO LMMA Alliance, demonstrating why investing through the Alliance can strengthen access to finance for LMMA communities and generate conservation, social, governance and community leadership outcomes.
• Develop indicative investment scenarios and budgets, including the financing required for the pilot mechanisms in Madagascar and Tanzania, the potential regional financing mechanism, and the organisational and support functions required for the Alliance to fulfil its role.
• Identify potential funding pathways and develop a practical donor engagement strategy, including priority prospects, entry points, partnership opportunities and recommended approaches for securing initial anchor funding and longer-term financing.
• Use the experience from the pilot countries to develop a scalable fundraising approach that can support the expansion of the model across the WIO region.

  Duration of the Assignment

  The assignment is expected to be completed over approximately three months, starting on 21 September 2026 and ending on 30 November 2026, including time for coordination, stakeholder feedback, testing and finalization of deliverables.

  Deliverables and Activities

  Deliverable/Activity – Description – Deadline

  Deliverable 1:Deadline – 30 September 2026

  1. Deliverable 1 : Inception, Phase 1 Financing Review and Pilot Approach, including assessment of the previous financing scenarios and recommendations, review of relevant existing financing mechanisms, stakeholder mapping, methodology, work plan, consultation approach and proposed approach for operationalising and testing the financing model with the WIO LMMA Alliance Steering Committee.

  Activity 1A : Review Phase 1 financing outputs and relevant WIO LMMA Alliance, ReSea and existing financing mechanism documentation.

  Activity 1B: Map key stakeholders, funders, financing institutions, existing financing mechanisms and institutional partners relevant to the Alliance and the proposed pilot seascapes.

  Activity 1C : Work with the WIO LMMA Alliance Steering Committee to validate the findings from Phase 1, identify community priorities and agree the approach for assessing and operationalising the financing model.

  Activity 1D : Develop and validate the methodology, work plan and consultation schedule with IUCN and the WIO LMMA Alliance Steering Committee.

  Deliverable 2:Deadline-20 October 2026

  2. Deliverable 2 : WIO LMMA Alliance Financing Architecture and Direct-Access Financing Model, including assessment of financing and fund-flow scenarios, the Alliance’s potential role, governance and fiduciary arrangements, organisational requirements and proposed financing architecture under the current IUCN-hosted arrangement and potential future arrangements.

  Activity 2A : Assess the current Alliance governance, organisational structure, hosting arrangement, financial readiness and capacity to support community access to finance.

  Activity 2B : Assess and compare different financing and fund-flow scenarios, including how existing financing mechanisms and potential new funding could connect with the Alliance and LMMA communities.

  Activity 2C : Develop a proposed financing architecture showing the potential flow of funds from donors through the Alliance and, where relevant, IUCN under the current hosting arrangement, to seascape-level mechanisms and LMMA communities.

  Activity 2D : Develop a proposed organisational structure/organigram for the Alliance’s financing function, including the roles and capacities required for fundraising, donor engagement, grant management, community accompaniment, financial oversight, safeguarding and reporting.

  Activity 2E : Define the Alliance’s potential functions in supporting community access to finance, including proposal development, organisational and financial readiness, bank account creation, grant management, safeguarding, technical support, donor connections and community representation. \

  Deliverable 3 -Deadline -30 October 2026

  3. Deliverable 3: Madagascar Financing Pilot and Investment Proposition, including assessment of existing financing mechanisms and opportunities, selected seascape and LMMAs, proposed financing model, Alliance role, governance and fund flow, financing needs, indicative budget and donor-facing investment proposition.

  Activity 3A: Assess relevant existing financing mechanisms in Madagascar, including the Community Frontline Fund, LMMA-related financing mechanisms and other relevant initiatives, and identify gaps, opportunities and potential areas for collaboration with the Alliance.

  Activity 3B : Confirm the priority seascape, relevant partners and participating LMMAs in consultation with the WIO LMMA Alliance Steering Committee, MIHARI and relevant national and seascape actors.

  Activity 3C: Assess the financing needs, organisational readiness and barriers faced by selected LMMAs and determine how the Alliance could strengthen their access to existing and new financing opportunities.

  Activity 3D : Develop and validate the proposed Madagascar financing model, including how existing mechanisms, the Alliance, donors, national networks, seascape structures and communities can work together to improve access to finance.

  Activity 3E : Develop a donor-ready Madagascar financing and investment proposition, including the financing need, proposed mechanism, governance arrangement, expected results and indicative budget.

  Deliverable 4: Deadline -10 November 2026

  4. Deliverable 4 : Tanzania Financing Pilot and Regional Learning Package, including assessment of existing financing mechanisms and opportunities, selected seascape and LMMAs, proposed financing model, Alliance role, governance and fund flow, financing needs, indicative budget, donor-facing investment proposition and lessons for regional scaling.

  Activity 4A : Assess relevant existing financing mechanisms, stakeholders and opportunities in Tanzania and identify gaps and opportunities for strengthening LMMA community access to finance.

  Activity 4B : Confirm the priority seascape, participating LMMAs and relevant partners and assess their financing needs, organisational readiness and barriers to accessing existing and new financing opportunities.

  Activity 4C : Develop and validate the proposed Tanzania financing model, including the role of the Alliance and how existing mechanisms, donors, national networks, seascape structures and communities can work together.

  Activity 4D : Develop a donor-ready Tanzania financing and investment proposition, including the financing need, proposed mechanism, governance arrangement, expected results and indicative budget.

  Activity 4E : Document lessons from Madagascar and Tanzania and assess how the financing model and Alliance role could be adapted and scaled to other WIO countries.

  Deliverable 5 : Deadline-30 November 2026

  5. Deliverable 5 :WIO LMMA Alliance Strategic Financing, Fundraising and Investment Package, bringing together the final regional financing model, Alliance financing architecture and organisational structure, country pilot propositions, fundraising strategy, investment case, budgets and pathway to regional scale. The package will include a professionally designed, visually compelling strategic document owned by the WIO LMMA Alliance.

  Activity 5A: Develop the WIO LMMA Alliance fundraising and resource mobilisation strategy, including priority funding areas, donor segmentation, potential anchor donors, funding pathways, engagement approaches and longer-term resource mobilisation opportunities.

  Activity 5B: Develop the Alliance investment proposition, including the overall investment required, different investment opportunities, financing needs of communities and seascapes, resources required for Alliance support functions, indicative budgets and expected conservation, social and community leadership outcomes.

  Activity 5C: Finalise the Alliance financing architecture and organisational/financing organigram, including the proposed flow of funds from donors through the Alliance and IUCN, where relevant, to communities and seascape-level mechanisms, with clear roles, responsibilities, decision-making, fiduciary oversight and accountability.

  Activity 5D: Develop the Alliance-owned Strategic Financing and Investment Document, bringing together the financing model, country propositions, fundraising strategy, investment case, budgets, governance and fund flows, expected results and regional scaling pathway. The document should be professionally designed using infographics, diagrams, maps and other appropriate visual elements and delivered with editable/source files.

  Activity 5E: Consolidate stakeholder and IUCN feedback, validate the final financing model and supporting products with the WIO LMMA Alliance Steering Committee, and submit the final Strategic Financing, Fundraising and Investment Package.

  Payment Schedule

• The timetable below summarises the chronological order of deliverables and indicates milestones at which IUCN will pay the Consultant.

  Deliverable – Milestone payment

  Deliverable 1: 15%

  Deliverable 2 : 20%

  Deliverable 3: 25%

  Deliverable 4: 20%

  Deliverable 5: 20%

  Skills and Experience

• We are seeking a small multidisciplinary team of consultants with complementary expertise in conservation finance, fundraising and resource mobilisation, community trust funds, LMMAs and community-led marine conservation, and organisational development and regional alliances. The team should combine strong senior technical expertise with targeted part-time country and communications support.
• The proposed team should collectively cover the following areas:

  1. Team Leader / Conservation Finance, Fundraising and Community Financing Expert

• The Team Leader should have an advanced university degree or equivalent professional qualification in finance, economics, conservation finance, environmental economics, development finance or a related field, with at least 15 years of relevant professional experience. The expert should have a strong track record in conservation finance, resource mobilisation and the design or operationalisation of conservation trust funds, community financing mechanisms, grant-making systems or other innovative financing approaches.
• The Team Leader should also have strong practical knowledge of LMMAs, community-led conservation and community trust funds, including the challenges faced by community organisations in accessing, managing and absorbing donor funding. Experience developing fundraising strategies, investment cases and donor-facing financing propositions is essential. Experience in the WIO region is strongly preferred.
• The Team Leader will provide overall technical leadership, coordinate the team, lead the development of the financing model and fundraising strategy, and ensure the quality and coherence of all outputs.

  2. Organisational Development and Regional Alliance Expert

• The team should include a senior expert with demonstrated experience in organisational development and institutional strengthening of regional alliances, networks, coalitions or membership-based organisations, preferably those working with communities or civil society organisations.
• The expert should have experience developing organisational structures, governance arrangements, roles and responsibilities, staffing models, policies, systems, accountability mechanisms and institutional transition pathways. Experience supporting an emerging regional alliance or network to develop from an externally hosted initiative towards a more sustainable institutional model would be an advantage.
• The expert will provide targeted technical support to define the WIO LMMA Alliance’s organisational structure, financing function, organigram, governance arrangements and institutional pathway, working closely with the Team Leader and Steering Committee.

  3. Part-time Country Experts – Madagascar and Tanzania

• The team should include part-time country experts based in Madagascar and Tanzania, respectively, with strong knowledge of the national LMMA and community conservation landscape, relevant institutions, financing mechanisms and community networks.
• The country experts will provide targeted support during the pilot-country work, including stakeholder engagement, assessment of existing financing mechanisms, consultations with selected LMMAs and communities, identification of country-specific opportunities and barriers, and validation of the proposed financing models.
• The Madagascar expert should have knowledge of existing community and LMMA financing mechanisms, including relevant initiatives such as the Community Frontline Fund. The Tanzania expert should have strong knowledge of the country’s coastal community and LMMA/seascape context and relevant financing and institutional landscape.
• The country experts are not expected to be full-time members of the team and should be engaged according to the needs of the assignment and pilot-country activities.

  4. Part-time Communications and Visual Design Specialist

• The team should include a part-time communications and visual design specialist with experience translating complex technical, financial and development concepts into clear, compelling and professionally designed donor-facing products.
• The specialist will provide targeted support to develop the WIO LMMA Alliance Strategic Financing and Investment Document, including the visual presentation of the financing model, fund-flow architecture, investment proposition, country models, budgets and regional scaling pathway. Experience developing infographics, diagrams, investment cases, strategic documents and donor-facing products is required.
• The communications specialist is not expected to be a full-time member of the team and will provide inputs primarily during the development and finalisation of the strategic financing and investment document.

  Supervision and coordination

• The consultant/team will report to and work under the supervision of IUCN’s Regional Coastal and Ocean Governance Manager and will work closely with the WIO LMMA Alliance steering committee.