Grant Making

Our grant making program is aimed at empowering Indigenous and local communities, grassroots organizations, and frontline leaders who address critical environmental, human rights and livelihood challenges within the Albertine Rift and the Congo Basin region.

Grant Focus Areas

We fund diverse initiatives that include:

  • Addressing Environmental Crises: Tackling deforestation and other pressing ecological challenges.
  • Promoting Sustainable Livelihoods: Supporting agriculture and practices that enhance economic and environmental sustainability.
  • Ecosystem Restoration: Planting trees and rehabilitating degraded landscapes.
  • Human Rights Advocacy: Defending the rights of individuals and communities over land and water resources.

Closing the Funding Gap

The grassroots organizations that we support faces significant barriers to accessing international funding due to their size, remoteness, or lack of visibility. Environmental Defenders bridges this gap by acting as an intermediary. This ensures resources are directed to the organizations most capable of driving meaningful, localized change.

Our grants addresses both immediate threats and longer-term challenges, fosters resilience and sustainable development in some of the world’s most vulnerable regions.

Our Strategies

Our grants making efforts are guided by three key goals:
  • Advancing Human Rights: We empower vulnerable communities and defenders advocating for equitable land and resource rights.
  • Conserving the Natural Environment: Our grants safeguard forests, land, biodiversity, and water resources while addressing climate change impacts.
  • Fostering Regional and Local Collaboration: Our grants strengthen the operational capacity of grassroots organizations on the frontlines of environmental conservation and human rights.
Empowering Communities & Leaders in Environmental Advocacy
Advocating for Human Rights in Land & Water Resources
Bridging Funding Gaps for Grassroots Environmental Defenders