Philanthropy has played a critical role in the struggles of peoples for freedom and justice through the centuries — from abolition, suffrage, and ending apartheid to strengthening democracy, promoting peace, and working on racial and economic equality. So, too, must it take a human rights lens on climate action, a planetary struggle affecting us all.

This will require a constellation of practices across grantmaking and investing that can be even more multifaceted and less obvious than issues funded. And it’s particularly critical, as we race for climate solutions, to involve Indigenous Peoples and their traditional lands: philanthropy has mobilized billions in pledge commitments without sufficient involvement of Indigenous Peoples themselves.

A workable and moral set of solutions for climate change requires grantmaking strategies that adhere to existing human rights instruments, and rights-based philanthropy practices that acknowledge the importance of building Indigenous People’s power in self-determination.  To do this, we must provide Indigenous communities equal knowledge of funding mechanisms for protecting, respecting, and remedying harm to nature.

Two Instruments for Rights-Based Strategies

First, funders need to deeply understand at least two global instruments that delineate standards for all rights-based strategies:

    1. The first is the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which affirms not only the inextricable connection between Indigenous Peoples’ livelihoods, culture, and land but also our individual and collective rights to decision-making and self-determination. Drafted in collaboration with Indigenous Peoples and ratified by more than 150 countries throughout the world, it is the globally-accepted minimum standard for the survival, dignity, and well-being of Indigenous Peoples.
    2. Second is the UN’s Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, whose three-part framework addresses protecting rights, respecting rights, and remedying harm. It is germane to all in the business of moving money.

Three Tenets for Rights-Based Grantmaking

Moving from rights-based giving strategies to rights-based grantmaking practice is step two. And it’s a step too often forgotten in a rush to address the climate crisis. As the prospect of fully abating climate disaster grows dim, the climate finance conversation is shifting from prevention to addressing loss and damage. Across these issues, peoples of Indigenous communities have proprietary knowledge to inform and carry out the work, but a lack of funder communication, relationship building, and transparency about funding mechanisms means Indigenous Peoples mostly have no idea where these donated billions are going, nor how they could be involved in or access remedies. If we truly believe that Indigenous knowledge, ecological stewardship, and solutions will be the key to unlocking a viable future for everyone, our grantmaking practices should empower every person in those communities to show us the way.

Consider this ancient Siletz tribal story of the Three Sisters, who are working to save babies from drowning in a nearby river. The sisters all take different approaches: one picks up as many babies at the mouth of the river as possible, remedying harm; a second tries to teach the babies to paddle out of the current, respecting their survival skills; and a third goes to the headwaters of the river to find out who is throwing babies in the river with intent to prevent them and protect the children. To empower Indigenous People to play roles of protector, respecter, and preventer calls for including them in foundation strategy development and decision-making. Observing three rights-based philanthropic practices can help any funder achieve this:

    1. Co-create tools for transparency
    2. Put the “mother right” of self-determination at the center

Read the full article about rights-based strategies and tactics by Carla Fredericks at The Center for Effective Philanthropy.