Our Funding
At Rachel’s Network, we believe in the power of women, particularly women of color, to create and nurture a healthy environment for all. Women are writing transformative climate legislation, championing environmental justice, restoring ecosystems, mobilizing activists on renewable energy, fighting for clear air and water, and more. Our network funds these leaders and their visions in the following ways:
Catalyst Award
The Rachel’s Network Catalyst Award, launched in 2019, celebrates women of color who are building a healthier, safer, and more just world. Each year, the award provides women environmental leaders of color with a $15,000 personal prize and a $10,000 organizational grant (if applicable). As of 2024, the program has granted over $1.7 million to 120 leaders and their organizations.
Collective Funding
Since 2000, our network has collectively granted over $3.1 million to organizations working on environmental issues and women’s leadership and care. We also provide selective place-based grants to organizations located where our events our held.
Grantee-Partners by Year
| Agri-Cultura Cooperative Network Aleut Community of St. Paul Island American Rivers Association of Black Foundation Executives Bayou City Waterkeeper Bennington College Beyond Plastics Birds Connect Seattle Black in Marine Science Boston Farms Community Land Trust Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living Children’s Environmental Health Network Climate Access Conservation International Hawaii Duwamish River Community Coalition Earthjustice |
FrontLine Farming Hip Hop Congress Movement Training Network Philanos Rewilding Argentina Soulardarity Snoqualmie Tribe Ancestral Lands Movement SongRise DC SR3 Sealife Emergency Response Student Organizing, Inc. SVP Seattle Taproot Earth The Chisholm Legacy Project Through Piscataway Eyes Tri-State Transportation Campaign Urban Growers Collective West Virginia Rivers Coalition |
| Agri-Cultura Cooperative Network Amah Mutsun Land Trust Azul (via Multiplier) Barbareño Band of Chumash Indians Black in Marine Science Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living Children’s Environmental Health Network Climate Critical Earth Critical Ecology Lab c/o Inquiring Systems Inc. Emerge Puerto Rico FrontLine Farming Local Clean Energy Alliance |
Lupine Collaborative Movement Training Network New Mexico Environmental Law Center Onondaga Nation Sustainable Farm PLAN – The Post Landfill Action Network Rise to Thrive Soul Fire Farm Institute Taproot Earth The Chisholm Legacy Project Universal Access Project Urban Growers Collective West Virginia Rivers Coalition |
You can read about our past grantmaking on our blog and annual reports. Please note: we do not accept unsolicited proposals. If you are women of color environmental leader looking for funding and connections to other leaders, consider applying to the Catalyst Award (application typically opens in February) or see our list of additional funding sources. To support our work, please consider joining as a funder member or contributing a general operating support grant.
News About Our Co-Funding
Announcing the Recipients of the 2025 Catalyst Award
Rachel’s Network announced the awardees and finalists of its 2025 Catalyst Award. Now in its seventh year, the Catalyst Award honors women leaders of color for their commitment to a healthy planet, and provides them with financial and leadership support, and public recognition.
Visiting the Women Leading Urban Agriculture in Chicago
What could a non-extractive agriculture project look like? In June, Rachel’s Network visited Urban Growers Collective in Chicago to find out. Catalyst Program Director Shreya Durvasula shared observations and lessons learned from the trip to Green Era Campus and the South Chicago Farm.
Rachel’s Network Launches Legacy Award for Longtime Environmental Movement Leaders
Rachel’s Network celebrated its 25th anniversary by announcing a new program to support women leaders of color with long experience in and deep dedication to the environmental movement: the Legacy Award. The inaugural Legacy awardees will participate in a week-long retreat in Dakar, Senegal. There, they will meet social justice leaders, connect with each other, and have space for reflection, learning, and rest.