Spring 2024 Impact Report
Since Planet Women’s founding in 2020, our team has had the great privilege of connecting with hundreds of women in the environmental movement. We’ve spoken to women who live in megacities and remote mountain villages; who are CEOs of big international NGOs and who are just starting their careers; women who are scientists, lawyers, policymakers, community organizers, farmers and mothers.
When Planet Women asked these leaders what they needed, we repeatedly heard two things: 1) funding to grow their work and 2) connection and support from other women and allies in this movement. So that’s what Planet Women offers. You can think of our work as supporting women to Gather and Grow.
Thanks to the collective efforts of our staff, grant partners, program participants, donors, advisors and friends, Planet Women has been able to invest more than $950,000 to protect nature, support communities and transform the culture of conservation since July 1, 2023. Together, we are ensuring that all women—no matter who they are or where they live—have the resources, skills and support to shape solutions for a healthy planet.
Grow
Planet Women offers easily accessible grants directly to women, Indigenous and youth leaders, so they can grow their solutions to the environmental crisis. We don’t require grant applications or a formal proposal and we have a flexible reporting process. We want our partners to be able to put their energy into the outcomes that matter to their community.
We focus our funding on the Amazon, Colorado and Congo River Basins—three areas that are critical for global biodiversity and climate resilience. Below are examples of how our community is resourcing women so they can grow their impact, their livelihoods and their leadership.
Congo River Basin & Africa
In Africa, Planet Women’s field grants support women leaders protecting nature in the Congo River Basin, as well as other biodiverse regions like the Albertine Rift, Okavango River Delta and the rangelands of Northern Kenya.
Over the past six months, funding and technical support from the Planet Women community has directly impacted the lives of more than 1,500 women leaders in Africa.
-
Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Conservation Through Public Health
Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka has made it her life’s mission to protect the endangered mountain gorillas who live in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda. At 26 years old, she became the first-ever wildlife veterinarian for the Uganda Wildlife Authority. She found that improving the health and wellbeing of the local communities who live around Bwindi was essential to saving the gorillas.
In 2022, Planet Women funded Dr. Gladys’ organization Conservation Through Public Health to conduct a needs assessment of 223 women in these communities. Since then, CTPH has used their findings to create specific programming for women smallholder farmers. With funding from Planet Women, 330 women participated in CTPH’s two-day conservation and agroforestry training in December 2023. That’s 92% more women participating than when they started the project in 2019!
-
Edith Muhindo, Women's Leadership Circle
Along with meeting together monthly, 20 African women received seed grants from Planet Women through our Women’s Leadership Circle to support their environmental work or professional growth in 2023. Drawing courage and inspiration from each other, the women have used their grants to boldly pursue their dreams. This year, Edith Muhindo (Uganda) is using her grant to get her master’s degree in natural resources management. She says, “The WLC woke me up and assured that I speak up. I was quite silent. From these trainings, I also gained a lot of confidence.” Once she graduates, Edith will be the only woman in her village with a master’s degree. See Edith’s story.
Amazon River Basin
The Amazon is the world’s largest rainforest and largest river basin in the world. Rich biodiversity thrives alongside more than 500 distinct Indigenous Peoples. One-third of all known terrestrial species of plants, animals, and insects exist in the Amazon Rainforest. Yet, 35% of Amazon forests have been lost or degraded, largely from agriculture, ranching, mining, illegal logging and forest fires. Movements on the ground, often led by Indigenous and youth communities, are helping to create a groundswell of support for saving the remaining forest.
In the last six months, our partners in the Amazon Basin have been growing public support for forest restoration, wildlife protection and Indigenous rights—from Peru to Brazil to Colombia.
-
Jama Peres Pereira, Cultural Survival
In 2023, Planet Women supported four of Cultural Survival’s Indigenous Youth Fellows—knowledge-holders and artists who are transforming their communities. Meet one of the Fellows, Jama Peres Pereira (Wapichana) from Brazil. She has a master's degree in literature with a focus on Indigenous literature and specializes in economic justice advocacy for Indigenous women.
Through her fellowship, Jama coordinated the Wapichana Indigenous Literature and Inclusion Project, which aims to disseminate Wapichana literature by transforming it into inclusive material for deaf people in Brazilian sign language, enabling them to learn about the stories of Indigenous Peoples. She also translated a book of children's stories in the Wapichana language into English and Portuguese and finally into libras (Brazilian sign language). Read Jama’s storybook and find out more about Cultural Survival on their website.
-
Isabella Cortes Lara, Women For Conservation
Through Women for Conservation (W4C), Planet Women has invested in environmental education, career training, and public health classes for rural women in Colombia. W4C Executive Director Isabella Cortes Lara shares: “The goal of W4C is to educate Colombians about the endemic species that surround them, and the unique ecosystems that are in danger of extinction.
Conservation has to consider a holistic approach. This means engaging with adults that may have a 5th grade education…There are many cases of displacement from conflict, which interrupted millions of people’s lives, especially in their education and career development. Environmental education gives us the opportunity to ignite curiosity in the hearts of people, especially those who may have not had a childhood because of trauma. Working holistically means taking on various issues in the community at once, addressing the intersectionality of the issues affecting a territory to conserve nature effectively.” Learn more at W4C’s website.
Colorado River Basin & the American West
The Colorado River has sustained cultures and wildlife for millions of years. The river runs from the Rocky Mountains through seven U.S. states and into Mexico where it has historically flowed into the Gulf of California. Today, the river rarely makes it that far. Demand for water exceeds the river’s capacity and the past 20 years of mega-drought have further imperiled the system. To save this important river and the 40 million people that depend on it, a holistic approach and more diverse voices are needed.
This year, Planet Women has funded Indigenous communities and Indigenous-led organizations working on women’s leadership, climate resilience, and forest and water stewardship.
-
Young Women of Tohono O'odham Nation
Your support enabled Planet Women to provide funds for the 5th Annual Wecij U'Uwi Hemapai, a gathering for the young women of the San Xavier District of the Tohono O’odham Nation in Arizona. This special gathering is facilitated by women leaders and elders, and is open to girls ages 10-17 years old. The event is designed to support the growth of young O'odham women by helping them to reconnect to their O'odham identity, allowing them to move forward in life with feelings of strength, self-love, and self-respect.
The gathering will include four days of camping with activities of spiritual, physical, social, and educational importance. The community has plans for sunrise runs, womanhood teachings, discussions about healthy relationships, traditional songs and games, wellness workshops and more.
-
Ecotrust
Planet Women made a grant to Ecotrust in October 2023 to fund their efforts to increase representation and support for Native women in tribal forestry, including within the Intertribal Timber Council, the United States' leading organization representing tribal forestry and fire issues. Three Native women were awarded travel funds to attend the 47th Annual National Indian Timber Symposium in May 2024. In collaboration with the Women’s Forest Congress, Ecotrust is hosting the first women-in-forestry event ever held during the Symposium. We are delighted that this gathering will to foster connection and community for women and allies within the forestry sector.
Gather
Planet Women offers resources for women around the world to gather in community for collective learning and peer support. So often when we speak to women leaders—no matter where they live, no matter how old or experienced they are—they reflect that they feel “alone” in their work. Fighting for a healthy planet is complicated, exhausting, and for too many people, dangerous or even life-threatening. Globally, women face unique barriers and challenges that make their efforts in the environmental movement particularly isolating.
Over the last six months, Planet Women has brought together more than 100 women to support, learn from and inspire each other—from Indigenous women in the Colorado River Basin for the Women & Water Convening to the third cohort of the 100 Women Pathway leadership program. We are deeply gratified by the feedback we have gotten. Women say they feel recharged, reminded that they are not alone, and inspired to stay in the movement.
100 Women Pathway
Planet Women’s 100 Women Pathway is designed to increase the number of diverse women leaders at the helm of the environmental movement. This eight-month program brings together women who are already making a big impact in the environmental space and looking to take the next step in their career. Together, participants explore their unique leadership qualities, learn from one another and coaches, and connect with executive leaders and recruiters.
In April 2024, we celebrated the conclusion of our third Pathway cohort. Fifteen women from public agencies, Tribal government and nonprofits have been gathering monthly to support each other as they explore opportunities for career growth. This year, two more Pathway alumni have advanced to more senior roles, positioning them to more powerfully shape solutions to the environmental crisis. Six alumni have taken more senior roles since the program began in 2022.
We also launched three Coaching Circles to bring small groups of alumni together with a professional coach for skill-building and peer support. This year, we are hosting an identity-based circle for Black women leaders and a circle on how to work effectively with your board of directors.
Women & Water Convening
Crucial policy agreements governing the river are set to expire 2025 and 2026. It is essential that Indigenous and non-Indigenous women water experts are included in the negotiations for the future of the basin.
In November 2023, Planet Women and Sonoran Institute hosted the Women & Water Convening, in collaboration with San Xavier District of the Tohono O’odham Nation, Indigenous Women’s Leadership Network, The Chapter House, and The Nature Conservancy. The gathering brought together more than 80 people connected to Colorado River water issues, including Indigenous leaders, youth leaders, policymakers, scientists, engineers and artists. This diverse group brainstormed solutions to the water crisis and ways to work together in more collaborative, sustainable, and culturally inclusive ways. The gathering was so powerful that we are making it an annual event!
What’s Next?
-
Growing the Women's Leadership Circle
We will grow the WLC with two new cohorts in the Congo Basin and Africa. Participants will receive grants to invest in their professional development or community projects. Our goal is to expand the program by coaching WLC graduates to facilitate circles in their communities, based on their local context, language and needs.
-
100 Women Pathway Gathering in Atlanta
We will gather our 4th cohort of 100 Women Pathway in October, uniting Black women leaders from the Southeastern United States, moving closer to our goal of 100 rising women leaders in the environmental sector.
-
Shaping the Future of the Colorado River Basin
The Women & Water Convening will bring together diverse leaders in the Southwest for a second gathering this fall. As high-stakes negotiations for the future of the basin are occurring in 2025 and 2026, gatherings like the Women & Water Convening are an essential way for women and allies to co-create solutions.