2023 Annual Report

Global Greengrants Fund fosters a resilient movement network that weaves together environmental action with social justice issues, placing communities and grassroots movements around the world at the core of our work.

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A Letter from Laura García and Dr. Nisha Owen

Dear Friends,

The power of collective action has never been clearer. Grassroots environmental and climate justice movements are rising up globally to create a groundswell of change to protect our shared planet and create a more just world. This year, Global Greengrants Fund celebrates 30 years of championing environmental justice! In 2023, we reached new heights in our grantmaking efforts across our network of advisory boards, partner funds, donor advised funds, and fiscally sponsored partnerships, distributing $18 million via 1,462 grants across 121 countries. We are not only supporting individual projects but also nurturing global movements. Frontline communities are the heart of environmental justice, leading resistance against harmful industries and pioneering sustainable alternatives.

Just like a healthy forest thrives on interconnectedness, so too does our mission to foster a resilient network of solidarity for environmental and social justice, connecting donors, staff, and grassroots movements with the resources needed to thrive. These networks and webs of solidarity that span the globe are how we will collectively build power from the grassroots up; from Indigenous communities halting oil development in the Amazon to African youth shaping climate policies, the collective action we support is advancing environmental justice.

Our Transformative Journey, which began in 2021, has continued to focus on building movement resilience by strengthening our decentralized network of 30 advisory boards, partner funders, and global partners, increasing participation, learning, and sustainability, and expanding resources. We're diversifying our reach to areas often off the funding radar by launching advisory boards in Central Asia (formed in 2023) and Disability Rights and Climate Justice (formed in 2022), and piloting new grantmaking initiatives in Plastics and Zero Waste and Indigenous Rights. Through these initiatives, we are fostering Global South philanthropy and investing in new participatory grantmaking models.

The impacts we have made and the progress we have seen would not have been possible without the incredible efforts of our grantee partners, our donors, and our committed staff. We want to express our deepest gratitude to all those who have supported us in our mission. Your trust in us and in the work of grassroots activists around the world makes a real difference.

Thank you for standing with us in solidarity.

Laura García
President and CEO
Global Greengrants Fund

Dr. Nisha Owen
Executive Director
Global Greengrants Fund UK

Two women smiling in an artistic collage. Behind them are large green tropical leaves and abstract plant-like shapes with orange accents. The overall image has a nature-themed and modern aesthetic, highlighting the women as central figures.
A group of people participate in an environmental protest. Central figures hold signs reading "Save the Planet" and displaying artwork of an eye with a mask. Smaller, peripheral images depict individuals engaged in sustainable activities, like planting tree saplings.

Image Credit: Dhrubotara Youth Development Foundation

Connecting Resources and Movements

Each year, Global Greengrants gives out grants in alliance with a vast network of advisory boards, donors, partner funds, regional partners, and fiscal sponsorship partners. Our grantmaking statistics reflect the work of this entire network.

US Numbers*

1,462

Grants

121

Countries

$18M

Total granted

UK Numbers**

2023 Grantmaking by Issue Area***

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$.05M
in climate justice grants awarded to 833 groups in 107 countries. These grants support recovery, mitigation, and prevention measures directly connected to the global climate crisis.
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$K
in disability-inclusive climate justice grants to 124 groups in 51 countries. These grants bridge gaps between disability and climate justice movements.
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$.71M
in gender-just climate action grants to 726 groups in 96 countries. These grants invest in gender-just climate action.
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$.03M
in healthy ecosystems and communities grants to 1,160 groups in 112 countries. These grants support the health and resilience of local ecosystems and communities.
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$.69M
in Indigenous rights grants to 564 groups in 73 countries. These grants are investments in the critical role Indigenous Peoples play as stewards of the environment.
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$K
in International Financial Institutions grants to 71 groups in 31 countries. These grants support grassroots groups holding financial actors accountable.
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$K
in just energy transition grants to 128 groups in 46 countries. These grants are investments in a transition away from fossil fuels and other extractive industries and towards equitable and regenerative alternatives.
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$.43M
in local livelihoods and agroecology grants to 658 groups in 99 countries. These grants are investments in local farmers, fisherfolk, beekeepers, and artisans whose economies restore the environment, ensure a fair wage, and remain resilient amidst disaster.
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$K
in resilience/pandemic recovery grants to 58 groups in 32 countries. These grants support adaptation efforts and risk mitigation.
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$.1M
in right to defend the environment grants to 304 groups in 61 countries. These grants protect the rights of activists and communities to defend the environment.
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$.47M
in right to land, water, and resources grants to 532 groups in 79 countries. These grants are investments in the rights of local people to make decisions about their own land, water, and resources.
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$.39M
in youth-centered climate justice grants to 479 groups in 83 countries. These include grants and mentorship to young people pursuing cutting-edge climate change initiatives worldwide.

*Unless specified as UK-specific statistics, all grantmaking numbers include Global Greengrants Fund UK, donor-advised funds (DAFs), regional partner funds, and our fiscal sponsorships, in addition to our general grantmaking.
**Global Greengrants Fund is made up of two organizations, one based in the US and one in the UK. The two organizations share a grantmaking program and collaborate strategically at the senior leadership level, while reaching a broader donor audience. This inspiring partnership speaks to the power of collaboration and more decentralized decision-making. All UK numbers are also included in the overall numbers.
***There is overlap between issue areas, as some groups' activities fall into multiple categories.

A Groundswell of Grassroots Power: Grantee Highlights

Grassroots movements are at the forefront of environmental and climate justice, including leading transitions from extractive agriculture and energy production to regenerative, equitable energy practices that prioritize community and environmental wellbeing. Often, these grassroots groups serve as the seed from which broader socio-environmental justice movements grow. When properly supported from the grassroots level, these movements become the most effective and enduring force against environmental degradation, inequality, and injustice, fostering lasting systemic change in our societies and institutions.

Image Credit: Women and Girls Empowerment Network

Grantee Highlight

Collective Action Protects Yasuní National Park

In August 2023, the population of Ecuador voted through a national referendum to halt all current and future oil extraction in Yasuní National Park.

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Grantee Highlight

The Movement to #StopEACOP

Since 2021, Global Greengrants has funded over a dozen projects to stop construction of the 1,445km East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) in Tanzania and Uganda.

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Grantee Highlight

The First Indigenous Peoples Led Conservation Congress

As part of Alliance for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities for Conservation in Africa (AICA), Global Greengrants grantee partner IMPACT Kenya played a leading role in organizing the First Indigenous Peoples Led Conservation Congress.

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Grantee Highlight

Creating Agroecological Alternatives

Agroecology is a core pillar of achieving environmental justice. In 2023, we funded numerous grassroots groups worldwide implementing agroecological solutions.

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A Growing, Decentralized Grassroots-Led Advisory Network

Global Greengrants makes grants to grassroots groups in the Global South working at the intersection of human rights and environmental justice. Our model is built around decentralized grassroots-focused grantmaking in which decisions on funding are made through volunteer advisors who are part of the movements they fund.

To deepen the breadth of our grantmaking, we continually assess how we can expand our advisory network to new regions and issue areas. In 2023, we launched two new advisory boards-a Disability Rights and Climate Justice (DRCJ) Advisory Board and a Central Asia Advisory Board-and began piloting both a new Indigenous Peoples board and a Global Plastics and Zero Waste board. These boards ensure that our collective efforts are inclusive and effective in addressing the root causes of environmental injustice.

A diverse group of people, including one in a wheelchair, are standing in front of a small airplane with two crewmembers. Three smaller circles show a person smiling, another wearing traditional attire, and a third speaking into a microphone. Orange lines connect the circles.

Image Credit: Life Haven

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Image Credit: Corporación Privada para el Desarrollo de Aysén

Building Solidarity: Convenings for Collective Power-Building

At the heart of our approach lies the recognition that solidarity is the bedrock of resilient movements. Our coordinators' retreat, virtual advisor learning circles, and regional convenings serve as powerful platforms for fostering connections between activists and advisors from across the Global South, creating a grassroots-based groundswell of environmental action. These gatherings foster a spirit of shared learning, and an exchange of expertise and mutual support.

Transforming Philanthropy: Weaving an Ecosystem of Justice

Through collaborative initiatives with other funders that disrupt traditional norms, and research, we hold the entire environmental justice ecosystem as interdependent rather than competitive. Our gender and environment program and funder learning community play a pivotal role in advancing a more equitable approach to environmental philanthropy, while our partnership with the CLIMA Fund stands as a testament to the transformative power of collaboration to influence philanthropy to move resources to the grassroots.

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Image Credit: Arjun Anand Elavally Anandan

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Our Transformative Journey

In 2021, Global Greengrants Fund initiated a Transformative Journey, answering a call amidst socio-environmental adversity globally to leverage our extensive network to better serve environmental and climate justice movements. After an initial focus on strengthening organizational culture, structure, processes, and learning, over the past year we've transitioned towards more tangible outcomes that leverage our vast network of environmental and climate justice advocates, built over 30 years.

As we look towards the next year, the key pillars of our Transformative Journey include:

Four women stand in front of a river, smiling and giving thumbs-up. They are wearing white shirts and dark pants, with one woman wearing a face mask. The background includes boats and lush greenery across the river.

Image Credit: Federation of Kukama Women Workers

Strengthening the capacity of our advisory network to scale up and deepen its support to grassroots movements. We're successfully expanding and diversifying our advisory boards into new geographies and themes, and strengthening underfunded areas. In 2023, we launched the Central Asia Advisory Board and the Disability Rights and Climate Justice Board, and began piloting an Indigenous Rights Advisory Board and a Global Plastics and Zero Waste Board. We're fostering Global South philanthropy by supporting local environmental justice funds, and enhancing connections across our network, leading to cross-movement learning and investment in movement-building spaces.

Expanding our participatory grantmaking models to enhance the participation of diverse communities, voices, ideas, and information. Building on our 30-year history of decentralized grantmaking, we are investing in and developing an expanded participatory grantmaking model. This expanded model will better support grassroots environmental justice movements by providing rapid response grants, network grants, and grants of varying sizes to grassroots movements. We intend to increase flexibility, improve capacity to absorb funding, support emerging social movements, and foster collaboration and knowledge exchange.

Two men are smiling and sitting outdoors on tree stumps near a lakeshore. The man on the left is wearing a patterned shirt over a black top, while the man on the right is in a light blue shirt and sunglasses. Behind them is a large bottle-shaped sculpture and greenery.

Image Credit: Global Greengrants Fund

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Image Credit: Global Greengrants Fund

Fostering learning and financial sustainability. We're investing in fostering collective learning among activists, organizations, and philanthropy, in order to build movement resilience and transform philanthropy models. We are also advocating for donors to join us in building long-term financial sustainability for movements.

Increasing the breadth and scope of our funding to movements via grantmaking and accompaniment. We're continuing to expand our support to movements through accompaniment, with a focus on regions where we have established networks. Our goal is to provide crucial support for communities advocating for environmental justice beyond just giving one-off grants.

A woman wearing a purple and green traditional outfit squats on the ground as she sorts through a large pile of grains. She is set against an outdoor backdrop of green trees, with a blue cloth spread beneath her.

Image Credit: Society for Roots and Equity (SRE)

Our Transformative Journey aims to transform Global Greengrants into a resilient, adaptable, learning community with greater impact. Through that journey, we hope to better respond to emerging challenges, and to foster a more just and sustainable future. As we look ahead, we are excited to continue supporting grassroots movements for environmental justice globally.

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Image Credit: Arjun Anand Elavally Anandan

2023 Financial Overview

Overall Data

 

$18.0M

Total Grants Allocated in 2023

 

$67.2M

Total Assets

 

$26.5M

Total Expenses in 2023

UK Data

Expenses

Numbers labeled "overall" include Global Greengrants Fund UK, donor-advised funds (DAFs), regional partner funds, and our fiscal sponsorships, in addition to our general operations and grantmaking. UK data highlight the numbers within that overall umbrella that are specific to Global Greengrants UK.

Overall Expenses

UK Expenses

Financials

For U.S. and European-based operations in fiscal year ended June 30, 2023.

For financials from
prior years, visit greengrants.org/financials.

We are grateful for the support of our donors, and for their commitment to the well-being of people and our planet. To view a list of Global Greengrants Fund's donors, please visit: https://www.greengrants.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2023-GGF-Donor-List.pdf

 

Overall Details

A financial chart comparing year end results for GGF overall between 2023 and 2022. In 2023 there were total assets of $67,228,153, Liabilities of $1,027,893, and expenses of $26,494,199.

UK Details

Together, we are where change takes root.

Thank you to our community of supporters, partners, and allies for your unwavering commitment to protecting our shared planet and creating a more just world.

Image credit: MikonoYetu Organization