Summary

Launched
2023
Estimated duration
1 Years
Estimated total value
$2,954,000.00
Regions
Latin America & Caribbean
Locations
Anguilla, Antigua And Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts And Nevis, St. Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad And Tobago, Turks And Caicos Islands, Virgin Islands, U.S.
Partners
Biocultural Education and Research Programme, Bridge Foundation, Dangriga Urban Farmers (DUF) , Institute of Law & Economics (ILE) , Lasco Chin Foundation, Plant x Play, Rsc International Ltd The Source Farm Community Development Institute (SFCDI) , The Tides Foundation, Trees That Feed Foundation

Women-Led Climate Philanthropy in the Caribbean

Summary

In 2023, Caribbean Philanthropic Alliance committed to launch their “C-Beyond ” Initiative that will engage more than 2,00 global climate professionals to raise $2 million USD for women in climate initiatives by the end of 2024, and ultimately $4-8 million over 5 years. C-Beyond will leverage a network of philanthropic stakeholders and climate-focused civil society organizations to build an ecosystem of climate- and gender-responsive programs, with a focus on empowering women through the initiative’s core strategic programmatic actions – partnerships, sustainable financing, and empowerment. The initiative will create an ecosystem that mobilizes partnerships within the philanthropic sector and facilitates non-governmental organizations to exchange best practices. CariPhilAlliance will promote and support local-led initiatives through capacity building and grant distribution and will foster partner-lead conversations and events to build relationships across the Caribbean and encourage local organizations to operate as a consortium to access funding to maximize each other’s resources.

Approach

Caribbean Philanthropic Alliance (CariPhilAlliance) commits to launch their “C-Beyond ” Initiative that will engage more than 500 global climate professionals to raise $2 million USD for women in climate initiatives by the end of 2024, and ultimately $4-8 million over 5 years. which will leverage a network of philanthropic stakeholders, and climate-focused, civil society organizations to build an ecosystem of philanthropies and climate- and gender-responsive programs with a focus on empowering women through the initiative’s core strategic programmatic actions – partnerships, sustainable financing, and empowerment.

C-Beyond will mobilize philanthropy through the Partnerships & Sustainable Financing for Women in Climate (WIC) program, which seeks to elevate conversations in the region. The program will develop a funder database, hosting two virtual/in-person convenings to discuss funding opportunities in the region and how to seek greater funding intersectionality as a block guided by a funder database; host a roundtable series by conducting two virtual/in-person roundtable gathering of individuals and interdisciplinary organizations to discuss climate, the region’s response to climate, and how the global south can relay information to the global north to facilitate climate funding to the region; invest in capacity building measures for medium-sized organizations that can act as fiscal partners to grass roots organizations; and will ultimately host a Climate Conference in Barbados or Jamaica, bringing together at least 500 global climate professionals to present funder database and roundtable series findings including fundraising opportunities to raise 2 million USD for women in climate initiatives by the end of 2024, and 4-8 million over 5 years.

C-Beyond will foster women’s role in climate strategies through empowerment measures, including supplying financial resiliency training & funding simulations/modules to foster collaborations; boosting training for women working in climate across five countries for at least 450 women and young women leader’s mentorship talks/climate coaching for 100 women across five countries led by the Institute of Law & Economics & CariPhilAlliance National Coordinators; and supporting regional climate action activities, including tech/adaptation/mitigation activities & forums.

Action Plan

September to December 2023: Select Fiscal CSO Partners & Conduct Financial Resiliency/WIC Training, engaging five organizations. Host Climate Action Webinar: “Women’s Role & African Roots,” engaging 100 participants. Host Annual Climate Action Forum, “Mobilizing Philanthropy & Women in Climate,” targeting 500 participants. Convene 1st Funder Database (virtual/in-person) , engaging 450 professionals. Host creative Climate Showcase, “Climate Action: Tools for advocacy”. Convene 1st Climate Action “Women in Climate Leadership” Mentorship Talk, targeting 2,000 participants.

January 2024 to March 2024: Convene 2nd Funder Database (virtual/in-person) . Conduct Financial Resiliency/WIC Training monthly cohort. Convene 1st Roundtable Series. Convene 2nd Women Climate Leadership Talks. Convene 2nd Roundtable Series. Climate Action – Tech2Empower Launch with CSOs. Convene 2nd “Women Climate Leadership” Mentorship Talk.

April 2024 to June 2024: Host Regional Climate Action Event “Women & Earth Awards”. WIC Financial Resiliency/WIC training monthly cohort. Convene 3rd “Women Climate Leadership” Mentorship Talk. Host Climate Conference 2024.

October 2024 to December 2024: Repeat Annual Climate Action Forum. Collect feedback, complete reporting, identify next steps for program conclusion.

Background

While the Caribbean accounts for a tiny part of greenhouse gas emissions globally, it is disproportionately more vulnerable to climate risks and are often described as being on the “frontlines of climate change.” According to a recent IMF report, Caribbean small states have suffered more damage at greater frequency than other small and larger states, affecting the livelihood of the populations. Natural disasters have massive economic and human costs and building capacity and resilience for the Caribbean are considered a matter of survival.

In 2019, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change recommended it must take into account gender, particularly women, to build resilience to climate change as well as support local efforts that are implementing gender responsive and women economic empowerment strategies. Also, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Report 2020– 2021, recommended enhancing the role of social development, and particularly those serving gender and vulnerable groups and promoting investment in human and institutional capacity building to achieve sustainable agenda 2030.

Non-governmental organizations that are known to perform charitable roles, advocacy, social actions, women empowerment, environmental activism, and spur philanthropic causes and actions are critical actors in building resiliency. However, the Caribbean Policy Development Centre (CPDC) conducted a Caribbean NGO Trends Survey and determined a multi-dimensional crisis is occurring in the region which has disrupted the functions of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) , affecting the most vulnerable in the region. CPDC survey reinforced grave realities of NGOs loss of income, cessation of projects undertaken, the inability to provide services for beneficiaries and need for cohesion within the sector. These realities demand an ecosystem that streamlines philanthropy to create an ecosystem of funding to strengthen NGOs capacity to deliver gender responsive strategies and partnerships in the region to address the climate crisis at the frontlines.

Progress Update

Partnership Opportunities

Financial resources to close fundraising gaps for grants that will provide support to scale and achieve financial targets

Implementing Partnership and best practices information to scale regional CSOs gender-responsive climate action activities.

NOTE: This Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Commitment to Action is made, implemented, and tracked by the partners listed. CGI is a program dedicated forging new partnerships, providing technical support, and elevating compelling models with potential to scale. CGI does not directly fund or implement these projects.