As part of our journey to deeply embed justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging (JEDI) in all that we are and do at ClimateWorks Foundation, we are thrilled to share our JEDI values, principles, and definitions. This work results from an 18-month-long effort within ClimateWorks to identify, develop, vet, and stress test the values and principles we want to commit to as an organization. We intend for these to better guide our growth as an organization as well as our support of climate solutions that are equitable, inclusive, and just.
Beginning in 2021, we undertook a thorough and rigorous process to develop these values, principles, and definitions. Understanding the indispensable framework these would provide to shaping the future of our JEDI journey, we engaged in many consultations, including internally with our staff, executive team, and Board members, as well as externally with many of our funding partners, several climate justice funders and organizations, and our JEDI advisors, Tasneem Essop, Dr. Kumi Naidoo, and Richard Woo.
Our JEDI values represent our core beliefs and set the foundation for our operations, grantmaking, convening and resource development. The principles reflect our values and provide tangible guidance and direction for our work. The definitions provide a shared understanding and clarity for keywords relating to our JEDI values and principles.
ClimateWorks Foundation’s JEDI values, principles, and definitions
We had many learnings along the way, including how critical the value of “belonging” is to our organization. We integrated this into our values, even though it is not called out specifically in the JEDI acronym that we often use as short-hand. We’re also deeply grateful to organizations who have been doing this work much longer than we have, including CLIMA Fund, Hive Fund for Climate and Gender Justice, The Solutions Project, the Climate Justice Resilience Fund, and Libra Foundation. Their guidance and expertise have been vital to our progress.
Launching these values, principles, and definitions is an important waypoint in our effort to live up to our commitments, but our journey is still ongoing. Even more important is how we put this guidance to work throughout our organization and hold ourselves accountable. To that end, we have already begun to work across ClimateWorks to develop an implementation plan and a system for measuring our progress over time.
We are grateful to everyone who supported and consulted us on this work. We look forward to reporting on our progress and sharing our learnings as we move forward.
