CJRF Governing Board and staff pose for a photo.
In February 2023, CJRF staff and our practitioner-led governing board gathered in Bangladesh for our first in-person meeting since the announcement of our shift in governance. The board met in Bangladesh to build community, learn about the Fund’s operations, and strategize goals and priorities for 2023. Through field visits, board members were also able to see how our grant partners are working directly with communities to support those impacted by climate change.
After spending a week in Bangladesh learning from each other, we came to several major decisions about CJRF’s values, strategy, and grantmaking.
Governing Board members work to define CJRF’s values.
Values
Since inception, CJRF has always put people at the center of our work. This is a value that will remain unchanged under the new governing board. To live out this concept, board members decided that CJRF should adopt a statement that defines CJRF’s approach to intersectionality.
CJRF Intersectionality Statement
Approved by Governing Board 26 April 2023
CJRF takes an intersectional approach, putting people at the center of our work. We recognize that different forms of systemic oppression, discrimination, and domination (such as racism, sexism, ableism, colonialism, homophobia, and others) intersect and impact people and communities differently. We recognize these intersections often result in the marginalization from decision-making spaces of people who hold multiple identities, which are often context-specific. We value and promote interventions and practices that shift power to those most impacted by intersecting forms of oppression. It is our hope to empower and to recognize and uplift their contributions to better address the causes, impacts, and solutions of the climate crisis, ultimately fostering human rights and dignity.
The Board agreed to review this statement annually and update it as needed.
Strategy
CJRF Director Heather McGray leads a session.
Two major decisions came out of our strategy session. The first is that the board will create a long-term strategy (5-6 years), with annual check-ins at the board level and a 3-year check-in with regional stakeholders. We hope this strikes the right balance between setting a stable course for the future, but also ensures we are responsive to the evolving needs of our grant partners and stakeholders.
The board also decided that CJRF will expand participation in its grantmaking decisions beyond just staff and board members. While we are still solidifying the details, both efforts will allow us to further our goals of shifting power in philanthropy.
Grantmaking
This year, we aim to make US$2-4M in grants. The majority of this funding will consist of renewal grants to Phase I grant partners, which we hope to finalize in the first half of 2023. CJRF staff will work in close collaboration with the board as they refine the renewal criteria and propose a set of renewals.
Additional grants made this year will reflect CJRF’s movement toward participatory grantmaking and will be informed by the board’s participatory grantmaking strategy that is under development.
CJRF staff and Governing Board in Bangladesh.
Our staff and the Governing Board look forward to sharing updates on CJRF’s progress!