Our Conflict of Interest Policy

Our Conflict of Interest Policy helps us promote transparency and accountability so that CJRF can continue to be a trusted grantmaking institution.

As a participatory and community-led fund, CJRF values the insights from its governing board – all activists from diverse backgrounds, with localized knowledge of what climate justice should truly entail. To promote transparency and accountability, CJRF staff and governing board members worked together to establish guidelines that will allow the Fund to maintain its sustainability and trustworthiness as a grantmaking institution.

Establishing a conflict of interest policy is not an easy feat, especially for a board comprised of activists and practitioners. Traditional conflict of interest policies typically are designed for board members who represent foundations and other wealthy institutions. They tend to exclude representatives of organizations that depend upon grants and contributions to support their work. This approach helps to sustain the business-as-usual state of affairs in philanthropy, where decision-making power is held by those furthest away from the places where injustice is happening and where climate justice solutions are emerging.

CJRF’s new conflict of interest policy recognizes that risks of actual or perceived conflicts of interest in grantmaking are common for all stakeholders, including donors. The policy builds upon the one required for our advisory board members and director by New Venture Fund, our fiscal sponsor, and draws upon innovative approaches developed by other participatory grantmakers, including the International Trans Fund and the Jewish Liberation Fund. Transparency is a central tenet of the policy, with the aim of sustaining trust, both internally and externally. Key measures we are implementing under the policy include:

  • Requiring annual disclosure of actual and potential conflicts of interest by our board members, staff members, and others involved in our grantmaking

  • Listing all CJRF grant recipients on our website

  • Disclosing organizational affiliations of staff and board members in their biographies

  • Requiring an annual review of both the conflict of interest policy and individuals’ disclosure statements  

We invite those interested in reading our full policy to click the link below.