MWEJN is grateful for the support of our funders:

The Midwest Environmental Justice Network (MWEJN) seeks to increase the capacity and impact of environmental justice leaders and organizations based in the tribal nations and following Midwestern states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. 

MWEJN is excited to expand its impact and grow its partnerships with funders. At the same time, it recognizes that philanthropy, as an institution, reflects the mass accumulation of wealth in society at the expense of people who have been historically harmed by violence and systemic barriers, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. 

MWEJN’s Leadership Team (LT) members consider all prospective partnership opportunities with funders to assess how the funder’s giving practices align with the MWEJN’s stated values and the funder criteria listed below. The LT decides, through a consensus model, how to proceed with engaging the potential funder.

If you would like to learn more about MWEJN and how your fund can help support environmental justice groups in the Midwest, please reach out to us.

MWEJN’s Values around Fundraising and Grantmaking:

MWEJN accepts gifts from funding partners that support MWEJN’s values around fundraising and grantmaking:

  1. We focus our funding on BIPOC-led organizations who are on the frontlines and most impacted by extractive systems and policies; lead grassroots climate justice solutions with a systems change frame; and support intersectional grassroots solutions to the climate crisis.

  2. We recognize the importance of supporting the visions, strategies, and decisions of frontline organizations. We respect their autonomy and provide flexible, core, general operating support so that they can self-determine the use of resources in alignment with their visions and needs. 

  3. We engage our grassroots partners in decision-making processes in strategic and meaningful ways. We are committed to grassroots partners having decision-making power in the grantmaking process; reciprocal, trust-based, long-term partnerships; and grassroots partners having platforms to give us feedback that help direct responsive programming, technical assistance, and grant making.

  4. We commit to being risk-tolerant, standing with our partners for the long haul and moving money in ways that support frontline groups to experiment and innovate.

  5. We are willing to engage in collaboration and joint efforts to shift practices and liberate capital within traditional philanthropy.

  • Prioritize unrestricted operating support.

  • Uphold MWEJN Leadership Team’s authority to make grant recommendations. Have an authentic commitment to investing in historically underserved communities and/or redistributing wealth through democratic processes, such as MWEJN, and do not seek to bolster their own image or reputation (i.e., “greenwashing”).

  • Seek to build relationships between peer funders, LT members, and grantees, where appropriate.

  • Are not in an immediate position to directly support grassroots environmental or climate justice organizations. MWEJN does not wish to attract resources that were already supporting grassroots organizations in a different fashion. Instead, MWEJN seeks to grow the pool of resources for the environmental and climate justice field as a whole.

MWEJN accepts gifts from funders that:

Note on Anonymity: The LT will align with the funder on their desired level of anonymity. The LT reserves the right to share the funder’s organizational or individual name with their organization’s executive leadership (e.g., executive director, deputy directors, development director), with the expectation that all parties will respect the funder’s requested level of confidentiality while potentially contributing to MWEJN. If an anonymous funder wishes to change their preference and publicly acknowledge their donation to MWEJN, they will first seek permission from MWEJN Leadership Team.