Green 2.0 Releases Annual NGO & Foundation Transparency Report Card, Reveals Diversity Progress But Many Foundations Remain Silent

The annual report card shows growing diversity in environmental NGOs and foundations, but power imbalances remain among senior and executive leadership

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Green 2.0 – the independent campaign working to increase racial and ethnic diversity in the green movement – today released its sixth annual NGO and Foundation Transparency Report Card which found growing diversity in environmental organizations, but that the share of people of color in senior roles decreased slightly. This year's report had a record-breaking 20 foundations participating, but more transparency and participation is required from funders to build a more representative movement. The Report Card launch is supported by a video of key takeaways, featuring award-winning actress and philanthropist Rosario Dawson. 

In 2022, 36.5% of full-time NGO staffers identified as people of color, up 3.5% from 2021. While these numbers indicate one area of progress, more needs to be done to address the lack of diversity across the green movement. People of color continue to be underrepresented and under resourced (only 1.3% of climate funding goes to people of color-led, justice-focused groups).

"To build a winning climate movement, we need people of color represented at all levels of environmental NGOs and foundations," said Andres Jimenez, executive director of Green 2.0. "Our Transparency Report Card shifts the center of gravity towards greater equity by holding organizations accountable. I'm heartened to see the progress across the movement. But while more foundations have shared their data than ever before, we need to encourage more to be transparent and to participate so we can build a more effective movement."

This year's report card reflects the highest number of respondents in the report card's history with 68 environmental NGOs and 20 foundations sharing the racial and ethnic diversity of their full-time staff, senior staff, heads of organizations, and boards.

Other key findings from the Transparency Report Card include:

• Some racial and ethnic groups including Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders and Middle Eastern or North Africans are missing entirely from executive leadership across NGOs. Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders, Middle Eastern or North Africans, and American Indian or Alaska Natives are missing entirely from executive leadership across foundations.
• Many environmental organizations do not collect demographic data on Middle Eastern or North Africans, leaving major gaps in tracking diversity.
• While a growing number of full-time foundation staff identify as people of color (42.3%), this share decreases for senior staff (35.2%), board members (24.3%) and heads of organizations (20%).
• All participating NGOs have committed financial resources to DEI efforts (100%), while others have a DEI inclusion committee (85%) and have employee resource groups or affinity groups (56%).
• Participating NGOs reported they provide eight weeks of paid parental leave on average. The paid leave benefit ranged from zero to 20 weeks, with the most reported figure being 12 weeks.

"There's no question that climate change impacts us all, but communities of color and Indigenous communities are being hit especially hard," said House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-3). "If we want to be serious about fighting the climate crisis and saving this planet, we must make sure that the communities who are most affected are also represented at the top levels of environmental leadership and decision making. Holding environmental organizations and foundations to a high standard of diversity, equity, and inclusion is a critical step in making that happen and I thank Green 2.0 for their work."

"Our climate priorities need to reflect the diverse voices and unique solutions of the communities most impacted by climate change," said Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13). "While this year's Transparency Report Card shows great progress, it also serves as a reminder that there is more work to be done to make our green movement representative of every American."

"People of color are hit first and worst by climate change—in the U.S. and around the world," said Manish Bapna, president and CEO of NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). "We must build a leadership bench and a work culture that is reflective and representative of our communities so that we can create the solutions that benefit us all – not just the most privileged. NRDC strongly encourages other environmental organizations to get on board with Green 2.0's Transparency Report Card."

"Indigenous leaders and the traditional ecological knowledge of their communities are critical to building a winning movement yet we have long been denied a seat at the decision-making table," said Michael Roberts, president and CEO of First Nations Development Institute. "The findings of this year's Report Card indicates the absence of Indigenous leaders as CEOs or on senior staff of foundations — our voices and our knowledge is needed to transform how we serve all communities. Foundations can no longer deliberately exclude Native voices and must do better."

"Transparency and a measurable set of equity practices are essential tools in the global fight against climate change," said Tamara Toles O'Laughlin, president and CEO of the Environmental Grantmakers Association. "Green 2.0's Transparency Report Card is a necessary part of building an impactful movement that uplifts the diversity of experiences within our climate and environmental organizations — before it's too late."

"To address the urgency of the environmental crisis, communities most impacted need to lead and speak for themselves," said Mustafa Santiago Ali, executive vice president for the National Wildlife Federation. "All of us must support the work and goals of the Transparency Report Card because it helps environmental organizations walk the walk and implement solutions that build racial equity and ensure prosperity for people and our wildlife."

"Actions speak louder than words and we aim to always lead by example," said Crystal Hayling, executive director of The Libra Foundation. "The Transparency Report Card is an important tool to hold grantmakers accountable in our collective efforts to close the funding disparities towards communities of color. We must ensure people of color and their solutions are represented in the fight to save our planet."

Green 2.0 held a Transparency Report Card launch event at the National Press Club. For more information, please visit: bit.ly/2022-report-card.

ABOUT GREEN 2.0: Green 2.0 is a 501(c)3 independent campaign working to increase racial and ethnic diversity among environmental organizations. Green 2.0 believes in a powerful, winning environmental movement grounded in equity and inclusion. To learn more about Green 2.0, please visit: https://diversegreen.org

SOURCE Green 2.0