Progressive, people-powered movements offer our greatest hope to protect both human rights and the planet.
Across the globe, democracies are in crisis. Escalating inequality and the effects of unchecked corporate control of government and policy on critical issues like climate change and economic inequality are inflaming societal challenges. Disinformation and media manipulation exacerbate social division and reduce public trust in government. We fight these dangerous trends by supporting movements and organizations dedicated to restoring and expanding core democratic values and practices to enable people to raise their civic voices and build progressive power.
We are working to:
- Staunch the corrupting tsunami of corporate money in politics
- Fight voter suppression, expand civic participation and strengthen the pillars of democracy
- Challenge the concentrated power of media and technology companies that enables disinformation, threatens human rights, and corrodes democracy
We integrate corporate accountability, climate activism, and women’s rights and gender justice into our approach to defending democracy and rights over profit.
Climate change is already fueling massive social, economic, and political disruptions, threatening people and the planet with ecological destruction, food and water system collapse, devastating weather events, and geopolitical upheaval and conflict. Marginalized communities that are least responsible for the drivers of these crises are disproportionately impacted. Meanwhile, the fossil fuel companies most directly responsible have enjoyed unfettered corporate growth and power while corrupting democracies and stripping people of their rights. We fight for accountability, equity, and justice.
We are working to:
- Strip the fossil fuel industry of its license to operate
- Build large-scale people power on climate change
- Seed innovation on climate and energy justice
We integrate corporate accountability, democracy and rights, and women’s rights and gender justice into our approach to climate advocacy.
Staggering levels of income inequality, an existential climate crisis, and intensifying authoritarian political and religious trends disproportionately threaten women and undermine gender justice. The continuing repercussions of the global pandemic threatens to set progress back decades, particularly in the Global South, where we are seeing troubling increases in gender-based rights violations such as female genital mutilation (FGM). We support women’s movements and organizations as they respond creatively and energetically to the world’s intersecting crises and contribute to solutions, such as expanding energy access and agroecological approaches.
We are working to:
- Break the silence around female genital mutilation (FGM) and drive toward a global “tipping point” so that the harmful practice is finally eliminated.
- Support women’s rights, leadership and activism across all of the Fund’s grantmaking programs.
- Support strategic asset activism and impact finance to transform economic structures and systems in ways that advance women’s rights and gender and racial justice.
We center corporate accountability, democracy, and climate justice in our efforts to build women’s power and advance gender justice worldwide.
The myriad challenges the world confronts demands that we put peoples’ rights over corporate rights. Corporate power has grown exponentially worldwide, with private interests increasingly controlling governments. Faced with a largely unaccountable sector, innovative advocates and movements are finding creative ways to hold corporations accountable for their impacts on the environment, democracy, and human rights. Campaigns target companies directly and pressure investors to hold corporations accountable to human rights and environmental standards while ensuring that financial institutions themselves are also held accountable. Ultimately, to achieve a just and prosperous economy that serves all, we must redefine the purpose of the corporation and create new economic models that center social and environmental justice.
We are working to:
- Hold corporations accountable to governments and society through enforceable standards, while supporting new economic strategies and catalyzing new ownership models driven by communities.
- Advance movement-led campaigns that leverage financial assets for social and environmental change, while exposing and transforming systems that entrench corporate abuses of power and ending corporate corruption of political systems.
We integrate advocacy on climate, democracy and rights, and women’s rights and gender justice into our efforts to stem corporate capture of democracy and advance alternative economic models.
Southern Africa is a region of special interest where we support vital efforts to advance human rights and defend healthy and just democracies. We work with other philanthropic partners to strengthen civil society organizations in South Africa and Zimbabwe to advance democracy and human rights, challenge corporate capture and corruption, and support climate justice advocacy campaigns.
We are working to:
- Harness the energy of movements advancing social, environmental, and economic rights.
- Support environmental justice campaigns opposing nuclear and fossil energy and promoting renewable energy access.
- Reinforce efforts to connect civil society movements and build Pan-African organizing and movement-building power.
As the global energy system transitions from dirty fossil fuels to cleaner fuel sources, there is a risk that those who have been left out of today’s energy system will remain without access, and that frontline and indigenous groups will continue to be economically exploited.
At the intersection of our priorities on environmental justice and fighting corporate power, Wallace Global Fund has a special focus on energy access, energy justice, and a just transition for fossil fuel workers and their communities. WGF is working to support this through grants, impact investments, and direct advocacy. To avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, it is critical to expand energy access through distributed, small-scale, clean, and affordable energy.
We are working to:
- Expand energy access in the Global South with distributed clean and renewable energy systems vital for ending energy poverty, developing livelihoods, expanding health and education benefits, and supporting women’s entrepreneurial leadership.
- Promote energy justice by working with Native American communities to support their development of new economic models by building and scaling renewable energy systems.
Progressive Movements Leading the Way
Read more about Wallace Global Fund’s allies’ impactful work across the globe.
Spotlights From the Field
Wallace Global Fund’s grantees are on the frontlines of grassroots movements and campaigns globally. Many are led by women and young people. These inspiring leaders are fighting for a more sustainable and equitable future that leaves no one behind.
How We Support Movements
More than just a grantmaker, the Fund works intersectionally and comprehensively to support our grantees through a number of complementary and reinforcing approaches:
Direct Funding
We provide grants to eligible organizations advancing transformational change consistent with our mission and strategic priorities.
Funder Partnerships
We collaborate with our peers in philanthropy to call attention to movements that are advancing systemic change, and join with donor partners to expand resources to fuel their critical work.
Innovative Financial Strategies and Support
We have transformed our investment strategy to reflect our values and to support the priorities of the movements and organizations we fund. We share our expertise with others who are considering doing the same.
Mentorship
We invest in and connect leaders to help foster learning and growth across crucial areas of action to help build more effective movements.
Amplification
Our social media platforms and broader engagement infrastructure help our movement partners gain the visibility and recognition needed to accelerate their momentum and secure new funding sources.
What We Do and Do Not Fund
Not every movement, organization, convening, or campaign is the right fit for Wallace Global Fund support. Read our grantmaking and investment criteria to understand how we select partners working at the intersection of our strategic priorities.