Bolstering the Environmental Justice Movement: Philanthropy’s Role Amidst Funding Cuts and Attacks on Climate

Under the Trump administration, federal climate initiatives have been stalled or defunded leaving nonprofit partners and local governments in limbo around the future of their projects. Initiatives across California and the Bay Area previously tied to robust federal funding streams are facing serious gaps in support protecting historically marginalized communities and a widening of climate vulnerability. Philanthropy must invest in the protections needed, continuity for resilience, and the future of environmental justice. 

For environmental justice groups, especially those serving low-income and BIPOC communities, this funding vacuum presents an existential threat. These groups have earned the trust of communities who have often been excluded from top-down climate planning efforts yet are struggling to maintain momentum. The Bay Area’s efforts to fortify against sea-level rise through innovative, community-led projects have grown significantly in scale over the past decade. These projects are now at risk as federal funding priorities shift away from climate resilience. 

At the same time, California is focused on progress with new opportunities: California voters have approved a $10 billion climate bond through Prop 4, and upcoming reauthorization of the State Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund presents a chance to replenish resources. However, the challenge for frontline communities is twofold—fend off the erosion of federal support while remaining prepared to access state funding that often comes with its own barriers. 

Join us to: 

• Discuss the shifting federal landscape and its consequences for community-led climate resilience projects 
• Learn about the disproportionate impact of funding cuts on environmental justice and grassroots organizations 
• Strategize around steps for philanthropy in filling urgent funding gaps and building long- term resilience 
• Hear how funders can uplift the leadership and capacity of historically marginalized communities to lead climate solutions

Speakers to be announced later this week.