Community philanthropy and locally-led adaptation solutions: lessons learned from the Global South

Casa Socio-Environmental Fund is already in Baku, Azerbaijan, participating in the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP29). As part of its agenda at the Conference, it will launch the Policy Brief – Community Philanthropy and Locally-Led Adaptation Solutions: Lessons Learned from the Global South.

The study, developed by CLIMÁTICA consultancy for Casa Fund, highlights the main challenges and opportunities related to financing mechanisms, particularly the Adaptation Fund, to support local communities, strengthen participatory management processes, and support Locally Led Adaptation measures.

The document emphasizes the role of Global South funds in the adaptation agenda and presents some networks and funds with participatory management that are already working on the climate agenda in the Global South and can serve as decisive financial mechanisms to enhance local resilience. Lastly, it outlines recommendations for stakeholders interested in climate philanthropy to make access to financial resources more democratic and efficient, with communities as the central element of this process.

During COP29, where negotiators are expected to set a new global climate finance goal for the first time in fifteen years, this target is hoped to be ambitious, consider the needs and priorities of developing countries and their peoples, and contribute to increasing the level of adaptation financing for those who contribute the least but are most affected by climate change.

“Philanthropy, especially community philanthropy, plays a crucial role in addressing climate change from a human rights perspective. The presence of philanthropy in spaces like the COPs aims to ensure that climate finance is accessible to local and community initiatives. These events offer an opportunity to build strategic and collaborative alliances among diverse actors. Moreover, philanthropy’s presence in these spaces increases the visibility of nature-based solutions and community approaches that are vital for climate resilience, helping direct resources to the most vulnerable regions and populations, particularly in the Global South,” says Cristina Orpheo, Executive Director of Casa Fund.

Join the launch of the policy brief

The study will be presented by Maria Amália Souza, founder of Casa Fund, during the panel “Financing Solutions from the Ground Up: Local, Territorial, and Activist Funds and the Power of the Philanthropic Architecture of the Global South”, at the Blue Zone, Room 9, on November 16 at 11:30 AM, at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.