Support 50 Global South Environmental Leaders

In July 2025, the Global Diversity Foundation (GDF) launched the first iteration of the Conservation Justice Flow Fund, a key pillar of our Conservation Justice Programme. This marks an exciting milestone in our ongoing commitment to supporting grassroots conservation leadership.

What is the Conservation Justice Flow Fund?

The Flow Fund was born out of years of conversations and reflections within GDF on how to better resource organisations that are deeply rooted in and accountable to the communities they serve. Through this fund, small- to medium-sized grants are directly channelled from donors and philanthropists who believe in the power of community-led conservation. In this first iteration, Flow Funds are granted to 5 individuals who are so dedicated to the communities they work with.

This initiative builds on the strong foundation laid by the Conservation & Communities Fellowship (CCF), which has helped us form meaningful and long-term relationships with grassroots conservationists across the world. In many ways, the Flow Fund is a natural extension of the Fellowship, designed with CCF alumni in mind and shaped by the lessons and relationships formed through the programme.

More than Just a Grant

Flow Fund grantees receive more than funding. GDF offers tailored mentorship, communications support, and strategic fundraising guidance throughout the grant period. We work closely with each grantee to help them scale their impact, tell their stories, and strengthen their organisational capacities. For donors, the Flow Fund offers a trusted bridge to a global network of changemakers, supported by our experience in managing small grants and fostering impactful relationships.

Meet One of Our First Grantees

One of the first recipients of the Conservation Justice Flow Fund is CCF alum Karla Sessin Dilascio, working with indigenous communities in Acre, Brazil, through the organisation Instituto Fronteiras.

Karla has dedicated her life and career to sustaining the Amazonian ecoregion and its indigenous and local community inhabitants. She runs a small, agile NGO in Acre called Instituto Fronteiras, an NGO that is in service to the needs of the indigenous and smallholder communities they partner with. They promote relevant local changes, reversing destructive behaviours towards nature, regenerating ecosystems and their communities and strengthening transformed trajectories aiming at a sustainable future.

With this grant, Instituto Fronteiras will pilot a reforestation and agroforestry system (SAF) initiative in the Santa Luzia Settlement, improving smallholder capacity to comply with the Forest Code while enhancing food security and income, particularly for women-led families. The funding will support seed collection networks, establish a seedling nursery, and implement a 1-hectare SAF pilot, laying the foundation for scaling up sustainable land-use strategies. With GDF’s mentoring and support, IF hopes to subsequently scale this model to additional families, strengthening local bioeconomy opportunities, and fostering long-term forest conservation and restoration.

Why Your Support Matters

With your support, we can continue to cultivate conservation leadership, amplify grassroots voices, and foster a more just and sustainable future.

Stay tuned for updates as we embark on this exciting journey!