Well-deserved recognition for small grants funds!
We are exited about the news that Ms MacKenzie Scott decided to entrust substantial funding to a wide range of small grants funds from Both ENDS' partner networks*. These small grants funds are unique as they are set up and led by people, often activists themselves, from the country or region in which the fund is based. Most mainstream conventional funders admit they have difficulties reaching community based organisations and grassroots groups themselves. Small grants funds know better than anyone how to reach local communities, who to support and what kind of financial as well as non-financial support is most needed. Thus, they bridge a wide funding gap. Both ENDS applauds this recognition of the important role of these funds in the funding landscape. We hope this encourages more funders to join!
Small grants funds support community-based, inclusive approaches to environmental conservation and restoration. They assist genuine sustainable socio-economic development – rooted in respect of human rights, womens rights in particular, and the needs and aspirations of young people. They assist young women and men to help build resilient communities in the face of abating climate change and threat of destructive external interventions from mining, mono-culture plantations and ill-designed infra projects.
Low threshold accessibility
These funds are agile and well informed about local conditions and they offer low threshold accessibility to grassroots groups quickly, when the need and momentum is there. This, whilst maintaining accountability about the allocated funds. They are able to award small grants at the right time, to the right organisations. Small grant funds on average provide grants between 1,000 and 15,000 euros, with an average of 5,000 euros. Such financial support is often also accompanied by capacity strengthening and networking building activities. Small grants funds work on a basis of trust and help achieve shifting decision-making power to grassroots organisations.
Establishing and strengthening small grants funds
This is why, over the course of 25 years, Both ENDS has invested in both the establishment and strengthening of environmental justice small grants funds in the Global South. Moreover, since 2015, through the Global Alliance for Green Gender Action (GAGGA), an alliance by FCAM, Mama Cash, Both ENDS and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, over 20 environmental Justice and women's rights funds are supported as an effective and inclusive avenue to reach their own social, ecology and climate objectives.
Indispensable for development funding
Small grants funds are thus an indispensable part of the global system of funding for development, equality and environmental and climate justice. Both ENDS, GAGGA and our small grants fund counterparts are contributing to a growing body of evidence that these funds are able to reach those local groups.
Within diverse coalitions we are in continuous dialogue with both private foundations and bilateral and multilateral agencies to increase funding for small grants funds. In partnership with the National Postcode Lottery and other funders such as Porticus, the Netherlands ministry of Foreign Affairs and other partners, Both ENDS will continue to support and promote small grants funds.
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* Such as Prospera, Fondo Centroamericano de Mujeres, Fondo de Mujeres Del Sur, FRIDA (The Young Feminist Fund), Mama Cash, Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights, Fondo ELAS, Fundo Casa Socioambiental (CASA), Micronesia Conservation Trust, Samdhana Institute and Women's Fund Asia.
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Dossier /Small Grants Big Impacts
Small grants funds offer an effective, alternative way to channel big money from large donors and funds to local groups and organisations that are striving for a sustainable and just society everywhere around the world.
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Dossier /Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action (GAGGA)
GAGGA rallies the collective power of the women's rights and environmental justice movements to realize a world where women can and do access their rights to water, food security, and a clean, healthy and safe environment.
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Event / 13 april 2018, 11:30Small grants, big impacts: workshop on Africa Day
On the 14th of April, Both ENDS wil host a workshop called 'Small Grants, Big Impacts' on the annual Africa day in Amsterdam. The workshop aims to demonstrate that so called 'small grants funds' effectively deliver (devopment and climate) money where it matters, to people that need it the most. Large development banks, funds, donors and governments could use small grants funds as alternative financing mechanisms to make sure their money benefits people and their environment now and it the far future.
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Publication / 8 november 2019
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Event / 19 juni 2018, 09:15 - 11:00Adaptation Futures - Session on Small grants, big impacts
The Green Climate Fund aims to support transformational pathways to climate-resilient development, intends to reach those most vulnerable, and commits to a gender-sensitive approach. This session presents an important way of putting these commitments into practice: by engaging small grants funds. These funds can provide the much needed channel between large international institutions and local communities adapting to climate change, and assure financing reaches women and men to contribute to transformative climate action. But how to make this shift in how financing is delivered? The audience will be actively engaged in the discussion to come to concrete suggestions to strengthen local access and gender responsiveness of climate finance.
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Publication / 2 november 2021
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Dossier /Green Climate Fund: calling for local access to climate finance
Local organisations and groups must be given access to climate finance from the Green Climate Fund. They know exactly what is happening in their local context and what is required for climate adaptation.
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External link / 14 december 2021Video: The Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action (GAGGA)
Launched in 2016, GAGGA is a consortium led by Fondo Centroamericano de Mujeres in collaboration with Mama Cash and Both ENDS. GAGGA rallies the collective power of gender, climate and environmental justice movements around the world. Watch the video to learn more about what GAGGA does and who's involved.
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Publication / 8 november 2019
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Event / 3 november 2021, 13:15 - 14:30UNFCCC COP 26 side event 'Gender-just climate finance: from barriers to actionable solutions'
With gender-responsiveness a work in progress, current climate funds are hardly accessible for women-led community based organizations. While these groups lack access to finance and decision-making, they already lead bold holistic gender-just climate solutions and initiatives worth funding support.
Follow this event live on YouTube!
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Publication / 8 maart 2018
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Publication / 4 november 2022
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Publication / 4 november 2016
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Event / 6 maart 2018, 15:00 - 16:30Women's Rights & Climate Finance Webinar: getting the money to the people
Join us for the third session of this five-part series on women's rights and climate finance, aimed at building knowledge and power to ensure finance flows benefit local women's groups, respond to community needs and respect human rights.
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Dossier /Communities Regreen the Sahel
In various countries in the Sahel, vast tracts of land have been restored by the local population by nurturing what spontaneously springs from the soil and protecting the sprouts from cattle and hazards.
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Publication / 4 november 2022
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Blog / 22 maart 2018Small local organisations in Mongolia bring hope in difficult times
"How many layers of clothing are you wearing? One? No, that's not enough. You should wear your ski pants over your jeans, and change your shoes for snowboots." And there you are, on day 1 of your trip to Mongolia. I had already heard that Mongolia is very cold at the end of November, and with -22 degrees that seemed to be all true.
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Publication / 26 november 2020
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News / 10 november 2017Delivering Money Where It Matters: Both ENDS' co-organised side event in Bonn
Both ENDS' Niels Hazekamp and Daan Robben are joining the Climate CoP in Bonn to actively follow the negotiations, with a special focus on certain topics such as subsidies and support for fossil fuels, climate finance, climate adaptation, and gender. Both ENDS also co-organises a side event together with the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED).
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Video / 28 augustus 2018Webinar series: women’s rights and climate finance, #5
The fifth session of our five part series on women's rights and climate finance, Experiences and Perspectives of Women Engaging in Climate Finance, shared the insights of three activists who have been serving as GCF Monitors as part of the "Women Demand 'Gender-Just' Climate Finance" initiative. They spoke about their processes of learning about climate finance and connecting with others to monitor climate finance in their communities and regions, discussed the value they have found in this work, and answered questions from webinar participants.
