Funding Fairer Futures

Funding Fairer Futures is a new initiative dedicated to strengthening the climate movement and supporting its transformation to become truly inclusive by ensuring that the needs and perspectives of diverse stakeholders, including often marginalised communities, are heard and reflected in climate action. Funding Fairer Futures is co-funded by the European Commission under the Development Education and Awareness Raising (DEAR) Programme. The project kick-started in May 2024 and will be carried out within 4 years.

It aims to do so by providing funding and opportunities for organisational development, capacity building and sharing, networking and campaigning to climate, youth, local communities, disabled people, and ecofeminist NGOs and groups.

The initiative leverages the combined networks and expertise of:

• Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe: Europe’s leading NGO climate change coalition with over 200 members in 40 countries.
• Climate Action Network (CAN) International: A global network of 1,900 CSOs in 130 countries.
• ECOLISE: The European network for community-led initiatives (CLIs) on climate change and sustainability.
• Women Engage for a Common Future (WECF) International: A network of 250 women’s CSOs.
• CBM Ireland: A member and partner of numerous European and Global South coalitions and networks promoting inclusive climate action.
• Generation Climate Europe (GCE): The largest coalition of youth-led networks in Europe on climate and environmental justice issues, bringing together 381 youth-led organisations and groups.

All partners are committed to building more inclusive, accessible and representative spaces in the climate movement. For this, the initiative prioritises gender equality, disability inclusion, youth leadership, and the empowerment of marginalised communities. We will launch several calls for proposals until 2027.

On 13 January 2025, we will launch the first calls for proposals across five different funds dedicated to supporting civil society organisations and groups in delivering impactful awareness-raising, campaigning, advocacy, and citizen engagement projects that create more just and sustainable futures for all. Through this call, we aim to raise awareness of climate justice issues among citizens, empower them to take action, and promote gender-transformative actions and policies.

The call includes 5 different funds:

• Climate Action Engagement Fund – 500,000€

• Focus: Supports CSOs in EU-27, Western Balkans, and Turkey to promote just transition and climate justice.
• Activities: Awareness-raising, campaigning, mobilisation, citizen engagement, advocacy.
• Coordination: CAN Europe

• Feminist Climate Action Fund – 250,000€

• Focus: Supports women and feminist CSOs in 10 countries (Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden) to engage in climate dialogues and policy processes.
• Activities: Capacity-building,campaign,advocacy, citizen action, networking
• Coordination: WECF International

• Youth Climate Changemakers Fund – grants up to 100,000€

• Focus: Supports informal youth groups and youth-led CSOs in the EU-27 to promote inclusive climate justice.
• Activities: Awareness-raising, action, engagement with decision-makers, organisational development.
• Coordination: Generation Climate Europe

• Global Connections for Climate Justice Fund – 50,000€

• Focus: Supports grassroots Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) in Africa and Asia (Burkina Faso, Kenya, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Nepal, Laos, Philippines, Bangladesh) to engage in climate justice activities.
• Activities: Capacity building, transformative advocacy, people’s hearings, collective engagement.
• Coordination: CBM Ireland

• Regenerative Communities Fund – 200,000€

• Focus: Supports the development of community-led initiatives working on climate action, in 5 countries (from Croatia, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia or Spain). This first call will be focused on supporting 5 national hubs.
• Activities: Awareness-raising, campaigning, mobilisation, capacity-building, networking, policy dialogues.
• Coordination: ECOLISE

Who can apply?

Civil society organisations and groups in Europe (EU-27, Western Balkans and Turkey) and the Global South (Asia, Africa, and Pacific Islands) focusing on climate, youth, women, local communities, people with disabilities and other marginalised groups. Please mind that specific criteria apply based on the fund you wish to apply for. Further information on each fund’s criteria will be provided on 13 January. 

What do we do? 

We provide capacity-building and financial support to civil society organisations to deliver impactful awareness-raising, campaigning, advocacy and citizen engagement projects for climate justice. Together, supported projects, CSOs/groups will raise awareness and interest of people living in Europe for climate justice and empower them to take action for climate justice, while promoting gender-transformative actions and policies.

When can you apply?

The calls for proposals will officially open on 13 January 2025, until 7 March 2025. The selection process will take place in March and April, and projects are expected to start in May and June 2025. 

Join our information session

Want to know more about the calls for proposals, check if you are eligible and for which fund? Join our information session which will take place online on 22 January 2025, 11:00 AM – 01:00 PM CET. 

Any questions? 

Do not hesitate to contact Josh Cope at josh.cope@gceurope.org, we will be happy to answer any questions you may have! 

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