Climate change and subsequent damage to water, land and clean air affects women differently than men.

Women walk farther when water and firewood runs out, work harder for less when erratic weather patterns wreak havoc on crops and die at higher rates when natural disasters strike.

Solutions to climate change exist on the frontlines of the battle to save our planet. Grassroots women leaders are already stepping up to the challenge, but don’t have access to resources to support their work.

There is a shocking gap in funding for women’s environmental leadership. Less than 0.2% of all foundation funding goes to women’s environmental action.

Last year, Global Greengrants Fund and Prospera International Network of Women’s Funds released a report titled, “Our Voices, Our Environment: The State of Funding for Women’s Environmental Action.”

The publication is the first comprehensive mapping of funding in support of women’s environmental action. The report not only shares data on the current state of funding, but also makes recommendations to funders of how to offer support:

  • Leverage greater resources for funding, which requires an increase in understanding from funders of how to fund at the intersection of women and environment. We are helping funders learn how best to get involved at this nexus by leading a learning community with many of the top foundations and funders in philanthropy, and sharing information about how to achieve both gender and environmental justice.
  • Funders need to develop a gender and environmental justice analysis of their grantmaking portfolios, and to support organizations and initiatives doing this work. One way for funders to do this is to interact with organizations that are leading the charge.

As the threat of a climate crisis grows with each passing day, Global Greengrants Fund and Prospera are calling on others in the philanthropic space to close the funding gap at the intersection of women and environment to support collective action.

Read the full article about how climate change impacts women by Terry Odendahl and Ursula Miniszewski at National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.