Rainmatter Foundation supports organizations for climate action and a healthier environment. The foundation focuses on addressing environmental destruction and the climate crisis.

Rainmatter Foundation

Rainmatter Climate Foundation is a Zerodha-sponsored initiative focused on fostering and assisting ideas that help preserve and regenerate ecosystems. We believe that this needs both direct interventions as well as the enablement of larger platforms that involve a mainstream understanding of the need and benefits of these efforts while also scaling participation in them beyond the philanthropic efforts of a few. Indeed we do not see this as charity; it is an investment into our own future and wellbeing.

Amongst our core beliefs is that moving to a green economy and creating green jobs is an essential part of the changes needed for a better ecology. We also think that this needs to happen in a distributed fashion across geographies, with value and job creation everywhere and not being limited to a few urban centres. Reversing both migration and concentration of value, wealth and resources are a major need towards this and will also need a strengthening of public goods and services across India.

Rainmatter Climate Foundation is uniquely positioned to influence these efforts in terms of the market and technology skills and partnerships we bring to the table. Additionally, we are committing a $100mn fund towards this over the coming few years. This will be disbursed as grants and funding for projects in the above directions that become replicable models. It will also be used for the creation of open, collaborative platforms that cross-pollinate and scale many good ideas and successful experiments and help create a green economy everywhere. This includes our commitments to funding open-source efforts that help create projects and platforms for climate change and related efforts. Rainmatter Foundation is also incubating and investing in entrepreneurship that helps with these directions and helps move towards a greener, more equitable, and lower footprint economy.

One of the biggest drivers of co-existence is knowledge. When one equips themselves with the right information, the challenges that stem from coexisting with other species can be tackled mindfully.

This is what Sumanth Bindumadhav, Director of Wildlife Protection, Humane Society International India had to say when we asked him about the idea of human-animal co-existence. 🤝 

In this video, Sumanth highlights the need for a higher amount of awareness about the species that you share your immediate spaces with, even the ones that are often misunderstood. 🐅 🐍 🐝 

Let us know your thoughts in the comments and also ways in which you probably are harmoniously coexisting with other animals, let’s learn from each other! 💬 


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At the Rainmatter Foundation, we believe in collaborative action with organisations and individuals who work in ecological and wildlife conservation towards a practical idea of coexistence. During the period of the next few weeks, we will be sharing more on this theme, specifically with snakes in the urbanscape so that all of us can together engage in more conversations so that we can share our cities consciously.

#shareyourspace #coexistence #nature #conservation

Smita Kumar and I write about the role of Green Rural Economy in the Odisha Sandbox. Conceived by Rainmatter Foundation and Socratus Foundation for Collective Wisdom, the Odisha Sandbox executes the idea of a place-based economy, called a situated economy. It addresses the multifaceted nature of sustainable development--recognising that economic activities must be in harmony with environmental stewardship and social equity--paving the way for a flourishing Odisha in the era of climate change.

From the coastline of Udupi to forests in Panna, from islands in Brahmaputra to arid villages in north Karnataka, from tough terrain of Himachal to urban slums of Gurgaon, Bangalore and Chennai - the local flavours are different, but SWM needs are similar. Saahas projects in these different geographies, help us address local challenges, soak in the rich culture of the place and grow as an organisation!

JSW Foundation Société Générale ITC Limited HCLFoundation Shahi Exports Pvt Ltd 
The Coca-Cola Company Rainmatter Foundation Axis Finance Limited HDB Financial Services Ltd. HDFC Bank Limited SBI Foundation KPMG IndoSpace @BA Continuum India Pvt Ltd

Curious about birds? Ready to be amazed by their awesomeness? Check out this very short trailer for the self-paced, online course THE WONDER OF BIRDS.

If it catches your fancy, you can register FREE for the course here:
https://lnkd.in/g29_PQmM

It's been rated 4.8/5 by learners, and over a thousand people have taken the course already. Why not join them this weekend?

Garima Bhatia, The Habitats Trust, Rainmatter Foundation, Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies

#Launch: For the past four years, we’ve been steadily building India’s climate philanthropy ecosystem. But strategic and effective philanthropy faces a critical barrier; data on fund flows is fragmented and inaccessible in India.

Our latest assessment ‘Trends in Climate Philanthropy’ is a first step towards building intelligence on India’s funding landscape. In this, we draw on quantitative and qualitative insights obtained from interactions with and publicly available data from 65 funders (CSR, domestic, and international). We analyse three key trends in #climatephilanthropy from 2018-2023 and highlight five takeaways for funders.

We hope for this to become an annual exercise, and, over time, encourage a more open, transparent culture around climate giving in India.

Read now to discover key insights on:
- Where philanthropic capital is going
- How it is being deployed, and
- Which regions need attention

Link: https://bit.ly/4dp0NUI

Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), Agroecology Fund, Water, Environment, Land and Livelihoods (WELL) Labs, WRI India, Accelerate Indian Philanthropy (AIP), Green Artha, Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, Rainmatter Foundation Tata Trusts #ClimateAction #TrendsinClimatePhilanthropy #ClimatePhilanthropy

A one-day training program on sustainable solid waste management was conducted for members of self-help groups (SHGs) and ASHA workers. The event was graced by Mr. Somshekar Biradar, Executive Officer of the Taluk Panchayat, Shahpur, along with the PDO, CHO from the Health Department, and the IEC Consultant from ZP Yadgir.

During the event, the Executive Officer emphasized the importance of proper waste disposal. He advised the SHGs and ASHA workers to educate households and shop owners about the dangers of dumping garbage in drains and in front of houses. He explained that such practices can lead to clogged drains, especially during the rainy season, potentially causing water to seep into homes. This not only disrupts the flow of rainwater but also creates an additional burden for the gram panchayats, as they would need to desilt the drains. He highlighted that this issue can be mitigated through public awareness and active participation in maintaining cleanliness in the village. 

The program was attended by over 65 participants and was deemed a success. Games were organized, and prizes were distributed to the winners. The Executive Officer praised the efforts of Saahas for their excellent work in solid waste management across Yadgir district, noting the positive impact of the session on the attendees.

Rainmatter Foundation

Exactly a month ago, some of us food enthusiasts gathered in Kochi around The Millet Revival Project of The Locavore. The evening started with a video featuring the ritual dance celebrating the sowing of millets in Attapadi. But what came after, decided what the audience would take away, apart from treating taste buds to new ingredients, tastes and textures.

Rajamma and Usha, from the Attappadi Adivasi Samagra Vikasana Paddhati, a project run under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission, shared engaging stories on the sheer diversity of millets in their landscape. They described the terrain, and the unique rain shadow conditions supporting some varieties. It was heart-wrenching to hear Rajamma reminiscing about how, during drought years, the first sprouts of millet crops were their only source of food. 

Sreeja KG has a way with words. As co-founder Forest Post, she summarised how and when millets had disappeared from indigenous landscapes we work in. How millets were only a small part of the foraging lifestyle of the Kadar and Malayankudi people. Where the Muthuvas and Malayars cultivated them in the past, how things changed a few decades ago when slash and burn agriculture was banned. And more recently, how increasing human wildlife conflict made it impossible to grow paddy or millets. There is a history of food embedded in there. 

On the same panel, Rakesh Nair from Svojas Farms spoke about a subject that keeps me awake: marketing challenges and customer perceptions around millet consumption. 

Chef Thomas Zacharias employed his iconic millet pub quiz and The Locavore Millet Bowl to discuss sustainability. Not easy to get the practical aspects of sustainability across. But here, there was food that provided a direct connect to the heart. Thank you @ChefTZac and The Locavore team for doing what you do. 

Where Forest Post shone? 
At the Millet Salad Bar, millet based foods were combined with wild honey from Edamalayar, Mahua flowers from Bastar, Krill pickle from the Karen people in Andamans, and ferns and wild grapes foraged by Malayar and Kadar friends --all from our impact villages. The excitement from those two evenings hasn't diminished yet! 

Rainmatter Foundation Tsarina Abrao Vacha

#climateresilientfarming #milletfarming #indigenouswisdom #culinary #milletrevival

Hume Centre organized a one-day Climate Cadets and Wipro Earthian Teacher Training workshop on August 17, 2024, at Trident Arcade, Kalpetta. The program was attended by 170 students and teachers from 16 schools in Wayanad.

The training began with a session led by Ms. Anju Paul, the Climate Cadet Coordinator, who addressed "Climate Change and Wayanad." She explained the differences between weather and climate, and how changing climate patterns affect both our lives and the environment in Wayanad. She also outlined future plans for the Climate Cadets and the role they play in addressing climate change.

Following this, Ms. Dyuthi, Wipro Earthian Sustainability Educator from the Hume Centre, introduced the three Earthian Program booklets: Biodiversity, Water, and Waste.

Certificates were awarded to students who participated in the Earthian program last year, recognizing their efforts and accomplishments. The workshop was met with great enthusiasm and a positive response from both students and teachers, reflecting their commitment to climate and environmental education.

Thanking Rainmatter Foundation and Wipro Foundation for supporting us.

A lot of us who have grown up in smaller cities/towns/villages have experienced coexisting with nature as a way of life. But as we move into larger cities, our tolerance towards nature decreases, mostly because of lack of interactions on a daily basis. 🏙️

In a city where we are venturing into newer untouched spaces to accommodate infrastructural development, the boundaries can easily get blurred. This might make us think, “whose house is it really?” 🌳

Sanjana believes that the house belongs to all of us so it is extremely important to make sure that we respect the other species with whom we share it. Practising more empathy and acceptance can help us build a healthier relationship with nature. 🐕🌿

(Sanjana Madappa is an animal welfare worker and the founding trustee of a Bengaluru-based dog rescue centre called the @Second Chance Sanctuary)

#shareyourspace #coexistence #dogs #nature #urbandevelopment

RAIN

ORG:RAINMATTER

Rainmatter Foundation