Environmental Justice and Philanthropy: Challenges and Opportunities for Alignment
Building Equity & Alignment for Environmental Justice and the Tishman Environment and Design Center at The New School hosted a webinar to discuss the findings of Environmental Justice and Philanthropy: Challenges and Opportunities for Alignment on Thursday, August 6th. A recording of the webinar is available here and slides from the webinar are available here. Read on for more information and informative one-pagers from the report.
Across the country, environmental justice (EJ) organizations and communities of color are leading influential campaigns and initiatives aimed at protecting public health, developing stronger climate and environmental policies, and building new economies rooted in Just Transition principles. However, the power and scale of grassroots environmental justice organizations are often misunderstood or overlooked by philanthropy, despite a long record of community organizing and action. As a result, funding disparities persist, and the most important voices acting on behalf of equitably adapting to and mitigating climate change and environmental degradation are often excluded from critical decision-making processes.
This study of the underlying dynamics of misalignment between the philanthropic and environmental justice sectors in the Midwest and Gulf South regions confirms that environmental funders are largely granting to mainstream environmental organizations (99%), with just a tiny fraction (1%) going to environmental justice organizations. While it is clear there are barriers to alignment between philanthropy and the EJ sector, it is equally clear that there are significant areas of opportunity.
Read the report here: Environmental Justice and Philanthropy: Challenges and Opportunities for Alignment