We are living through a climate emergency and a global polycrisis — a convergence of environmental, social, and economic crises rooted in an extractivist model of development that privileges a minority, primarily in the Global North. For communities across the Global South, this translates into denied rights, devastated territories, and the erosion of ways of life that have protected vital ecosystems for generations.

Movements for climate and socio-environmental justice, led by Indigenous peoples, Black communities, women, youth, and local activists, are rising from this context. They demand that global responses to the climate and biodiversity crises also address the structural inequalities at their core — and affirm that the solutions must be shaped and led by those who are most affected.

Local and activist funds are key actors in these movements across the Global South. Acting as the financial arms of these struggles, these funds work to ensure that philanthropic resources reach the communities most vulnerable to climate and environmental crises. Unlike institutions managed from the Global North, they are deeply rooted in the territories where they operate, with legitimacy built through lived experience and strong relationships with local movements.

Each fund operates with its own national or regional structure, raising resources from diverse steams and redistributing them through mechanisms that are participatory, accessible, and culturally appropriate — including grants in local currencies, the use of native languages, and decision-making processes grounded in deep knowledge of the local context.