Hive Fund for Climate and Gender Justice
OVERVIEW: The Hive Fund for Climate and Gender Justice is a funding intermediary that supports organizations led by women of color that are working at the intersection of social justice, climate change and racial equity.
IP TAKE: The Hive Fund for Climate and Gender Justice is a participatory funder that considers gender and racial justice to be root causes of the current climate crisis and supports groups that operate at the intersection of these three issues and center the leadership of black, indigenous, and other women of color. This accessible funder makes multi-year grants for general operating support and invites potential grantees to reach out with general inquiries; however, it does not accept unsolicited requests for funding. Nevertheless, this is a good funder to know for groups working on climate change and social change.
PROFILE: Established in 2019, the Hive Fund for Climate and Gender Justice is a public foundation that raises funds and awards grants to support organizations led by women of color throughout the U.S. South. It prioritizes the needs of organizations that have traditionally lacked access to funding and that work in the intersection of racial justice, gender and climate.
The Hive Fund awards multi-year grant support, primarily in the Gulf South and Atlantic Coast regions because of higher pollution levels and lower philanthropic funding levels here. Specific interests of this foundation are civic engagement, expanding democracy, clean energy, stopping pollution, sustainable power utilities, climate justice and advocacy through art and storytelling.
The Hive Fund pursues its mission through funding partnerships with other grantmakers, including the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, Women Donors Network and Bezos Earth Fund.
On its website, the fund outlines its giving philosophy in an engaging document it calls its Theory of Change and argues that the current climate crisis is inextricably linked to racial and gender justice. Hive states that addressing climate justice “requires transforming the systems of power that are allowing industries to poison Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities for profit while dangerously warming our planet.”
Grants for Climate Change and Clean Energy, Women and Racial Equity
The fund’s grantmaking strategy takes a three-pronged approach and works to accelerate the transition to clean renewable energy, reverse the growth of “dirty energy industries,” and help to place more women of color in positions of influence and power within the climate movement. It emphasizes a power building approach that focuses on people power, economic power, and cultural power as a means of enacting change.
In addition to its larger climate focus, the Hive Fund has committed $100 million to support community-led Climate groups and programs throughout the South in what it calls IRA Climate Justice Zones, named after the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and in response to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Justice40 Executive Order, and other new environmental justice executive orders. These zones are located in Houston, Atlanta, New Orleans, and rural North Carolina.
Important Grant Details:
Most of the Hive Fund for Climate and Gender Justice’s funding stays in the American South, but approximately 20% goes to groups working at the national level.
Generally, grants provide multi-year general support and prioritize funding for groups that work “across multiple interconnected issues.”
The fund has two grantmaking cycles each year, but it does not accept unsolicited proposals or requests for funding.
Grantseekers can get a better understanding of the types of groups the Hive Fund supports by looking at its previous grantee pages, which are divided by region: Atlantic Coast, Gulf South, and National.
Read the FAQ for more information or reach out via its contact form with questions.
PEOPLE:
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