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Activists march in Glasgow at COP26. Photo credit: Anne Henshaw, Oak Foundation
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Dear Colleagues:
CJRF launched five years ago with a clear north star: Ensure the people hit hardest by the climate crisis are at the center of the climate agenda.
A lot has changed in five years, but we remain committed to centering equity and justice in our support for climate action. This newsletter looks at how CJRF is evolving to keep frontline activists and practitioners at the heart of our grantmaking.
Below, we describe our design process for the next phase of this fund as an inclusive and participatory grantmaker. We also highlight our activities at COP26, including a groundbreaking funding partnership with the Scottish Government.
Finally, we welcome you to join us in March at the South by Southwest conference and share details of CJRF’s involvement in that exciting and well-respected forum.
We look forward to working with you to center climate justice in 2022.
Sincerely,
Heather McGray and Hilary Heath
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Since launching CJRF five years ago, we’ve distributed nearly $18 M in grants to over forty organizations that center the people hardest hit by the climate crisis. We’re proud of our efforts to ensure that women, youth, and Indigenous people are seen and valued as climate leaders, and that they have resources for their work to transform unjust systems.
As we look to the future, we recognize that to accelerate our work of bringing justice to the center of the climate agenda, we must continue to push the envelope. For CJRF, this means continuing to fund organizations that catalyze systemic change while also making sure the way we fund those efforts itself helps to address longstanding injustice.
To that end, we have launched a six-month design process for a second phase of the CJRF, with the aim of shifting decision-making power from our staff and board members into the hands of activists and practitioners. The process started in November, over dinner in Glasgow, when fifty representatives of our grantee partner organizations brainstormed opportunities to diversify participation in each stage of CJRF’s grant decision-making.
Then, in December, we formed a small design team tasked with identifying concrete options that build on the initial brainstorm. The team 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. Our goal is to put a new structure in place by mid-2022 and to have new processes ready to implement by year’s end.
We are happy to explore how philanthropic organizations can support CJRF’s evolution and encourage others to join us in trying new approaches to equitable and inclusive grantmaking. Contact us to learn more.
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Scottish Government Creates ‘Loss and Damage’ Fund with CJRF
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CJRF Director (second right) and Scotland’s Minister for Environment (second left) discuss their new loss and damage partnership on a panel at COP26.
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At COP26, Scotland became the first wealthy country officially to allocate money to address the gravest injustices that climate change is causing in poor countries. Called “loss and damage” in policy parlance, examples include islands lost to sea level rise, people forced to leave their land, or agricultural communities that dry out to a point where farming becomes impossible. CJRF is proud to host this ground-breaking new fund. Learn more about the partnership on our website.
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CJRF is hosting a discussion at this year’s South By Southwest (SXSW) conference called, “Why We Need to Go All in on Climate Justice.” This will be an intergenerational conversation between Farhana Yamin, international environmental lawyer, climate change policy expert, and strategist for global movements like Extinction Rebellion, and Maria Alejandra Escalante, a queer, feminist researcher from Colombia and the climate and environmental justice advocacy officer for FRIDA|The Young Feminist Fund. The conversation is part of SXSW’s climate track and will focus on the importance of keeping people, their rights, and their lived experience at the center of the climate agenda.
CJRF partner Youth Climate Lab is also hosting a panel at this year’s conference. “How are You(th) Showing up for Climate Action?” will dive into the journeys and solutions of young climate leaders from Youth Climate Lab’s global community, who are redefining what it means to be climate activists.
Are you going to SXSW? Let us know, and we will invite you to a special CJRF- and YCL-hosted event! For those not attending SXSW, stay tuned to CJRF’s social channels for special content live from the event.
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Youth at the Center of Climate Justice
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Maria Alejandra Escalante leads a convening for the FRIDA | Young Feminist Fund. Photo credit: FRIDA | Young Feminist Fund.
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CJRF hosted a webinar that allowed our partner organizations to reflect on the role of youth at the COP26 climate talks and beyond. Our discussion leaders included Maria Alejandra Escalante from FRIDA | Young Feminist Fund and Shalaka Jadvah from Youth Climate Lab. This webinar was the second in a three-part series on how aspects of identity link to climate justice and resilience. Read our reflections and watch the full webinar on our blog.
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We're Hiring
CJRF seeks a mid-level professional to serve as program officer for our new loss and damage partnership (see above). Applications are due on March 3. For details, see the position description on our website.
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In the News
HELVETAS released an important report on How Climate Change Accelerates Migration on ReliefWeb.
Leaders at FRIDA | Young Feminist Fund criticize global multilateral events for perpetuating exclusionary practices in From GEF to COP26: Gender Equity and Climate Justice are Only Possible with Young Feminisits at the Center.
Inuit Circumpolar Council is the first Indigenous Organization to receive International Maritime Organization Provisional Consultative Status. This is an important step to ensuring Inuit Voices Are Heard on Critical Shipping Issues.
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