In a context where only 1% (US$ 100 million) of the US$ 10 billion annually allocated by international philanthropy to the climate mitigation agenda lands in Brazil, the II Climate and Nature Finance Forum (CNFF) dedicated one of its roundtables to the role of philanthropy in climate finance. The forum was held on May 26 and 27 in Rio de Janeiro, as part of the preparatory events for COP 30 in November, in Belém (PA).
At the roundtable “The role of philanthropy as a catalyst for climate action and climate finance,” the executive director of the Brazil Fund, Ana Valéria Araújo, highlighted the experience of independent local funds in ensuring that these resources reach grassroots initiatives across Brazil, directly impacting territories and communities.
Ana Valéria Araújo, executive director of the Brazil Fund, during her participation in the II Climate and Nature Finance Forum (CNFF)
Much has been said about the challenge of effectively directing resources to grassroots initiatives. Well, the Brazil Fund, as well as other funds in the Comuá Network, has been doing exactly that for quite some time,” she emphasized.
The Comuá Network brings together independent local, territorial, and community grantmaking funds that allocate resources to groups, collectives, movements, and civil society organizations working in social justice, socio-environmental issues, human rights, and community development.
Ana Valéria highlighted the significant volume of resources directed by the Brazil Fund to organized civil society. “We have an expressive track record in channeling resources. The Brazil Fund has already placed more than R$ 100 million (approximately US$ 20 million) at the grassroots across the national territory, giving autonomy to these communities and groups to develop their own solutions and advance,” she said.
According to Ana Valéria, the Comuá Network mobilizes collaborative philanthropy. “The funds in the Comuá Network complement each other in their specific roles, ensuring intersectionality and allowing us to think about climate justice from the multiple perspectives the issue demands. Today, we are relevant actors in this diverse philanthropy. We have developed a series of partnerships with local and international philanthropy, and it is essential to strengthen them to scale the work and multiply the resources that reach our communities,” said the executive director, who is specialized in International Law, Indigenous peoples’ rights, and socio-environmental rights defense, and was executive director of the Rainforest Foundation in New York.
The most intense and well-attended roundtable on the second day of the CNFF—an event that positioned itself as one of the “final rehearsals” for the United Nations annual Climate Change Conference, COP 30—also included participation from public authorities, private sector, third sector, academia, and international organizations. The diversity of viewpoints was enhanced by the freedom granted through adopting the Chatham House rules, which allow participants to share information and data without attribution.
The roundtable directly addressed the challenge of making the climate agenda a priority for private donors from Global North countries, given that only 2% of total philanthropic resources worldwide are allocated to climate issues. This percentage is growing but mainly benefits the United States and Europe. Another key point discussed was the challenge of scaling private international philanthropic resources for ongoing climate adaptation initiatives in Brazil, developed by peoples and local communities.
Encouraging philanthropic resources allocation as non-reimbursable grants and building philanthropy’s image as a good business – catalyst capital that “unlocks” other pockets, i.e., encourages companies to take risks and efforts – motivated other interventions.
