Industrial mining can be a devastating practice. Nearby communities often suffer from serious social and environmental degradation caused by the extraction and processing of raw materials.
Mining-Related Issues:
Social Problems |
Environmental Problems |
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In recent years civil society has become active in tackling these issues around the world. Community-based groups are responding to threats to their daily livelihoods and health. National coalitions are advocating for transparency and justice. International networks are promoting a more even playing field between mining companies, host governments, and affected communities. Together, these groups have made strides towards greater responsibility in the mining industry.
Global Greengrants Fund has contributed to this progress by providing small grants to groups on all levels.
Our strategy is to support social movements for justice and sustainability. These large, loosely organized collections of individuals, organizations, media, and academia come together to bring about change for problems of this scale.
In order to evaluate our approach, Global Greengrants Fund conducted a study of how small grants can support social movements in the mining sector. We endeavored to determine how our grantmaking strategy is strengthening networks and alliances to solve complex social problems.
The study chose two cases: Ghana and Peru.
Small Grants and Social Movements:
Two case studies of grantmaking and extractive industries
Peru and Ghana, though seemingly worlds apart, are both home to destructive mining activities. For years, Global Greengrants Fund has funded projects challenging the negative impacts of mining in the two countries. This study sought to evaluate our impact.
Hypothesis
Small grants improve the ability of local organizations to respond to the changing strategies of mining companies and governments seeking to impose a mining project or mute criticism of existing projects.
Process
Consultants in each region examined data and interviewed advisors, grantees, and community members. They constructed an analysis of Global Greengrants Fund’s contribution to the broader changes achieved by civil society, and the role of small grants more generally in bringing about change.
Findings
Research in both Ghana and Peru supported the hypothesis. The study clearly demonstrates that small grants awarded quickly to the appropriate leaders are key to strengthening grassroots social and environmental movements and protecting natural resources.
We found that the most effective grantmaking has the following characteristics:
- Recommendations come from advisors close to the communities
- Grants are flexible, consecutive, and long-term
- Responsive, particularly around an opportunity for urgent action
- Sensitive to the current political climate
- Considerate of the most vulnerable populations, as well as those at higher levels in the process
You can download a PDF of the Executive Summary or the Full Report. If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the study, please contact our office: info@greengrants.org or 303-939-9866.