Adapt+ Funding for Green Spaces: Deadlines, Rates, Criteria
Adapt+ is the BAFU funding programme for climate-adapted green spaces (communication UV-2554, 29.01.2026). It funds indirect measures at 25%, planning at 30%, and implementation at 40% of eligible costs, with a 10% bonus for cross-sectoral risk reduction and an absolute maximum of 50%. The application window for the 2026 cycle ran from 29.01 to 31.03, and the funding decision is issued by 1 July at the latest.
- Source
- BAFU communication UV-2554, 29.01.2026
- Funding rate, indirect measures
- 25%
- Funding rate, planning
- 30%
- Funding rate, implementation
- 40%
- Cross-sectoral bonus
- +10%
- Absolute maximum
- 50%
- 2026 application window
- 29.01. – 31.03.
- Preliminary review only if submitted by
- 27.02.
- Funding decision at the latest
- 01.07.
- CORE registration duration
- up to 2 weeks
- Official contact
- adaptplus@bafu.admin.ch
Deadlines in detail
CORE registration (the portal through which applications are submitted) opens from 1 February. Applicants who submit by 27 February receive an informal preliminary review with feedback by 16 March — not after that date. The binding submission deadline ends on 31 March. The funding decision is issued by 1 July at the latest, and the project start is either 1 July at the earliest or 3 months after the decision at the latest. CORE registration itself can take up to two weeks — anyone starting shortly before 31 March risks missing the deadline.
The 80% rule
If the effect promised in the application is actually achieved to less than 80%, chapter 8.6 of the communication provides for a proportional clawback. The burden of proof for this lies with the applicant — careful, traceable documentation of implementation is therefore not a formality but genuine financial protection.
Choice of tree species
Chapter 5.3.1 requires that tree species be specifically named in an application. Priority is given to species with a Biodiversity Index above 2 in settlement areas, or at least 3 outside them (see our article on the Biodiversity Index). Invasive species are excluded, and allergenic potential must be considered.
For your business
An application with specifically named, index-backed tree species and traceable impact documentation visibly reduces the 80% clawback risk — that is a concrete argument you can offer your municipal clients.
For the commissioning authority
The chain of deadlines (preliminary review 27.02, submission 31.03) is tight — a municipality should start preparation well ahead of the window, not only in January.
What this does not mean
- This summary does not replace studying the full BAFU communication UV-2554 — in particular, the 7 formal and 11 substantive criteria are not reproduced in full here.
- There is no green-space-specific official Adapt+ template or checklist — neither from BAFU nor from the cantons, Grünstadt Schweiz, VSSG, or JardinSuisse. Anyone looking for an "official template" will not find one.
- There is no public BAFU list of already-approved Adapt+ projects to use as a reference.
- Deadlines and percentages apply to the 2026 cycle — future cycles may differ; the authoritative source is always the current BAFU communication.
Frequently asked questions
- By when must an Adapt+ application be submitted in 2026?
- The binding deadline for the 2026 cycle ended on 31 March. An informal preliminary review was only possible if submitted by 27 February.
- What happens if the promised effect is not achieved?
- If less than 80% of the effect stated in the application is achieved, the communication provides for a proportional clawback (chapter 8.6). The burden of proof lies with the applicant.
- Is there an official template for an Adapt+ application for green spaces?
- No, no such green-space-specific template exists publicly at any of the bodies checked (BAFU, cantons, Grünstadt Schweiz, VSSG, JardinSuisse).