Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) leaders of environmental and climate nonprofits experienced a surge in support from US foundations in response to COVID-19 and the murder of George Floyd. But that tide of funding may already be receding, according to a report released last spring from the InDEEP initiative.

The Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in Environmental Philanthropy (InDEEP) initiative interviewed 14 BIPOC nonprofit leaders for the report (Conservation, Environment, and Race: Implications for Funders). The scope of the work of the leaders we surveyed was broad and included people working in the fields of climate justice, food justice, energy advocacy, clean water, conservation, and biodiversity. The scale of the groups surveyed ranged from local organizations to national ones. Additionally, we incorporated data from InDEEP’s fall 2020 virtual learning series for funders.

The report aims to help funders engage more with BIPOC leaders, center BIPOC leaders, and communities, challenge funders to advance racial equity, encourage funder engagement with BIPOC communities, build an equitable funding culture, and improve collaboration with BIPOC leaders and communities. InDEEP team members wrote the report in partnership with the Institute for Strategic and Equitable Development and the William and Flora Hewlett, David and Lucile Packard, and Doris Duke Charitable Foundations.

Many interviewees expressed concern that conservation and environmental funders could not recognize the connection between current crises—the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on BIPOC communities and the murders of Black people by police—and the endemic crises faced by Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities.

Read the full article about BIPOC environmental justice leaders by Keecha Harris, Tyrabia Womble, and Sara Padilla at Nonprofit Quarterly.