CJRF Spring Newsletter

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View this email in your browser CJRF staff with partners in Nanyuki, Kenya on April 14, 2022 Dear Colleagues,   CJRF has had an eventful spring! We just returned from Kenya with our CJRF Phase 2 Design Team, solidifying options for governing and implementing a more participatory grantmaking structure for our second phase, starting in early 2023. You can read more about CJRF Phase 2 below.  As you may have already heard, we recently received a $7M grant from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. Like many of Scott’s awards, this grant is completely flexible with timing, duration, and how we use it. We are planning to apply this funding toward a new round of grantmaking in 2023, once we’ve put a more participatory structure and process in place. We are thrilled by the vote of confidence in our work and approach that this gift represents.    Finally, in March, the team attended the popular South By Southwest conference in Austin, Texas. As pointed out by Al Jazeera’s coverage of the event, social justice had a strong presence. Our efforts strengthened that presence within the conference’s climate change track. You can watch the CJRF-hosted conversation, “Why We Need To Go All In On Climate Justice,” between Farhana Yamin and Marie Alejandra Escalante on our website.    We look forward to working with you as this season of growth begins to bear fruit throughout the rest of this year and beyond.     Best regards,  Heather and Hilary   CJRF Turns 5! CJRF awarded our first grant to Alaska Institute for Justice Photo Credit: Alaska Institute for Justice April 1st marked the five-year anniversary of CJRF’s first grant, which we made to Alaska Institute for Justice for its community-led approach to decision-making around relocation by climate-vulnerable Alaska Native communities. We are so grateful for all our grant partners that we have supported over the past five years, all of whom are working toward a more climate-just future.   We also want to thank our contributing partners Oak Foundation, The Kendeda Fund, and Robert Bosch Stiftung. It is only through their resources and guidance that CJRF has been able to support this incredible group of partners on the front lines of climate justice.   Learn more about the partners we have supported on our website.   Our Path Forward for Justice-Centered Climate Funding  CJRF’s Phase 2 Design Team meeting in Nairobi, Kenya. To encourage justice-centered funding, CJRF launched a fund re-design process in November that aims to shift decision-making power from our staff and board members into the hands of activists and practitioners. Read more about the design of our second phase of grantmaking on our website.   The team designing CJRF’s second phase includes representatives from CJRF grantee partners in India, Kenya, and Treaty 8 lands in Canada, alongside one member each from our Review Board and Council of Advisors. The group recently met in Nairobi, Kenya, where they worked intensively to identify options for restructuring the fund. We look forward to sharing more in the summer once we decide our path forward! Be sure to follow us on Twitter for the latest.   CJRF Goes All in on Climate Justice at SXSW CJRF Director Heather McGray introduces international climate activists Farhana Yamin and Maria Alejandra Escalante at South By Southwest in Austin, Texas.  We’re also coming off the heels of the annual South by Southwest Conference in Austin, Texas. This was our first time attending, and we brought together climate activists Farhana Yamin and Maria Alejandra Escalante for an intimate and dynamic inter-generational discussion. The pair spoke about the importance of climate justice – and the role that each of us can play in the movement. They also called on philanthropy to step up and support climate justice work.   You can watch the inspiring discussion on our website.   CJRF and Partners Learn from Indigenous Climate Activists Activists march in Glasgow at COP26. Photo credit: Anne Henshaw, Oak Foundation Many Indigenous communities around the world are relying on traditional knowledge of the land to recognize and adapt to a changing climate. To uplift and learn from their experiences, CJRF convened representatives of our partner organizations to reflect on how Indigenous Peoples can be leaders in the climate justice movement. The webinar, held March 4th, culminated our three-part series on how aspects of identity link to climate justice and resilience. You can view our gender-focused webinar and our youth-focused webinar on our blog.   Read the key lessons and insights from Indigenous activists and watch the full webinar on our blog.   In the News In her latest blog post, MacKenzie Scott explains why she and her team selected an additional 465 non-profits to receive over $3 billion dollars in funding. CJRF was among the organizations selected as well as our partners MakeWay, Pawanka, FRIDA, and MADRE.  CJRF Director Heather McGray reflects on International Women's Day and the 2022 theme 'Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow' in this podcast by the International Institute for Environment and Development. Listen to this episode of the Make Change Happen Podcast by using this link.    Copyright © 2022 Climate Justice Resilience Fund All rights reserved.