“Money earmarked for Indigenous people that sits in a bank because of worries about Indigenous ‘capacity’ is water sitting in a locked fire hydrant while a city burns down because you’re worried the firefighters can’t handle the job.”
This is how Tapestry Institute’s Standing Our Ground for the Land: An Indigenous Philanthropy describes a key issue in efforts to tackle the interlinked climate and biodiversity crises – too often, landmark climate and conservation funding pledges fail to reach the Indigenous Peoples and local communities who own, use, and manage the land, and who are best placed to enact change.
With funders increasingly aware of the need to shake up traditional giving models, the push for systemic change in the philanthropy sector is gaining momentum. This means shifting power – funds, capacity, and recognition of rights – to Indigenous and local communities.
So how can we close the gap between pledges and action? Synchronicity Earth recently co-authored an article with Maliasili, Rights and Resources Initiative, and Rainforest Foundation Norway. Published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, it addresses the challenges and next steps in moving towards better climate funding.
