Grants Search

Purpose: To strengthen women's groups that are resisting exploitative practices by the mining industry as well as spread awareness of the companies' roles in violently suppressing the activism. The group will support and build a network between women's groups across Latin America to exchange information and develop strategies of advocacy. Additionally, the group will create a system that allows women to document rights abuses from these companies and to take national and international measures.

Purpose: To raise awareness of the impacts of biodiversity funding on indigenous and rural community rights. The group will develop partnerships and use multimedia, reports, and interviews to increase the issue's visibility.

Purpose: To increase indigenous participation and capacity to protect natural resources. Extractive industries and policies have made the defense of these extremely difficult, and the group intends to strengthen the bond between indigenous communities to rebuild dialogue and make protection more robust.

Purpose: To utilize dialogue and raise awareness to protect ancestral territories threatened by environmental conflict. The group will organize public debates within five regions for as large an audience as possible. The findings of the debates will then be compiled and published.

Purpose: To develop a regional proposal for sustainable development that confronts the large-scale mining and hydroelectric projects in the Cordillera Cóndor in eastern Ecuador. The Shuar Kupiamais Center will meet with organizations and communities in the area to explain the risks of mining and hydroelectric projects, formulate a process and plan for resistance to the implementation the projects, and convene with other actors to develop and carry out this plan.

Purpose: To promote the defense of the environment against mining projects in the Condor Range. Funds will be used to support a project which will provide resistance to large scale mining at the local and global levels by generating and sharing technical information on the Mirador mining project's impacts, as well as by establishing a legal front to protect local communities from related negative health and environmental impacts.

Purpose: To implement the "Defense and Reforestation of the Mangroves and Estuaries of Curia" project that will confront the continual loss of mangroves in Curia, Ecuador, which has influenced the health of many species in the region. The loss of estuary health has greatly affected the community, so funds will be used to host workshops on the importance of mangrove health, gather and plant seeds to reforest the area, and strengthen the plan for sustainable management of the estuary and its vegetation.

Purpose: To guarantee access to water for local communities in the Ecuadorian province of Azuay. A regional meeting will facilitate networking and learning among local organizations regarding the effects of mining projects and the criminalization of protests.

Purpose: To raise awareness and educate communities on their collective rights, the rights of the environment, and the environmental, social, and cultural impacts of large-scale mining operations in Echeandia, La Naves, Chillanes, and Guaranda. Specifically, the group will host workshops in each area for community members to share their experiences in resistance to extractive projects, work on sustainable resource management plans, and increase the level of communication between communities.

Purpose: To strengthen the quality of education through literature in Ecuador and promote a positive sense of national identity based on strong cultural values. Ten children's books will be written and illustrated regarding the importance of traditional maize farming and the dangers of genetically modified maize.

Purpose: To strengthen the Kichwa Communities organizing efforts against the the threats of extractive industries, including mining hydroelectric projects, and petroleum extraction. Funds will be used for projects that enforce communal and environmental rights throgh public policy, as well as to organize a movement for the exercise of such rights via public forum and debate.

Purpose: To promote environmental awareness and create spaces for reflection and dialogue about environmental degradation in Ecuador. Funds will be used to screen documentaries in 9 communities in the Zamora Chinchipe province which will promote dialogue, especially as it pertains to mining.

Purpose: To promote biodiversity conservation in the Cordillera Condor by increasing community knowledge, reducing the number of extractive projects, and promoting alternative forms of development that take environmental health into consideration. A Regional Alternative Development Plan will propose alternatives to extractive projects and establish protocol to enable communities to defend their territorial and human rights.

Purpose: To shift the national focus from extractive industries to alternative methods for development. Funds will be used to gather and share information with local communities and non-governmental organizations, to speak with decision-makers, and to strengthen participation in the Assembly of Communities to push for more environmental protection.

Purpose: To reduce and eliminate genetically modified organisms in Latin America by raising awareness and providing support to organizations working to combat the negative effects of genetically modified organisms. Funds will be used to combat the expansion of genetically modified maize and promote native maize as an integral part of the cultural heritage of the region by compiling native music that sends a message about the importance of local maize, as well as creating a publication with photos, recipes, and poetry about the crop.

Purpose: To organize and host three workshops on nutrition and food sovereignty for women from the Salango-Manabí and surrounding communities focusing on understanding food and nutrition issues at the local, national, and international level. The group stresses the important role women play in transferring knowledge about traditional foods, nutrition, and food sovereignty.

Purpose: To advocate for environmental activists and community leaders who have suffered judicial persecution, especially in relation to extractive industries. Funds will enable the organization to record audiovisual testimonies of these leaders and to support their access to legal representation.

Purpose: To protect and preserve the ancestral lands of the Shuar Indians. Funds will be used to organize and host two informational workshops for the Shuar Indian community on the impacts of mining on their land and to design a strategy for defense of the land into the future.

Purpose: To improve living conditions of the Épera, Chachi, and Tsachila peoples and the Manta and Huancavilca villages in Ecuador by emphasizing conservation of resources. Funds will host workshops on environmental management for the various groups, focusing on renewable and nonrenewable resources and protection of water.

Purpose: To organize a seminar for Shiwiar community representatives that will inform participants about the Circunscripción Territorial de la Nacionalidad Shiwiar (Autonomous Territory of the Shiwiar Nation). The seminar took place in Curintsa from April 5-7, 2010 and discussed the importance, objective, vision and mission of the Autonomous Territory, investigated the renewable and non-renewable natural resources that exist within it, and shared information on the Ecuadorian government’s policies and strategies for oil exploration and exploitation in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

Purpose: To inform citizens about Ecuador's Constitution and proposed water law, community rights, and mechanisms that ensure that decisions about water rights remain in communities. The organization will share successful experiences in local water management and models that can be used in the region and country.

Purpose: To produce and distribute informational materials and to maintain the organization's website so that the voices of environmental movements and local communities can be heard in national environmental debates. The agency seeks to supply indigenous and rural organizations resisting natural resource exploitation with tools that allow them to share their struggle.

Purpose: To facilitate the defense of human rights and the environment by making information more accessible. Funds will enable the organization to publish, release, and distribute materials about its legal experience, including legal projects and their resolutions, to those who have interest in them.

Purpose: To support the Awá peoples' struggle for environmental protection, autonomy, and quality of life in the face of the increasing pressures of development. Funds will support meetings to organize Awá community movements that will include agenda formation, strategies, and information sharing.

Purpose: To organize workshops on the use, benefits, and implementation of biodigesters - which produce a clean source of heat energy and liquid fertilizer - in the regions of Valdivia, Manglaralto, and Olon. The organization seeks to promote clean and affordable energy technologies that use renewable sources.

Purpose: To support two workshops in Orellana and Pastaza, Ecuador to raise awareness among indigenous communities of the potential impacts of government development initiatives. The workshops will specifically focus on the implementation programs related to the United Nation's Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation program and climate change, in order better equip local communities to respond to these initiatives, and to protect their cultural autonomy and local natural resources.

Purpose: To conduct a socio-economic and environmental assessment of the micro-watersheds of the Pata de Pájaro and Mineral rivers in order to declare the county of Santa Ana "Free of Agrotoxins". The organization will also purchase audiovisual equipment; organize capacity-building workshops; and design and print informational materials - all to promote their campaign.

Purpose: To conduct an environmental assessment of the Jobones and Duale rivers to identify and monitor where industrial pollution is entering the rivers. Additionally, the group will organize a network of environmental monitors; establish a multi-sector team to discuss environmental policies; publish environmental education material about pollution and conservation; and prepare a proposal about environmental conservation and management for local authorities.

Purpose: To send three representatives from Latin America grassroots groups to the War Resister's International Conference on Nonviolent Livelihood Struggle and Global Militarism: Links and Strategies, which took place in India in January 2010.

Purpose: To create artistic materials that will document the struggle of Ecuadorian campesino communities as they fight for their rights to land, water, and food sovereignty. The organization seeks to spread information about and strengthen social movements in Latin America through the creation and dissemination of audiovisual and other creative materials.

Purpose: To enable the organization to obtain an official title to their land so that they can better defend it against encroachment by transnational corporations. The organization seeks to strengthen the Shiwiar nation by working to preserve its culture and defend its land and people.

Purpose: To acquire vegetable seeds for families to cultivate and also sell in markets, hire a consultant to teach families about the cultivation of organic vegetables, and organize workshops and create informational pamphlets about the importance of healthy eating and organic foods. This organization seeks to strengthen the capacity of families in the urban neighborhoods of Quito to make and sell healthy food in local markets.

Purpose: To hold a series of public meetings to provide citizens from poorer areas around Guayaquil with a forum to participate in decision-making around the city's water management program. Through these forums, citizens will participate in guiding the upcoming audit that is mandated by the new Ecuadorian constitution, which declared water as a human right for all.

Purpose: To organize a series of seminars and roundtables to build awareness about the negative socio-environmental impacts of the proposed new mining law and discuss how it is at odds with much of Ecuador's new constitution. The organization will also produce and distribute materials related to this topic.

Purpose: To organize three workshops in the southern region of Ecuador that will explain, discuss, and debate Ecuador's new mining law. Additional activities include creating and disseminating leaflets that summarize this new law.

Purpose: To organize a workshop that will educate rural communities about Ecuador's new constitution and its laws around food sovereignty and access to water. The group works to strengthen the region's rural political movement through capacity building and networking.

Purpose: To hold a series of workshops for rural organizations to understand the impacts of biofuels on local economies. The association plans to develop farmer-friendly policy proposals to present to the Constituent Assembly.

Purpose: To enable three community leaders to travel to Quito to challenge the constitutionality of water privatization in Guayaquil. Additional activities include holding workshops about the negative impacts of water privatization, and printing and distributing posters and fliers about these impacts.

Purpose: To hold a series of forums to educate members of this association about the recent environmental policy decisions made by the National Constitutional Assembly. This organization works to build alliances to promote a more inclusive political process, and to promote sustainable resource management.

Purpose: To enable representatives to attend the fifth annual meeting of the National Forum on Water, to present the organization's proposal for constitutional reforms to promote democratic and sustainable water management. This organization aims to influence water policy throughout Azuay and Cañar provinces.

Purpose: To produce a television program that features the negative socio-environmental impacts of the mining industry on Peruvian communities. The program will be aired nationally.

Purpose: To hold a series of public workshops for indigenous Kichwa leaders as part of mobilizing communities around environmental protection. More than 100 leaders will participate in the workshops, which will allow people to collectively articulate their concerns regarding large-scale infrastructure projects, agribusiness, and oil and gas development.

Purpose: To organize a campaign to build awareness among indigenous peoples about the legal implications of the new draft constitution of Ecuador. This organization works to protect jungle forests, a mainstay of the Zapara peoples' livelihoods and a source of spirituality.

Purpose: To organize a conference which will allow organizations and networks to share information and strategies relevant to resolving the social and economic debts between Latin America and the United States. This Institute facilitates interaction and exchange among socio-environmental organization from across Latin America.

Purpose: To fund travel for a member of CDES to attend a conference in Italy on Oil, Debt, and Global Finance, held by Oil Change International. The conference brings together activists from around the world to explore common issues and opportunities to work together.

Purpose: To fund a resource management workshop for 40 young members of Kichwa indigenous communities.

Purpose: To fund implementation of a community-based conservation and management plan in the Yana Urcu region.

Purpose: To fund workshops on food autonomy and rural agriculture. This is part of FENOCIN's larger program to promote sustainable agriculture, preserve ancestral knowledge, and protect the environment.

Purpose: FONAKIN is building an autonomous indigenous organization that will represent the Kichua del Napo people. It is holding workshops in three areas to help Kichua communities record their biological resources and traditional knowledge.

Purpose: To support environmental health programs in public schools, exchanges between youth environmental groups, and an urban reforestation project.

Purpose: Oilwatch is a global network of organizations dedicated to reducing the negative impacts of oil and gas operations on the people and environment of Southern countries. This grant will fund a three-nation workshop to discuss the ongoing expansion of petroleum-based activities in the border area of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, as well as the resulting threats to the lives of the indigenous and other communities in that region.

Purpose: To fund an ecological festival in the town of La Maná. The festival will center around discussion of the irreversible negative impacts that the region's hydroelectric projects will have on the natural and human environment.

Purpose: To fund workshops in five different regions of the country, at which approximately 60 leaders and representatives -- from indigenous, rural and environmental organizations -- will learn about alternatives to the indiscriminate use of pesticides. RAPAL will also invite representatives from the Ecuadorian Service for Agricultural Health, the national authority in charge of agricultural standards.

Purpose: To fund a six-month series of workshops to develop the environmental leadership of Ecuador. The workshops will include representatives of environmental organizations, local communities, and the general public.

Purpose: To support a series of youth workshops on environmental issues. These will include trips to primary and secondary forests, discussions of the trade-offs between forest zones and extractive industries, and visits to innovative environmental projects.

Purpose: To support local communities in an inventory of forest resources and medicinal plants in the central coast region before an intellectual property rights agreement with the United States goes into effect.

Purpose: To fund a national conference around the topics of free trade agreements and IIRSA (the Integration of Regional Infrastructure for South America), an unprecedented series of mega-projects throughout South America.

Purpose: To fund this indigenous group's community mapping project, which will guide it in pollution remediation negotiations with Occidental Petroleum and the Ecuadorian government.

Purpose: To support a campaign to unite local communities in their fight against the Baba Quevedo Vinces dam, which will affect the livelihoods of nearly 10,000 subsistence farmers in coastal Ecuador.

Purpose: To fund several programs, including a series of workshops on integrating an environmental perspective into local development planning, as well as environmental education programs at local schools.

Purpose: To support establishment of a cohesive environmental agenda in Ecuador through collaboration with environmental organizations, local communities and the National Environmental Assembly.

Purpose: To support three indigenous Shuar federations in resisting large-scale, open-pit copper and gold mining in Shuar lands on the border of Peru and Ecuador.

Purpose: To fund a regional assembly of organizations resisting large-scale mining projects proposed for Morona Santiago province, and to educate the public on the effects of such mines.

Purpose: To support a national meeting of the Pesticide Action Network-Ecuador and a campaign to disseminate information of the effects of pesticides.

Purpose: To fund a study of whether pressure from foreign donors reduces the ability of local communities and organizations to set conservation priorities in the Andes.

Purpose: To support local implementation of the Latin America Access Initiative, a tool designed to evaluate public access to information, participation of civil society and equitable access to the decision-making process.

Purpose: To fund a workshop on designing and building a wind-powered generator, and to publicize alternative energy and conservation opportunities for communities.

Purpose: To support this network of municipalities that are considering alternative models of governance to improve equitability and protection of the region's rich ecology.

Purpose: To fund an ongoing campaign to publicize the harmful effects of mining in Ecuador and to host a meeting of rural mayors from Peru and Ecuador whose communities have resisted mining.

Purpose: To fund a program to train youth from indigenous communities in the Chocó region in biodiversity preservation and to support local women's artisan groups, ecological clubs and park guards.

Purpose: To fund strategic planning for a pilot project that will establish a local governing entity for the people in and around the Cotacachi-Cayapas Ecological Reserve.

Purpose: To host a national demonstration and conference with Ecuadorian NGOs, scientists, government officials and citizens on potential applications of alternative energy technologies.

Purpose: To support a bi-national workshop bringing together indigenous peoples from border communities in Ecuador and Peru to develop plans for sustainable management of indigenous lands.

Purpose: To support a regional workshop with representatives of Andean indigenous and peasant organizations to study and discuss the potential environmental impacts of the Free Trade Area of the Americas.

Purpose: To fund development of a strategic plan by 144 Kichwa communities working to manage their natural resources and protect their rights.