The past year has been one of tremendous growth and change for the Climate Justice Resilience Fund (CJRF). In our 2024 Annual Report, we reflect on the critical lessons we are learning in our journey transitioning to a fully participatory governance structure and how we are deepening our commitment to frontline communities.
Below we highlight some of the key takeaways from our work in 2024.
Shifting Power at the Board Level
One of the most transformative changes at CJRF has been transferring decision-making power from our funders to a new Governing Board composed entirely of activists and practitioners. This transition goes beyond a mere structural shift—it represents a realignment of our organization’s core priorities and values. It also calls for us to overcome new challenges as an organization by bridging time zone differences, working across a range of new cultures, and deepening trust both among board members and between board and staff. The diverse viewpoints of the new board have enriched our strategic direction, allowing CJRF to better address the complexities of climate justice.
Strengthening Our Approach to Systems Change
A core component of our work has been supporting systemic transformation across social, economic, and political spheres. Going forward, we aim to develop grantmaking processes that strengthen our systems emphasis. Our approach is to listen to our partners and follow their priorities, allowing them to identify which systems need changing, pinpoint key leverage points, and engage collaborators in transformative efforts.
Evolving our Support for Movement-Building
Supporting social movements has always been central to CJRF’s theory of change. We are committed to broadening our support for movements by creating more space for intersectionality and investing in the organic growth of these movements.
Adopting ‘Capacity Bridging’ for Greater Impact
The shift from ‘capacity building’ to ‘capacity bridging’ has been a crucial insight for us. Traditional capacity-building approaches often prioritize the perspectives of more powerful entities over those of grassroots organizations. In contrast, capacity bridging emphasizes mutual growth, where all partners contribute and learn. This understanding is reshaping our grantmaking and partnerships, allowing us to better support local organizations in their work and contributing to a more just and inclusive funding landscape.
Looking Ahead
Our journey of transition and learning is ongoing, and we are following a “learning by doing” approach. In particular, we have launched a set of participatory grantmaking pilots that will test out several methodologies over 2024-25. As we continue to refine our strategies, we remain committed to sharing these lessons with the broader climate justice and philanthropy communities. We invite you to read the full 2024 Annual Report to delve deeper into our journey and discover how these lessons will shape our future endeavors.
Read the full report here and join us in building a more just, equitable, and resilient future for all.