A letter from Groundswell’s First Nations Director

First Nations peoples are intimately connected to Country and our knowledge and cultural practices hold solutions to the climate crisis. But since colonisation, Indigenous ways of knowing, doing and being have been ignored. Here’s what Groundswell is doing to change this. 

Lille Madden lives on Gadigal Country.

Lille Madden on Gooreng Gooreng, Gurang Bailai and Taribelang Bunda Country. Photo: Olivia Parsonson

I’m writing this as I travel from Gadigal land to Tjoritja (West MacDonnell Ranges), Western Arrernte Country. Specifically to Kwartetwerne (Ormiston Gorge), a permanent waterhole surrounded by towering red ranges, which is particularly green and full and flowing at the moment due to recent rains. I’m honoured to be working here for the next few months with NT National Parks as a Trainee Ranger to do regeneration work and help take care of one of the most beautiful places on Earth. 

As a visitor on this land this means being respectful, treading lightly, listening deeply to local mob and learning about the intricacies of the flora and fauna and how this knowledge is inextricably woven into culture. This is what it means to care for Country. It's something my ancestors have been doing for millenia and it’s because of this experience, tried and tested over tens of thousands of years through many climate shifts of the past, that we are still here today and uniquely equipped to deal with the current climate crisis.

But since invasion and colonisation, Indigenous ways of knowing, doing and being have been ignored. This is a huge loss for our global climate ambitions, but there is a deeper injustice at the heart of this. Despite keeping Country healthy for generations, First Nations peoples are now living on the frontlines of climate change and are experiencing worsening impacts on community and culture. 

Since starting Groundswell, we’ve been blown away by just how much incredible work young mob are doing with the support of their elders and community to lead us towards a more regenerative future. Yet, this work is chronically underfunded. As a fundraising platform for climate action with a commitment to climate justice, we wanted to better understand how we could address this gap and develop a strategy that puts First Nations voices at the forefront of decision making when it comes to climate solutions.

In early 2021 we hosted a roundtable discussion with our First Nations advisors and members. So many great ideas were generously shared that day, but one piece of feedback we knew we needed to act on immediately had to do with our grantmaking framework. It leaned too heavily on the mainstream definition of climate advocacy – a definition too narrow to include many of the things First Nations communities do to protect Country.

Excited by the opportunity to create a new and more accessible model of grantmaking, we created the Caring for Country grant round. Open to Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Pacific Islander mob working towards climate justice, it celebrates the cultural knowledge and understandings that are still being practiced today and are essential for a safe and just climate future.

There is always a moment when you launch something new into the world when you worry it may not work, but that feeling was quickly replaced by excitement as the proposals started to roll in. In our opening grant round at the end of last year we received 29 applications. Taken together, they tell a story of the abundance of Indigenous ingenuity when it comes to combating the climate crisis and the nuanced ways this work needs to be approached to reflect the ecological and cultural diversity of this part of the world.

In this first round, three groups will receive $40, 000 and four groups will receive $10, 000 in funding. The winners will be announced this month and I have no doubts of the positive outcomes their work will have on the environment, but in reflecting on the learnings from this new model of grant making, there’s potential for this to also have an impact on how climate philanthropy operates.

Essential to getting this initiative off the ground was the support of the Eisen Family Private Fund, which provided an initial $160,000 multiyear commitment. We wanted this grant round to be by First Nations people, for First Nations people, and the Eisen family supported this vision right from the start. Since then we’ve welcomed a new partnership with the Oranges & Sardines Foundation and conversations with other potential philanthropic partners are underway. These relationships, built on mutual trust and a commitment to authentic self-determination, are amplifying First Nations leadership at a time when it’s most needed.

Crucial to developing a strategy that would have a positive outcome for both applicants and the environments they protect was the extensive consultation we did initially with our First Nations members and advisors. The most heartwarming part of this whole process has been connecting with mob and meeting new community members, yarning about what they care about and are working to protect, and how they are empowering their communities to get involved too.

The most important thing all the amazing work being done on Country and around the Pacific tells me is this: the solutions to the climate crisis already exist, they just need our support. By supporting Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Pacific Islander people, we are supporting culture and Country to remain healthy and strong – not only for us, but for future generations too. The stakes for taking action on climate change couldn’t be higher and there isn’t time to be holding back, so in 2023, Groundswell’s goal is to scale up and back even more First Nations led organisations leading the way for climate justice.

If you’re interested in supporting the Caring for Country grant round, please get in touch with Arielle Gamble – arielle@groundswellgiving.org