Who We Are
Our Mission
The ECJ Fund protects, restores, and safeguards the Congo Basin’s forests and indigenous peoples’ rights by providing direct funding to local organisations, promoting community-led conservation and sustainable development.
Our Vision
A Congo Basin where Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and civil society organisations are empowered, well-resourced, and at the centre of sustainable forest management, biodiversity conservation, and climate resilience.
What Makes Us Different
The ECJ Fund is the first indigenous-led fund in the Congo Basin, designed by and for local communities. Our governance and grant-making approach is tailored to the region’s cultural context, prioritising grassroots environmental action and climate justice. We make small, high-impact grants even as low as $500 to reach remote areas and organisations that cannot access traditional international funding.
BRIEF HISTORY
The ECJ Fund was created through a robust consultation process involving Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and civil society organisations across the Congo Basin. It became operational in 2025, thanks to partnerships with Julius Fon, Good Energies Foundation, Packard Foundation, and Global Greengrants, along with a group of regional expert advisors. Building on pledges made at the Glasgow and Belém Climate Talks, the Fund was established to ensure that international commitments to protect the Congo Basin’s forests translate into direct, flexible resources for the communities who steward those forests..
Our Team
Board of Directors
this is the highest decision-making body of the organisation. It is a representative body across the countries of the Congo basin that is inclusive of indigenous peoples and local communities based organisations, NGOs, Donor community, individuals and government personnel of high standing with a shared vision of the ECJ Fund. The members are elected for a fixed term mandate that is renewable.
Fund Secretariat
this is the operational body of the organisation that is responsible for the day-to-day functioning. It is responsible for strategic and operational planning, fundraising, grants implementation and and overall accountability. The staff members are recruited to respond to the requirements of the strategy cycle.
Country Advisory Committee members
at the level of Implementing countries, a committee is set up t liaise with grantees and identify issues to be formulated as grant requests to be submitted to the secretariat for funding after due diligence. A country coordinator acts as liaison between the Country advisory committees and the fund secretariat. The CACs are set up for the funding cycle of a strategy. The representation cuts across indigenous peoples organisations, CBOS and CSOs.
PARTNERS / DONORS
Good Energies Foundation
Packard Foundation