A Crisis of Climate Finance
At COP29, developed nations committed a fraction of what’s necessary to tackle the climate crisis. Just $300 billion per year from both public and private sources was promised for adaptation and mitigation efforts – far below the $3 trillion needed to address the full scope of the climate emergency, particularly for the most vulnerable countries.
‘COP29 has once again highlighted the gap between promises and action. While grassroots and feminist movements are driving real, transformative solutions – mitigation, adaptation and addressing loss and damage – they continue to be sidelined by a climate finance system that favours corporations and large-scale projects over locally led, gender-just initiatives. The Global North must deliver on its obligations – not as charity, but as reparations – and prioritise funding that reaches women, Indigenous peoples, and frontline communities. True climate justice starts with supporting those who are already leading the way.’ Wanun Permpibul, Climate Watch Thailand
While international negotiations falter, social movements are stepping up, driving locally led solutions that put people and communities first. Bilateral donors, along with philanthropic foundations, must recognize their crucial role in supporting these efforts, especially in a world where authoritarian regimes are gaining ground. The need for action is now.
A troubling backslide on gender
One of the most concerning developments at COP29 was the pushback against robust commitments to gender equality in climate action. The rise of anti-rights and anti-gender movements is stalling progress, but there were also some glimmers of hope. Parties adopted an enhanced Lima Work Programme on Gender, a significant step forward. This framework establishes a 10-year work programme, promotes the use of gender- and age-disaggregated data, and sets the stage for the development of a Gender Action Plan (GAP) ahead of COP30.
Despite this progress, gender-just climate solutions continue to be underfunded and excluded from key climate decision-making processes. Feminist movements are already driving transformative climate action at the local, national, and global levels. These movements are innovating with gender-just, rights-based frameworks that address both the climate crisis and its root causes: structural inequalities.
The funding gap: a call to philanthropy
The reality is stark: there is a severe lack of climate finance for grassroots, gender-just climate action. Despite the clear effectiveness of locally led solutions, which are holistic, community-driven, and designed by those most impacted, funding is not reaching the right actors.
Consider these alarming statistics:
- 10% of traceable climate finance from international climate funds is directed to local activities.
- Only 20% of climate finance reaches least developed countries, and just 3% goes to small island developing states.
- A staggering 57% of climate finance is distributed as loans, rather than grants, burdening vulnerable countries even further.
When it comes to gender-just climate finance, the picture is even worse:
- Just 4% of all climate-related development assistance prioritizes gender equality as a principal objective.
- Less than 1% of all global philanthropic funding is dedicated specifically to gender and the environment.
- Only 22% of official development assistance (ODA) for climate change and gender equality reaches women’s rights organizations.
- Just 1% of climate assistance ODA reaches Indigenous peoples.
Feminist movements are leading the charge in climate justice and are already providing the most innovative and effective solutions to the crisis. Yet these solutions are systematically underfunded, largely because of exclusionary climate finance systems that prioritise large, top-down projects over locally led, gender-just solutions.
‘Women leaders are driving locally-led gender-just climate solutions in real-world contexts, proving that women are pivotal in addressing the climate crisis. These efforts must be documented, amplified, celebrated, and given platforms where community women can share their stories in their own voices, championing climate and gender Justice. To achieve a just and sustainable Future, we need more dedicated climate finance that centres on gender equity.’– Pragya Sherchan, Prakriti Resources Center Nepal
Why we must invest in gender-just, locally-led climate action
The message is clear: We can’t afford to wait for international conventions, meetings or governments to act. Philanthropic foundations have a unique opportunity to catalyse transformative change by investing in grassroots, locally led, and gender-just climate solutions.
At the Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action (GAGGA)[1], we have been supporting over 500 women-led community-based organizations (CBOs) across the Global South since 2016. These organizations are at the forefront of gender-just climate action, with support from 26 partner funds (women’s funds, feminist funds, and socio-environmental funds) and 42 non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This deep partnership model builds cross-movement collaboration across countries and regions to ensure that gender-just climate solutions receive the funding and support they need to thrive.
GAGGA’s network and funding mechanism are closing the gender-climate finance gap by channelling critical resources to women-led CBOs driving climate adaptation and mitigation efforts. But for these efforts to scale, the climate finance system must be restructured to prioritize equity, inclusivity, and long-term impact. The Principles for Locally-Led Adaptation, endorsed by over 70 organizations, stress the importance of context-specific, cost-effective solutions that actively engage historically excluded groups, such as women, Indigenous peoples, and local communities.
‘As usual, the COP falls short of expectations. There is too much talk, and we are running out of slogans. Yet, hope flourishes on the sidelines. While global leaders seem to be moving away from solidarity, driving back hard-won progress by civil society, communities and indigenous peoples are holding on. They are implementing climate solutions on their territories with concrete successful outcomes.’. Florencia Ortúzar, Director of the Climate Program at AIDA.
Women are the architects of the solutions we urgently need
For too long, women and marginalised communities have been seen as passive recipients of aid during climate crises. In reality, they are the architects of the solutions we urgently need. At GAGGA, we believe it’s time to shift the narrative. Women are not just beneficiaries of climate solutions – they are the leaders driving transformative, gender-just climate action.
‘As feminists and climate justice advocates, we demand accountability for unmet financial promises and systemic reforms that prioritize equity and inclusion. True climate action is impossible without putting women and marginalized voices at the center of decision-making and funding allocations. Justice delayed is justice denied.’ Maria Matui, Women Action Towards Economic Development, Tanzania
The infrastructure to support these movements is already in place. Women’s funds, feminist funds, and environmental justice funds around the world are channelling resources to these grassroots efforts. It’s time to scale up investment in locally led, gender-just climate solutions that empower communities to adapt, mitigate, and build long-term resilience.
Philanthropists, foundations, and bilateral donors – the question is not whether we can afford to support these movements, but whether we can afford not to.
Read more about Funding our Future: Resourcing the feminist movements driving climate action – in the Mama Cash and Equality Fund’s new brief.
Noemi Grütter is a young passionate feminist climate activist and the Alliance Coordinator of the Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action (GAGGA), working in the intersection of climate, environmental and gender justice, leading global advocacy work, multistakeholder collaborations and cross-movement building.