How We Work

A blue table with orange balls spelling out the word " grants ".

Grant Making

We provide funding to organizations to achieve measurable impact in the fight against economic barriers and environmental degradation. This is our largest funding vehicle, which would generally account for over 80% of our charitable giving. For additional information regarding grant-making, view our Public Services page.

Environmental Training

Environmental education improves decision making, leadership, and character. CHEAF training also enhances our knowledge of social justice issues where underutilized communities are able to leverage their resources in leveling the playing field. For additional information regarding training and schedules, view our Public Services page.

A cardboard box with some green grass on it

A person in an orange suit is standing on the ground

Climate Research

We promote and fund the development of practical scientific methods that capture the effects of climate change in terrestrial ecosystems. This entails supporting universities, climate-conscious corporations, and organizations through CHEAF membership.

Environmental Clearance Documentation

We provide environmental documentation support to local governments that have low tax revenues and/or struggle with improving their communities because of economic barriers. To request assistance with completing an environmental clearance document, view our Public Services page.

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Questions

If you are unsure about whether you qualify for funding, want training, or need environmental clearance document support, please email us before completing an application. Given the demands on the time of our staff, we are unable to accept grant applications sent by email.

More About Our Process

How We Execute

In each of our programs, we’ve developed initiatives for resource and investment allocations. We will continually collect and share data on our progress, reflect on lessons learned, and make course corrections as needed. Essential to this process is ongoing dialogue with our grantees and partners—which is embedded throughout our initiatives lifecycles.

Presently, in CHEAF’s growth, our programs and initiatives are already in place. We will reflect on and review each initiative annually and make adjustments to our implementation plan toward achieving our goals.

Developing Grants for Funding

Within each initiative, which has an allocation of resources, we collaborate with grantee and partner organizations to develop proposals that align with our program initiatives and CHEAF’s focus and capabilities. An important part of this process is reaching agreement on what success will look like for the investment.

We use a standard four-phase process to develop all of our grants and contracts.

Phase 1: Concept Development

Phase 2: Pre-proposal

Direct Solicitation
Discussion
Request for Proposal (RFP)

How We Collaborate With Our Partners and Grantees

We do all of our work with grantees and other partners, who with our funding push for solutions and embrace the knowledge of science and technology. We strive to engage with our grantees and partners in a spirit of trust, candid communication, and transparency. Our collective efforts also depend on the support and resources of governments, the private sector, communities, and individuals.

Measuring and Evaluating Results

From the outset of the grantmaking process, CHEAF experts, which could consist of executive leadership, directors, and program officers, work with grantees and other partners to define the overall results we hope to achieve, and the data needed to measure those results.

To give our partners flexibility in how they achieve results, we do not require them to report on all of their activities. Instead, we focus on purposefully measuring the most critical metrics of progress that support continued learning, adjustment, and alignment. However, the nature and frequency of measurement depends on the type of work. For example, scientific research projects may be measured differently than efforts to expand vaccine coverage.

Evaluation is another collaborative learning tool that provides us and our partners with feedback so we can improve, adjust, and decide how best to achieve outcomes. We work to ensure that our partners have the capacity and support to generate quality evidence.

CHEAF evaluation policy sets out parameters for evaluation and explains how and why we use evaluation and where variation is warranted. We avoid one-size-fits-all prescriptions and strive to make selective, high-quality evaluation an integral part of how we carry out our work.