Women & Environment Program

Toward a sustainable and equitable world

A program that supports women’s role in protecting the environment

The Women and Environment program supports women’s role in preserving natural resources and implementing concrete, sustainable solutions.

Because women are the first victims of ecological crises but also the first to come up with concrete solutions and resilience, the Foundation works to empower them, increase their autonomy and leadership, and the visibility of their environmental struggles.  

Launched in 2015 following COP21, this program aims to fund initiatives that promote the environment, the preservation of natural resources, and biodiversity, while improving the conditions of women, who are particularly vulnerable to climate change.  

The involvement of 16 RAJA Group companies

The Women & Environment program is funded through a product-sharing initiative led by 16 companies within the Group.  

For every purchase of an eco-friendly product from a dedicated selection, €1 is donated to the program by one of the participating companies.

The funds collected are then redistributed to grassroots associations, selected through a dedicated call for projects.

The Women & Environment program in 10 years:

174 projects

supported through this program.

42 countries

Projects supported around the world.

+1,000 women

beneficiaries.

Eligibility Criteria

For your grant application to be considered by the Foundation:

The project must be led by a French non-profit organization (association loi 1901) that is actively involved in France (the French administrative offices of foreign associations are not eligible), unless an express exemption is obtained from the Foundation prior to submitting the project. Projects supported abroad are generally led by a French association in partnership with a local organization; direct funding of foreign associations remains exceptional.
The project must contribute to the empowerment of women and/or girls, the improvement of their living conditions, the promotion of equal rights for women, while working to preserve the environment.
Only one application may be submitted to the Foundation per organization per year (excluding awards organized by the Foundation).
The application may cover an entire project or a specific component of a larger program, whether ongoing or new. The project may have started before the application is submitted, but the majority of activities and expenses must be incurred after the Foundation’s decision to provide support.

Selection Process

Project selection takes place in five stages:

1. Eligibility check: project leaders are invited to check the eligibility of their project by consulting the eligibility criteria of the funding program.

2. Submission of a grant application form: associations are invited to complete an online grant application form, which is only accessible when a call for projects is open.

3. Selection of projects for the assessment phase: based on these applications, the Foundation’s team conducts an initial analysis to identify projects that are eligible and correspond to the Foundation’s priorities. The selected associations then have one month to submit a more detailed application. Once these have been received, a second selection is made.

4. Assessment: the operational team meets with all the selected associations to evaluate the project and ensure the association’s soundness.

5. Presentation to the Executive Committee: projects that have passed the review stage are then presented to the Executive Committee of the RAJA-Danièle Marcovici Foundation, which will decide on the funding to be granted by the Foundation.