Forests are more than stretches of trees for the Indigenous peoples and local communities who have lived among them for generations. They provide food, shelter and livelihoods, while also carrying cultural traditions and ancestral ties to the land. Yet securing legal rights to these territories remains a challenge in many parts of the world, even as forests play a recognised role in addressing climate change and protecting biodiversity. The Ford Foundation has directed $158.5 million towards organisations working on these issues over five years, surpassing an original $100 million commitment. Its funding has supported hundreds of organisations, including groups seeking greater control over their traditional territories and more direct access to climate-related funding.
Ford Foundation exceeds its original $100 million pledge
The funding forms part of an international effort launched at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in 2021. Governments and philanthropic organisations came together with a collective pledge of $1.7 billion to support the land rights and forest stewardship of Indigenous peoples, local communities and Afro-descendant peoples.The Ford Foundation was among the signatories, committing $100 million over five years. Its final update, published on May 13, 2026, put its total pledge-aligned funding at $158.5 million, covering support approved across the five-year period and reaching 324 organisations. The foundation said it had approved a further $41.5 million between August 2024 and December 2025, taking its contribution well beyond the original target.The additional funding was made possible in part through the foundation’s Building Institutions and Networks (BUILD) initiative and its social bond, which was issued in response to the COVID-19 crisis. The foundation’s final report also noted that the wider Forest Tenure Funder’s Group had exceeded its collective financial commitment during the first four years of the pledge.
How Ford Foundation funding reaches Indigenous and local communities
How funding reaches local organisations has been an important part of the initiative. Money intended to protect forests does not always pass directly to the people who live in and manage them. Grants can move through intermediary organisations, each with its own administrative requirements, before reaching community-led projects.During the five-year pledge, the Ford Foundation provided $43.2 million in direct funding to Indigenous, local community and Afro-descendant organisations and their territorial funds. This represented about 27% of its total pledge-aligned grants. Nearly $6 million went to Indigenous and territorial funds, including Indonesia’s Nusantara Fund and other funding mechanisms operating in Africa and Latin America.These funds can help communities navigate the financial and reporting requirements attached to philanthropic support. They also offer a way for locally led organisations to decide how resources should be used, rather than relying entirely on outside institutions to set priorities.The foundation reported that direct funding accounted for 28% of its aligned grants during the final reporting period. It also channeled more than $7 million directly to at least 16 Afro-descendant and Quilombola organisations. Quilombola communities in Brazil are descended largely from people who escaped slavery and established settlements, many of which continue to defend their territorial rights.
Ford Foundation supports Indigenous communities beyond direct grant funding
The Ford Foundation therefore also supported programmes intended to strengthen the organisations receiving its funding. Its work with Spring Strategies included an accompaniment programme offering group learning sessions, individual technical assistance and opportunities for participating organisations to meet and exchange experience.The aim was to help these groups develop their own institutional capacity and manage funding on terms suited to their circumstances. The foundation also continued working with fiscal sponsors and technical advisers chosen by its grantees, recognising that intermediaries can provide useful support even when funding is intended to reach communities directly.This aspect of the pledge addressed a practical problem in grant-making. Long-term community work often depends on more than the initial amount awarded. Organisations also need the capacity to plan, report on spending, maintain operations and continue their work after a particular funding period ends.
Why direct funding for Indigenous land rights remains limited
Despite the size of the five-year commitment, the foundation’s report points to a continuing imbalance in international climate finance. Citing global funding figures, it said less than 1% of climate aid supports the tenure rights of Indigenous peoples, local communities and Afro-descendant peoples.The report also highlighted figures from the Forest Tenure Funders Group, which showed that only 7.6% of its funding went directly to organisations representing these communities in 2024. That distinction matters because money allocated to a broad conservation or climate programme does not necessarily give the people living in the affected territories direct control over the resources.The foundation’s account of the pledge therefore included both the amount it had provided and the limits of the wider funding system. Direct grants formed a significant part of its own work, but they remained a relatively small share of the collective funding landscape described in the report.Land rights are closely linked to the ability of communities to manage forests and other ecosystems over time. Without secure rights or a meaningful role in decisions about their territories, communities can struggle to protect the places on which their livelihoods and traditions depend.
Ford Foundation extends its land and forest funding through 2030
The international effort has since moved into a new phase. The Ford Foundation said it had supported the development of a follow-up pledge announced at COP30, expanding the focus beyond forests to include other land-based ecosystems.The new commitment totals $1.8 billion and has the backing of 39 government and philanthropic funders. It includes an emphasis on increasing direct, flexible and long-term funding for Indigenous peoples, local communities and Afro-descendant communities.For its part, the Ford Foundation has committed a further $72 million for the 2026–2030 period. That pledge follows the $158.5 million delivered under the earlier commitment and extends its funding into the next five years.The two commitments are separate stages of the foundation’s work, rather than a single grant to one organisation or a direct payment to Indigenous communities worldwide. The money is channelled through grants and related programmes supporting organisations working on land tenure, community rights and forest stewardship.
