A challenge as complex as climate change demands approaches that link its social and ecological dimensions. Importantly, the destructive effects of our fossil­fuel­based way of life are uneven, harming some people more than others. The impacts of climate change are also uneven. For example, coastal storms, sea level rise, and drought disproportionately affect certain populations. Real solutions to the climate crisis will require a significant level of socioeconomic change, as we de­carbonize many sectors of society including energy, agriculture, and transportation, to name a few. Socioeconomic restructuring on this scale raises the critical issue of equity: solutions must work for everyone. To best create climate solutions that meet the needs of everyone, we must create space for historically less privileged populations to lead. A more inclusive and intersectional movement will allow all groups to learn how patterns of oppression and privilege operate in our society, as well as, understand how they intersect with environmental justice and the ability to influence public policy. It will also build trusting relationships that leverage the power of diverse alliances and intersections, broadening our work beyond the confines of single­issue environmental organizing. To that end, this webinar will answer the following: “How can we honor the intersectionality of climate change in a way that invites historically excluded populations to lead us toward an unstoppable climate movement?” Participants will walk away with guidance and lessons learned from philanthropists and practitioners who are applying an inclusive and intersectional approach to strengthen their work. Co-Sponsored by Environmental Grantmakers Association (EGA) Speakers: Farhad Ebrahimi, Chorus Foundation Samantha Harvey, Environmental Program Officer, Overbrook Foundation; Program Manager, BEA for Impact Vernard Williams, Director, Race and Justice Initiative, Alliance for Climate Education Elizabeth Yeampierre, Executive Director, UPROSE

1. RACIAL JUSTICE AND
THE CLIMATE MOVEMENT
EPIP Webinar – July 27, 2016
EPIP Host: Biz Ghormley
Presenters:
Elizabeth Yeampierre, Farhad Ebrahimi, Samantha
Harvey & Vernard Williams

2. 2
Emerging Practitioners in
Philanthropy (EPIP) is a
national network of
foundation professionals,
social entrepreneurs and
other change makers who
strive for excellence in the
practice of philanthropy.

3. 3
We provide a platform
for our community to:
Connect
with others
Learn &
practice
leadership skills
Inspire
emerging ideas in
the social sector

4. Get in touch!
Please reach out with any questions or to
learn more about membership!
Biz Ghormley
biz@epip.org
Director of Operations & Member Services

5. What’s Next?
• Next EPIP Webinar!
• Meet CHANGE Philanthropy – 8/3, 3pm ET
• EPIP Conference Preview – 8/10, 3pm ET
• All Events
• epip.org/events

6. EPIP Annual Conference
http://www.epip.org/2016_national_conference

7. EGA Fall Retreat

8. Housekeeping
• Use the question box for
• Technical difficulties
• Comments
• Content questions for Q&A
• Polls and questions are anonymous
• Use #EPIPwebinar to join the conversation on social media
• This webinar will be recorded and posted in the EPIP archive
• Complete the post-webinar survey, please!

9. Speakers
Elizabeth Yeampierre, Executive Director, UPROSE
Farhad Ebrahimi, Founder & Chair, The Chorus Foundation
Samantha Harvey, Environmental Program Officer, Overbrook Foundation
Vernard Williams, Associate Program Director, ACE

10. ABOUTUPROSE
 Founded in 1966
 Brooklyn’s oldest Latino community-based organization
 Leading advocates of:
- Social, environmental, and climate justice
- Multiethnic, intergenerational leadership development
- Community-based planning
Contact us:
info@uprose.org
718-492-9307
Follow us:
uproseBK
@UPROSE

11. AJUSTTRANSITION

12. July 27, 2016
Institutional Transformation
1
Vernard Williams, JD
Associate Program Director
Race and Justice Initiative Facilitator

13. Internal equity work is
essential for organizations
and funders to effectively
deliver on a mission for
social change.
Key takeaway
2

14. An internal approach is vital
Climate change is a justice issue
• Those least responsible suffer the most from the causes and impacts
• 68% of African-Americans live within 30 miles of a coal plant 1
• Asthma is a top reason why students miss school 2
• Low income communities have fewer resources to adapt to a changing climate 3
• This is on top of other systemic justice issues
• African-Americans represent 26% of juvenile arrests yet 58% of state prison admissions 4
An inclusive, intersectional approach is necessary for an effective movement
• Increases relevancy: shows that we care about people
• Invites frontline leadership and power
• Allows for stronger solutions that benefit all
We must change ourselves to create “safe” space for an intersectional approach
• To authentically and effectively build an inclusive movement, funders and organizations must do
the internal equity and inclusion work ourselves
3
1 Keating, Martha H., et al. "Air of Injustice: African Americans & Power Plant Pollution." 2002. http://www.energyjustice.net/files/coal/Air_of_Injustice.pdf.
2 "Asthma and Schools." CDC. 2015. Accessed July 21, 2016. http://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/asthma/index.htm.
3 Ortiz, Wendy. "Lessons on Climate Change and Poverty From the California Drought." Center for American Progress. August 19, 2015. Accessed July 21, 2016.
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/poverty/report/2015/08/19/119446/lessons-on-climate-change-and-poverty-from-the-california-drought/.
4 "Criminal Justice Fact Sheet." NAACP. Accessed July 21, 2016. http://www.naacp.org/pages/criminal-justice-fact-sheet.

15. Background
Alliance for Climate Education (ACE)
• Non-profit founded in 2008
• Our mission is to educate young
people on the science of climate
change and empower them to take
action
• We run programs in five cities
nationwide
• We focus specifically on high-school-
aged young people
• And, we’ve evolved for the better
4

16. Our founding mindset
Goal: Educate as many high school students as possible on climate
science and solutions
Success: Our Award Winning ACE Assembly has reached more than 2 million students
5

17. Our founding mindset
Reflection: Our internal leadership team did
not represent the communities we served:
• There were no people of color on the
Executive Team or Board of Directors
• We observed higher rates of turnover
for staff identifying as people of color
• We received exit interview input that
voices of POC staff were not being
heard
6

18. Focus on justice: Tension
Starting this work wasn’t easy.
Some staff worried a new focus on
justice might:
• Make us lose niche as science-
based organization
Some executive leadership feared a
new focus on justice might:
• Raise internal tensions
• Create a loss in productivity
• Confuse our funders
• Commit us to an unsolvable problem
7

19. From tension to progress
8
We overcame internal fear by proceeding thoughtfully and seeking external
support
Keys to Success:
• Worked with partner organizations for support including Fierce Allies and iMCI
• Assessed ACE’s history, strengths, and weaknesses to understand our starting point
• Built trust among staff through workshops and thoughtful discussions
• Created structure for full staff to engage in learning and strategy

20. Seeing tangible benefits
Stronger Programs, Stronger Mission
• Launched ACE Action Fellowship: year-long, hands-
on advocacy training for youth
• Became more effective at helping youth bring a
justice frame into local and national climate actions
Enhanced ability to ally with justice organizations
• Partnered with Grassroots Orgs in each region
• Created equity lens to guide all ACE decisions
• Formed Justice Team to safeguard Equity and
Inclusivity at ACE
Internal Equity and Inclusion growth and goals
• Training for New Hires
• Ongoing Learning for All Staff
• Goals for Each Department (HR, Development, etc)
9

21. Tangible program impact
10
A recent evaluation of our Action Fellowship with
CIRCLE, a project of Tufts University, found that the
Action Fellowship gives leadership skills to youth of
color.
Despite entering the Fellowship with significantly lower
self-ratings than white students, young people of color
reported greater improvement in public speaking and
petitioning.
• 25% improvement in public speaking skills reported
by students of color. (White students reported a 5%
increase.)
• 27% improvement in petitioning skills reported by
students of color. (White students reported a 5%
increase.)

22. Intangible benefits
Stronger Internal Culture
• Earned greater trust internally
• Increased feedback from historically less
privileged ACE staff
• Gained better understanding of the value of
sharing viewpoints: every discussion doesn’t have
to be turned into an action
Greater appreciation for youth feedback
• Respect youth more as experts
• Implement youth ideas to evolve our program
Enhanced knowledge of organizational self
• We’re not Big Green, but also not Frontline
• We’re at the intersection, and we bridge
organizations
11

23. How funders helped ACE
Validated our investment in internal capacity building
• Provided restricted funding for training, workshops, and staff time to build a vision and strategy
for Race and Justice
• Supported using equity and diversity as a lens to improve ACE programs to be more relevant
and helpful to young people of color
Mandated a focus on Board development
• Funders pushed ACE to develop Board leadership to be more diverse and reflect the
communities we serve
Gave Advice and Feedback
• Overbrook Foundation
• Z Smith Reynolds Foundation
• Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment
• Many others
12

24. Recommendations
Make Justice a Priority
• Fund traditional EJ or grassroots organizations, and climate
organizations with budgets of less than $3M annually.
• Push big greens, and the in-betweens like ACE, to think
critically about how justice and equity interact with programs,
partnerships and organizational culture.
Ask questions that support hard internal work
• Why is justice important to grantees? How are grantees
adding value to an intersectional climate movement?
• Ask grantees to set goals for justice, equity and diversity and
require an annual report on progress.
Be the change: Do the internal work yourself
• What would it take to shift your organizational culture?
• Ask and listen for grassroots perspectives; show how this
influences your funding strategy.
13

26. “What We’ve Learned
After a Decade of Climate Funding,
and What We’re Doing Instead”

27. What We’ve Learned:
1. Large scale social change
requires social movements
2. Systemic problems require
systemic solutions
3. Place is where these things
really come together

28. Transition is inevitable...
...justice is not.

29. Implications for Philanthropy:
1. Support social movements
2. Support systemic change*
3. Support places

30. * Supporting Systemic Change:
It’s not just what we support...
...it’s how we support it.

31. * Supporting Systemic Change:
1. General operating support
2. Long term grants

32. What does this look like in practice?

33. chorusfoundation.org

35. BEA-I Theory of Change
Shifting Hearts:
Inspiring
change
Shifting Minds:
Working
collaboratively
Shifting
cultures of
practice
IMPACT