GLOBAL GREENGRANTS FUND: WHO, WHAT, WHY
1. What is environmental justice?
Every person on Earth, regardless of their personal identity (ability, age, color, gender, income, race, nationality, sexuality, etc.) has the right to a clean and healthy planet. Marginalized, under-resourced, and vulnerable communities pay the highest price when it comes to the disproportionate burden of pollution and dirty development. Here at Global Greengrants Fund, we mobilize resources to those communities aiming to protect both the planet and their rights.
2. Why fund the grassroots?
Global Greengrants Fund is different from other international organizations in that we do not try to dictate an agenda from afar. Instead, we trust local people to advance solutions and strategies that will best fit their needs, providing them the resources to make their ideas a reality. We believe that when local people have a say in the health of their food, water, and resources, they are forces for global change.
3. Where does Global Greengrants work in the world and what is the reach?
Global Greengrants Fund has awarded over 12,000 grants in 168 countries worldwide. We work in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Pacific Islands, and parts of North America. To learn more about where we work, click here.
4. Who decides which grantees receive the money?
We work with around 200 volunteer experts worldwide who serve on 24 regional and thematic advisory boards. Each volunteer serves as our eyes and ears on the ground and brings expertise from the area where they live, their experiences and their professional endeavors, as well as personal connections in country. Each board creates a strategy for their grantmaking annually and each advisor finds potential grantees via their networks. The boards then determine which groups will receive the funding and can reach critical groups that most other funders cannot. Our model of awarding grants is widely known as participatory grantmaking.
5. Does Global Greengrants Fund work with partners?
At Global Greengrants Fund, we believe in the power of collaboration and strong movements to drive action and promote environmental justice. We work with multiple partners in various capacities to make our work possible. Learn more about our partners here.
6. What are you doing to ensure the safety and security of environmental defenders?
As the human rights of environmental activists remain at risk worldwide, Global Greengrants Fund is committed to making flexible funding available to those in our network who are under threat. At Global Greengrants Fund we support activists under threat for protecting their environments through our all areas of our grantmaking. Our grants help organizations to build community resilience and address the needs of activists under threat to continue their work fighting for a just environment.
7. Where does Global Greengrants Fund receive funding?
Global Greengrants Fund receives funding from foundations, corporations, and individuals, all with the shared goal of mobilizing much-needed support to people who are often overlooked by traditional philanthropy, but who have the solutions to make a lasting impact on the health of our planet and people’s rights. Find a list of our donors here.
8. How do I apply for a grant?
We do not accept unsolicited grant proposals. Our grantmaking model relies on trusted experts worldwide to identify organizations working in their regions or issue areas. As a courtesy, we do not publish their contact information. We apologize for any inconvenience or frustration this policy may cause. If you are looking for alternative funding opportunities for your own project, here’s a helpful grantseekers resource guide.
9. Someone reached out to me on Facebook using your name and trying to get money from me. Is this a scam?
We’re sorry this is happening to you! These scammers are not associated with Global Greengrants Fund and our work supporting grassroots environmental defenders worldwide. Please report the scam to Facebook and do not give the scammers any of your personal financial information.
IMPACT, IMPACT, IMPACT
1. Why do small grants matter and how will they protect the planet?
On average, each of our grants is around $5,000. This is a strategic approach that we believe is overlooked by other leading environmental grantmakers. There is the potential for considerable return on investment with grants of this size. In the majority of the places where we work, a small grant energizes the work of community members and volunteers and seeds big outcomes. A small grant may cover full costs for a grassroots organization for a year, yet isn’t enough money to cause internal strife or corruption. For many organizations, it’s just enough money to make critical work happen, and connections made, that otherwise they wouldn’t have had the resources to implement. Over time, the cumulative impact of small grants can lead to the creation of larger movements to protect our planet. For examples of ways in which small grants make a big impact, check out our blog.
2. How do you measure your impact?
Our advisors are deeply connected to the groups we fund. Not only do they approve the most effective grants in their regions, but they also act as mentors to the grassroots groups. Impact is measured by movements that are created, human rights that are protected, policies that are changed, and civil societies that open. Our advisors see first-hand whether or not a grant made a difference and evolve their grantmaking accordingly.
3. Where does my gift go?
When you make a gift of any size to Global Greengrants Fund, you help catalyze grassroots-level solutions by putting resources directly in the hands of the best stewards of our environment – local people. On average, 85% of our annual revenue goes to grants and program support and services. Learn more about our financials here.
4. How can I find out more about the projects and grantees you support?
We regularly update our website and blog with stories from grantees, many written by those in our global network. To receive notifications about new stories, subscribe to receive email updates from Global Greengrants Fund.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
1. What is the best way to support Global Greengrants Fund?
Global Greengrants Fund is unique in that we raise and spend our budget annually. The generosity of our donors is what makes it possible for Global Greengrants to get resources directly to local people working to protect our shared planet and promote environmental justice. Click here to make a donation or contact our Vice President of External Relations at kezha [at] greengrants [dot] org for more information.
2. What is a Donor Advised Fund?
A donor-advised fund, or DAF, is a giving vehicle that allows donors to make a charitable contribution, receive an immediate tax deduction and then recommend grants from the fund over time. DAFs use our unique network to advise on the personal interest of the donor. For five reasons to open a DAF with Global Greengrants Fund, click here.
3. Can I restrict my gift to a certain region or action area?
Yes. Restrictions vary depending on the amount of the donation. The larger the gift, the more specific a restriction can be. For more information, please contact our Vice President of External Relations at kezha [at] greengrants [dot] org.
4. How do I set up or cancel a recurring donation?
Recurring gifts can be set up on our ‘Donate’ page by selecting the amount you wish to donate each month and checking the box ‘Make this a monthly gift’. By clicking the ‘Donate Now’ button, you are agreeing to make a monthly gift in the amount you selected. Recurring gifts are processed in the middle of the month. There is no specified end-date, meaning the donation will be processed unless you decide to cancel your gift.
If you would like to pause or cancel your recurring donation, please send a request to devo@greengrants.org. You will receive an email confirmation from our gift processor once it has been paused or cancelled.
If your credit card has expired and you would like to continue giving with a new card, please sign up for a new recurring donation on our ‘Donate’ page. If your card has not expired but you wish to give with a different card, please sign up for a new donation and send a request to the email listed above so that your current card can be cancelled in our database.
Tax receipts for recurring donations will be sent to you by the end of January via email. If there is no email on file, we will mail your letter to the address on file. If you misplaced your letter or need an additional copy, please send a request to the email listed above.
5. Do you have any volunteer opportunities?
We do not offer any volunteer opportunities. However, we do offer a number of internships throughout the year, which you can learn more about here. We also hope that you will be a champion of our organization, spreading the word about Global Greengrants Fund on social media, via email, or through word of mouth.
Have a question that we didn’t answer? Contact us.