Funders of the Amazon Basin

The Funders of the Amazon Basin (FAB) is a learning group comprised of granting entities that share strategies and lessons learned in order to become more effective grantmakers in the Andean-Amazon region.

ABOUT US

To share strategies and lessons learned in order to become more effective grantmakers in the Andean-Amazon region

Working together for a future sustained by vibrant, thriving communities and flourishing ecosystems in the Andean-Amazon Basin

  • A learning group of funders* geographically focused on the Andean-Amazon Basin
  • A space of trust where thorny issues can be discussed without attribution
  • A group enriched by the diversity of approaches, expertise and strategies of its members
  • An opportunity to explore collaborations and complementary grantmaking that increases our collective impact

*Granting entities considered eligible for FAB membership include private foundations and non-profit organizations (public grantmaking charities, etc.) whose main purpose is granting to organizations in the Amazon. As this time, FAB membership is not open to public funding entities such as bilateral and multilateral funding agencies.

  • Share information, evaluation, lessons learned and strategies
  • Explore complementary grantmaking
  • Monitor current and emerging threats and opportunities for change in the Andes-Amazon
  • Learn from each other and from experts
  • Trust each other’s discretion (Chatham House Rule)

CURRENT FAB MEMBERS

Andes Amazon Fund (AAF)

Bobolink Foundation

Charles S. Mott Foundation

Climate and Land Use Alliance (CLUA)

Ford Foundation

Full Circle Foundation (FCF)

Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (GBMF)

Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies (MACP)

Open Society Foundations (OSF)

Swift Foundation

The Christensen Fund (TCF)

The Tenure Facility

Interested in becoming a FAB member?

Membership Criteria

FAB membership is open to funders that:

  • Adhere to the vision, mission and operational guidelines described here and in the BFG FAB Program Charter
  • Act primarily as funders, not grant seekers, in the Amazon basin
  • Contribute financially to the coordination of the group

Membership Process

  • A recommendation from at least one existing member of the FAB group is the first step toward becoming a member.
  • FAB members may consider new members by adding the request to the agenda of any meeting at which a quorum (currently 6 members) is present.
  • All members present must unanimously accept potential new members

Membership Dues

Membership dues support the implementation of FAB’s yearly activities with the support of a dedicated FAB Program Manager.

Suggested contributions for membership dues are determined by each member’s level of grantmaking in relevant program areas and/or the Amazon region. The following are recommended minimum contributions, but larger contributions are always welcome.

Level of grantmaking | Suggested dues

  • Up to 1 million | $5000
  • Between 1 and 5 million | $10,000
  • 5 million or more | $20,000

Dues are collected and managed by the Biodiversity Funders Group (BFG), which hosts FAB and provides administrative and programmatic support. Please note that BFG membership and dues are separate from FAB membership and dues.

What members say about FAB

“The most valuable aspect about FAB is the possibility of strategizing grantmaking together, understanding where foundations are investing and which areas we should be bolster together.”

IAGO HAIRON, Open Society Foundations

“FAB is a great collaborative space where funders can jointly shape the agenda and work plan that reflects and leverages the intersection of interest among funders.”

XIMENA WARNAARS, Ford Foundation

“It is helpful to know what other funders are working on similar issues or in similar geographies, so that efforts can be coordinated.”

MEGAN MACDOWELL, Andes Amazon Fund

“The collaboration and learning opportunities provided by FAB help us do our work better both individually and collectively in pursuit of our joint vision for the Amazon basin” 

MARIA FRANCO CHUAIRE, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

History

The Funders of the Amazon Basin (FAB) launched in 2011 as an informal gathering of four foundations (Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Blue Moon Fund, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and C.S. Mott Foundation) spurred by a shared desire for increased coordination among program officers working in this shared geography. By the end of that first year, the group had grown to seven.

Since then, the group has met regularly via Zoom and in person. Contributions from members supports meeting costs, facilitation, and a FAB Manager position. The current FAB membership has grown to eleven funders representing over $270M in grantmaking over the period 2016-2021.

Over its history, the FAB group has offered shared learning space, where foundations working on some aspect of protecting natural resources and promoting sustainable, inclusive development and a respect for human rights in the Amazon can come together to discuss shared concerns and exchange information. This sharing includes discussion of shared grantees, strategies, and lessons from evaluations.

Although FAB is not a platform for shared grantmaking, in several cases, the FAB conversations have sparked collaborative and complementary grantmaking among subsets of FAB members. For example, in 2014, the group commissioned a white paper on communications strategies. The white paper documented existing shared grantees and identified emerging opportunities for collaboration. Complementary grants and emerging collaborations can be traced to those conversations. The FAB group also offers a space for foundations to strategize about the best way to support shared grantees. In at least one case, the group discovered that a single grantee was receiving support from several institutions, leading to a discussion about ensuring complementarity among the programs supported.

The FAB group differs from some other funder collaboratives in that its driving source of cohesion is the shared focus on a particular territory, rather than a particular issue or grantmaking focus. Members recognize the complex interplay of ecological, social, cultural and political dynamics that shape this multi-country biome. Although initially driven primarily by grantmaking in the areas of conservation and sustainable development, the FAB group has expanded to include funders with an explicit focus on social inclusion, human dignity, and indigenous peoples’ rights.

The FAB group members recognize that the lens each foundation brings to work in the Andes-Amazon may cause it to see an issue differently from colleagues in other foundations. FAB members may not always agree on a particular grantmaking strategy or approach. However, the FAB group has become a safe space where these discussions can take place. The working hypothesis is that understanding each other’s strategies can avoid duplication of efforts, promote complementarity, inform future grantmaking, and reduce the likelihood that one member’s investments could inadvertently undermine another’s efforts.