HOW WE WORK

Environmental Defenders Collaborative works to ensure that local communities and their allies have the rights and resources they need to win the struggle for environmental justice.

Recognizing that strategies appropriate to each context and geography vary, EDC tests different approaches, learning what will work in each place and developing a strong set of partners and allies who can advise EDC about its grantmaking. These approaches recognize that funding for environmental defenders must be:

  • TIMELY: It is critical that environmental defenders can rely on necessary resources during their greatest time of need. At the same time, this support often fails to address the drivers of defenders’ risk. EDC provides funding for both emergency needs, and to strengthen efforts to identify and reduce risks before they become urgent.

  • COLLECTIVE: The environmental movement has often highlighted the stories of individual defenders in efforts to inspire others to action. But collective approaches to safety and security can help communities and movements strengthen their own infrastructure and ability to address threats to safety and security on an ongoing basis. Collective approaches can also help address the root causes of these threats.

  • HOLISTIC AND FLEXIBLE: By listening to the needs of environmental defenders, and adapting our support commensurately, EDC has earned respect and trust within the movement. EDC’s flexible and holistic support is well-adapted to both urgent response needs of environmental defenders and to the longer-term challenges of addressing root causes of the threats to environmental defenders. 

  • FOSTERING NETWORKS: Defenders must have connections to networks for support and advice when they are under threat, especially during a crisis. Similarly, they rely on networks to address the drivers and root causes of the threats they face. EDC builds relationships with both defenders and support organizations. 

OUR FRAMEWORK

Our grantmaking is organized by four principal strategies: Protect > Prevent > Reveal > Redress

OUR GRANTMAKING

EDC offers grants to individuals and groups anywhere outside the United States and western Europe.

PARTICIPATORY GRANTMAKING

The Action Partnerships program is a trust-based mechanism that offers leading legal and human rights practitioner organizations access to timely, small grant funding for their community partners. This program aims to complement the critical work that our Action Partners are already engaged in by providing additional support to their community allies in areas of security, community organizing, legal efforts, and other similar needs. Read more.

FUNDER-DIRECTED PARTNERSHIPS

Foundation Partnerships
EDC is open to long-term partnerships with individual foundations seeking support for their existing grants programs where grantees are at risk. This approach has the advantage of supporting high volumes of work already underway with large foundation grants, but whose grantees still face vulnerabilities. EDC grants can complement these larger efforts and increase the chances of grantee success.

P3N project
The Protegiendo a Personas, Protegiendo a la Naturaleza (P3N) initiative provides people and organizations advancing environmental and climate justice in Mexico with tools and support to promote safe culture and practices. It incorporates three activities:

  • Holistic Security Training: providing tools to develop security protocols.

  • Environmental Defenders Reporting: documenting attacks on individuals or collectives.

  • Rapid Response Fund: providing economic resources (between $2,000–$5,000) for immediate protection needs.

STAFF-LED

Although EDC does not publicly accept unsolicited applications, staff receive and review grants from a diverse network of contacts. This has been the most common approach since the establishment of EDC, and will continue to be an important avenue for grantmaking.