Wildfires, drought, flooding, blizzards. These are all a part of the global catastrophe known as climate change. These impacts, and subsequent damage to water, land, and clean air, impact all of us that call Planet Earth home. Yet women are disproportionately affected. Deeply entrenched and strictly defined gender roles result in women walking farther when water and firewood runs out, working harder for less when erratic weather patterns wreak havoc on crops, and dying at higher rates than men when natural disasters strike.
In order for those who are most impacted to successfully address these pressing environmental challenges, women’s voices must be heard.
Last year, in honor of International Women’s Day, we released a new report, titled “Our Voices, Our Environment: The State of Funding for Women’s Environmental Action”. Produced by Global Greengrants Fund and Prospera International Network of Women’s Funds, this report was the first-ever comprehensive mapping of funding in support of women and the environment. The report includes case studies and success stories from women addressing climate change firsthand, and provides funder opportunities and recommendations from women’s rights activists worldwide.
One of the most striking findings highlighted in the report is that only 0.2% of all foundation funding supports women’s environmental action. Global Greengrants Fund is one of the top funders, awarding over 60% of our annual grants to environmental projects led by women.
Over the course of the past year as we’ve shared the report, funders, partners, and grantees alike, ask time and time again, “What do we do next?”
Today, we’re pleased to share three next steps to help improve the state of funding for women worldwide seeking to protect the planet.
- Partner with grassroots funders. Local women’s rights and environmental funds are based in and led by the communities they serve. This firsthand knowledge means they have access to and understand community needs, what strategies will work long term, and the flexibility to adapt their strategies if priorities shift.
- Support the protection of women environmental rights defenders. As part of our research for the aforementioned report, we asked an indigenous woman and land rights activist in the Philippines to identify a personal victory in the past year. Her response? “The fact that I’m still alive.” Women are often at the forefront of defending land and other natural resources. By challenging government authorities and corporations over their detrimental environmental practices, women are experiencing defamation, threats of violence, and actual harm. Funders can support women facing these threats with resources to enable them to collectively identify risks and strategies for sustaining their activism, implement protective security measures, and provide relocation support when they face immediate threats.
- Help make the case for additional funding at the nexus of women’s human rights and the environment. Influence and power extends far beyond financial resources. Donors can use their voice, expertise, and networks to generate more awareness of the need for funding at this intersection, and accelerate the impact of their work.
To learn more about our work supporting women’s environmental action, click here.