THE CHALLENGEFeminist solutions to the climate crisis exist across the world. These solutions have the potential to catalyze transformative change in our interactions with our environments and our communities—but they are under-recognized, under-valued, and under-supported.
Supporting and resourcing community-led, feminist approaches is a proven solution to our global climate crisis that is equitable and sustainable. This support is part of a larger vision of replicating and scaling gender just climate solutions that center human rights, and providing feminist climate finance that challenges top-down and market-based approaches.
“Gender just climate solutions” refer to locally led or locally driven solutions that:
Climate finance is not flowing to the local level, and feminist organizations are drastically underfunded. Current funding mechanisms are often restrictive and inaccessible to community solutions that center human rights. Feminist funding mechanisms, by contrast, can improve simplicity, scope, size and speed.
TOWARD AN ECOSYSTEM OF FEMINIST FUNDING: HISTORY OF GENDER JUST CLIMATE SOLUTIONS (GJCS)
The Gender Just Climate Solutions Program began when the Women and Gender Constituency (WGC) launched the Gender Just Climate Solutions (GJCS) Awards in 2015, at COP21 when the Paris Agreement was adopted.
WGC member, Women Engage for a Common Future, coordinates this program and has helped to evolve the scope of this work to respond to the requests of grassroots organizations as well as to inform those seeking to better understand and fund the breadth and depth of feminist solutions.
The Gender Just Climate Solutions (GJCS) Scale FundHistory:
the GJCS Scale Fund seeks to respond to the challenges described by the solutions highlighted by the GJCS Awards and address the specific barriers they face to scaling and replicating their solutions. It was launched in 2021 alongside initial partners and advisory committee members Women Engage for a Common Future, Women Environmental Programme, and the African Women’s Development and Communication Network.
WEDO has led four rounds of direct funding. These small re-grants are intentionally flexible and needs-driven, supporting a wide array of activities from communications to administration to strategic planning.
Since September 2021, the GJCS Scale Fund has hosted four rounds of awarding direct funding and one round of awarding targeted capacity support for applying for a larger government grant.
Applications are open to solutions seeking to support and scale their work. WEDO works with the following partners to identify solutions: WGC GJCS Awards, GAGGA, and the Worth Initiative.
Since 2021, the Scale Fund has regranted $290,000, supporting 26 recipients from 19 countries.
Discover the solutions. These small-scale solutions with the capacity for large-scale transformation exist everywhere. Read more about the creativity, courage, and vision in these projects and programmes.
Resource women’s funds and women’s organizations to collaborate with and support gender just climate solutions. Trust these existing feminist funding mechanisms to identify and redistribute resources in powerful ways that support feminist and climate justice movements. One survey showed nearly half of women’s organizations operated on less than $30,000 a year (Dolker, 2021).
For example, the GJCS Program aims to at minimum triple the annual available resources over the next five years.
As funders, advocate for greater direct funding for gender just climate solutions. Center principles of feminist funding, connect with solutions leaders, and center their work.
As feminist civil society, contribute to advocacy toward shifting flows of finance towards gender just climate solutions. For example, join and heed the leadership of:
Association of Women in Agriculture Kenya (AWAK) is a community and policy focused organization that challenges traditional agribusinesses by moving communities towards sustainable forms of agroforestry and land restoration through capacity building and impact driven programs. AWAK couples this programming with national policy advocacy for gender just programs related to agriculture and land policy.
Project Highlight: Health and Nutrition Through Sack Gardens
AWAK trained 700 urban women in slums to convert former domestic dumping sites into vegetable gardens, using organic compost to enrich the soil and biomass waste to produce biochar. The project provides women with sustainable sources of livelihood, and builds a holistic recovery program for women experiencing gender based violence and impacts from the climate crisis.
*GJCS Honoree, 2021
*GJCS Scale Fund Recipient, 2022
EECO AC is a women-led advocacy organization bringing technical knowledge and experience from indigenous and rural women around Oaxaca to the larger community. Programs include radio advocacy programming, video storytelling, workshops and community training, and feminist economic approaches to supporting indigenous artisans. Their indigenous storytelling and programs lead to increased participation of indigenous women in local and state policy processes.
Project Highlight: Avanzando Hacia La Justicia Climática
Women from indigenous communities in Oaxaca are raising awareness and advancing towards climate justice through the training, construction, use and maintenance of eco-technologies. This project has been shown to various municipalities, communities, and online communities in Oaxaca to share indigenous stories of climate resilience.
*GJCS Honoree, 2019
*GJCS Scale Fund Recipient 2021
Bhungroo systems last for 30 years, mitigating waterlogging on farm and land while also providing irrigated water for crops during farming seasons. The project relies on trained rural Women Climate Leaders (WCLs), who promote the technology and deliver fee-based agriculture expert advice. The co-ownership model has facilitated access to irrigation and farming facilities to smallholders, with each one ensuring food-security to 30-100 rural poor and generating income of approximately USD $5700+ per year.
This project has been replicated in Togo, Ghana, and Madagascar.
*GJCS Awardee, 2018
*GJCS Scale Fund Recipient, 2023
Rice Watch Action Network works to help reduce or avoid climate related losses and damages to agriculture livelihoods through tools and government advocacy. Their programs and schools inform farmers, municipalities, and other affected groups about ‘ecological agriculture methods to help them prepare for and cope with adverse short- and long-term weather patterns and climate change.
Project Highlight: Gender-informed risk management tools
Rice Watch Action Network is building a guidance tool on a gender-informed weather-climate and women’s livelihoods risk matrix and specific risk management options. The tool will serve as the main training document for the local governments that are performing localization of climate services for farmers and fishers.
*GJCS Honoree, 2018
*GJCS Scale Fund Recipient, 2023
Women’s Environment
& Development Organization
