CRE Collaboration Grants

CRE Collaboration Grants is sponsored by Community Resource Exchange (CRE). The Community Resource Exchange (CRE) Collaboration Grants support African community-led initiatives defending human rights in the context of international investments in critical minerals.

Community Resource Exchange | The Coalition for Human Rights in Development Community Resource Exchange Frequently Asked Questions The Community Resource Exchange (CRE) is a system to facilitate collaborations and co-develop strategies with and among communities defending their rights in the context of international investments and development projects.

It works at the direction of communities and their partners, to coordinate: Linkages with potential allies and collaborators Exchange of information and resources Cross-learning among communities leading similar struggles Access to small financial assistance (under US$ 5000) through regular calls for applications To learn more about the CRE, check out these infographics available in English, French, Spanish, Russian and Portuguese.

In April 2026, the CRE opened three regional calls for proposals: Africa [ see this page ] | Thematic call on critical minerals | (closed) Asia [ see this page ] | Thematic call on energy projectts | Deadline: 30 May 2026 Latin America [ see this page ] Thematic call on water and extractivism | Deadline: 30 May 2026 If you are a community in the Global South impacted by an international investment or development project and you’d like to collaborate with the CRE, check out this page and get in touch: cre@rightsindevelopment.

org . Transforming Challenges into Strategies: Lessons from the WEHRD Summit in Bali In this blog, our CRE partner Nukila Evanty shares her reflections about the 2026 Women Environmental Human Rights Defenders Summit in Bali, ... Welcome to the Community Resource Exchange (CRE) bulletin, where we provide key updates about the CRE, highlights from the powerful struggles ...

‘Latin America is already green’: Crafting collective responses in the face of an expanding hydrogen industry The Community of Action Group on Hydrogen, an initiative of the CRE, met in Santiago, Chile, to strengthen joint strategies to address the ...

Uganda: the community struggle that stopped a forest from becoming a city In January 2026, the communities living near the Kitubulu Central Forest Reserve in Uganda celebrated a victory: after months of mobilization, ...

Between the “Green Desert” and Lithium: Quilombola Resistance in the Jequitinhonha Valley Reflections and photos from the gathering held in the Jequitinhonha Valley at the end of April, organized by COQUIVALE (the Commission of ... CRE bulletin – February 2026 Welcome to the Community Resource Exchange (CRE) bulletin, where we provide key updates about the CRE, highlights from the powerful struggles ...

When small drops shift power In this blog, we share some key takeaways from a cross-regional learning exchange organized by the Community Resource Exchange, focused on ... The future we want: voices from African mining-affected communities In this page, you can read a short profile of the communities who participated in our collective multimedia exhibition at the 2026 Alternative ...

Welcome to the Community Resource Exchange (CRE) bulletin, where we provide key updates about the CRE, highlights from the powerful struggles ... CRE bulletin – February 2026 Welcome to the Community Resource Exchange (CRE) bulletin, where we provide key updates about the CRE, highlights from the powerful struggles ...

CRE bulletin – October 2025 Welcome to the Community Resource Exchange (CRE) bulletin, where we provide key updates about the CRE, highlights from the powerful struggles ... Welcome to the Community Resource Exchange (CRE) bulletin, where we provide key updates about the CRE, highlights from the powerful struggles ...

CRE bulletin – January 2025 Welcome to the first Community Resource Exchange (CRE) bi-monthly bulletin, where we provide key updates about the CRE, highlights from the ... In this interactive map, you can see some short profiles of the first cohort of CRE collaborators. In the coming months, we’ll continue updating the map with new profiles and additional information on their struggles.

Please note that, for security reasons, those collaborators who prefer to remain anonymous will not be featured in the map. If you have collaborated with the CRE and you’d like to spotlight your community-led struggle on the map, get in touch and write to us at: cre@rightsindevelopment. org .

All Collaborator Countries Democratic Republic of Congo All Collaborator Sectors Focus Energy - Hydro and renewables Housing & Urban Development All Collaborator Impacted Communities All Collaborator Violations/Impacts Conflict & militarization Consultations / access to information Displacement & land grabbing Environmental impacts: Biodiversity Environmental impacts: Climate change Environmental impacts: Pollution FPIC & Indigenous Peoples’ rights Gender-based violence and impacts Loss of livelihoods / Food insecurity / Increased cost of living Obstruction of monitoring All Collaborators types of financiers UN and multilateral agencies All Collaborator Financiers Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV) Banco de Desarrollo de América Latina BNP Paribas Singapore LTD Caledonia Mining Corporation Celulosa Arauco y Constitución Central Cipta Murdaya (CCM) Holding CITIC Group Corporation Ltd Comisión Federal de Electricidad Compañía Mexicana de Exploraciones Corporación Eléctrica del Ecuador Credit Suisse AG Switzerland Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank Ellington Properties Development Empresa de Transmisión Eléctrica Export-Import Bank of India Filminera Resources Corporation First Patriot Mining Company French Development agency Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited Hwange Electricity Supply Company Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited International Finance Corporation Japan Bank for International Cooperation Japan International Cooperation agency Minerales Sierra Pacífico S.

A.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Oriental Ressources Congo Sarl Sinohydro Corporation Limited Uganda Electricity Generation Company Ltd. Conseil Régional des Organisations Non Gouvernementales de Développement Democratic Republic of Congo À travers la recherche communautaire, la documentation des violations des droits humains, le plaidoyer et le renforcement des capacités, le CRONGD accompagne les communautés affectées par l’exploitation minière dans le territoire de Miabi, au Kasaï Oriental, en République démocratique du Congo, afin de documenter les abus, d’exiger des indemnisations et la réhabilitation de l’environnement, et de demander des comptes à l’entreprise et aux autorités quant au respect de leurs obligations.

Synergie des Organisations de la Société Civile pour la promotion des Droits Humains et de l’Environnement Democratic Republic of Congo Since 2018, a cluster of Chinese-owned mining companies has been developing new mines in South Kivu, DRC. Local communities have been raising concerns about limited or no community consultation, environmental damage, and tensions with local actors.

Gwanda Community Economic Justice Development Trust Through collaborative resistance efforts with the Gwanda Community Justice Development Trust, communities of the greater Gwanda area in Zimbabwe have mobilised and petitioned against the livelihood, health, and agricultural impacts of Chinese investor supported lithium mining.

Anti-Mining Local Civil Society Alliance in the Province of Negros On the Negros Island, in the Philippines, the Negros Anti-Mining Alliance (NAMA) is mobilizing local communities' resistance against a new wave of coastal and offshore mining projects.

Nomad Rights, a human rights organization in Astana, has been resisting the construction of a tourist complex by the UAE company Ellington Properties Development LLS since 2019, which threatenes to displace local families leaving them without compensation or alternative housing.

Consejo Indígena Maya Ch’orti’ de Olopa The Indigenous council Consejo Indígena Maya Ch’orti’ de Olopa has been resisting against extractivist projects in their territory, in particular against the operations of Minerales Sierra Pacìfico (subsidiary of the Canadian Volcanic Gold Mines). They have been organizing workshops to empower local communities, documented violations, and challenged the mine through legal actions.

Community Development Advocacy Foundation Community Development Advocacy Foundation has been supporting communities affected by oil spills and pollution linked to oil extraction in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. The Salam movement has brought together local communities in Georgia, engaged local media, and organized awareness-raising activities, to resist the expansion of the RMG Gold Mine.

In 2018, a group of activists and organizations working around development and human rights issues came together and started imagining a new system to facilitate linkages among communities and groups that provide support to community-led struggles. They had a question in mind: what if we could spread our branches and roots, as a global civil society community, to be better connected to each other? The CRE was developed through a 2.

5-year participatory process . To ensure the system would truly meet the needs of local communities, around 400 people from grassroots groups, indigenous peoples, and civil society organizations working from the local to the global were consulted through online surveys, focus groups, interviews, and consultative webinars. Together, we co-created and shaped what we now call the Community Resource Exchange.

Where we started: the Community Engagement Partnership (2016-2021) Community Resource Exchange design (2021) Analysis of consultation feedback and changes to CRE design (2021) Infographic: “ Consultation feedback and changes to CRE design” (2021) Evaluation of the first phase of our pilot (2025) Blogs about the CRE growth Stitching a quilt of resistance (2025) How the CRE is transitioning into a new phase (2024) Weaving together 200 tapestries of resistance (2023) Learning while we create together (2022) Spreading our branches and roots (2021) Frequently asked questions We’ve put together some commonly asked questions to give you more information about the Community Resource Exchange (CRE) and the support we offer communities.

If you’d like to know more or explore a possible collaboration, you can request a call with any member of the CRE team at: cre@rightsindevelopment. org . What is the Community Resource Exchange (CRE) and how was it created?

The Community Resource Exchange was launched in 2021 to work with communities as they defend their rights in the face of harmful internationally financed development projects and investments. It is a system set up to facilitate collaborations with skills, tools, resources and allies, and co-develop strategies with and among communities. The CRE was developed through a 2.

5-year participatory process, involving over 400 people. The group of organizations that co-designed the CRE entrusted the Coalition for Human Rights in Development with hosting the pilot phase and coordinating its implementation. What do you mean by “development finance and international investments”?

The CRE supports all communities defending their rights in the context of development projects supported by: Public development banks (such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the African Development Bank, or export-import agencies like China Export-Import Bank) Transnational commercial banks (e.g.: Standard Chartered Bank Corporation) International companies and corporations investing abroad (e.g.: Nestle, Indorama, Barrick Mining, etc).

Development projects include, for example, activities in the areas of energy, mining, infrastructure, agribusiness, forestry, conservation, water, health, education or housing, both in the public and private sectors. Do you need to be a member of the Coalition for Human Rights in Development to seek support from the CRE? How can communities start a collaboration?

And what are the ways the CRE can support communities? Communities can start collaborating with the CRE by getting in touch with us (writing at: cre@rightsindevelopment. org ) and we can set up a call to present the different ways we can collaborate.

When calls for proposals are opened, communities can submit proposals for collaborations with financial support (see details below). During the rest of the year, when there are no open calls for proposals, we can facilitate non-financial support.

Depending on the communities’ needs and priorities, that will be discussed during a call with one of the CRE Regional Facilitators, we can facilitate support by: connecting communities with potential allies and other CRE collaborators who can offer guidance or accompany in advancing the community’s struggle; organizing capacity building initiatives; facilitating peer-to-peer learning to share experiences, strategies and achievements; providing small grants or facilitating connections to other funding sources.

providing tailored communications support to visibilize the community’s struggle at the local, regional or global level Our support covers the following strategy areas: corporate and follow the money research; scientific and technical support; media engagement and communications; For example, if a community sees a billboard suddenly announcing a dam project in their territory (funded by the Asian Development Bank), the CRE could support in different ways: Information : Help the community access information about the impacts of the dam or to find out who is behind the project (e.g.: by connecting them to groups like the Early Warning System, that monitors projects funded by development banks, or assisting with financial research to map the other companies/financiers involved).

Linkages : If the community gets information and decides to take action, the CRE can discuss potential linkages with allies (e.g.: networks that are engaging the Asian Development Bank in their advocacy) and possible strategies. In some cases, the community already knows which strategy to pursue. In others, the CRE can brainstorm with them about the different options available.

Collective learning and capacity building : Recognizing the expertise of the communities, the CRE can also support peer-to-peer learning exchanges and capacity-building sessions (e.g.: a “learning circle” on community organizing or on advocacy with international financiers, where other communities impacted by ADB-funded dams share their experiences).

Financial support : when we open calls for proposals, we can provide small grants that act as a “seed fund” to implement activities. How can a community access support if they are unsure of who is financing the project affecting them? We do not expect communities to know who is funding the project affecting their territories.

The CRE can connect you with a researcher who can seek information about the project (e.g.: to understand who is managing the project, which are the subsidiaries and all the companies involved, who are the investors, etc.), or with national-based organizations which might have information about the project. Does the CRE provide security support for communities? And can a CRE grant be used for security purposes?

The CRE does not directly provide security support. But the CRE can facilitate linkages to organizations that will provide the needed security support of communities and individual defenders at risk (for example through the Defenders in Development campaign Security Working Group).

Given the deliberative process by which CRE grants are awarded and the time needed to assess the proposals these grants are not intended for urgent emergency cases where support is needed immediately. What type of groups does the CRE prioritize?

The CRE prioritizes collaboration with community-based groups (including unregistered groups) or local non-government organizations (NGOs), which provide immediate assistance and accompaniment to communities in their struggle to protect their rights and environment from adverse development projects. Which projects are ineligible for CRE’s support?

The CRE cannot provide grants that will be used for: water and sanitation project; other activities not related to projects funded by development or with international investments. We believe that these projects are important, but these areas fall outside our scope of work. How much is the grant from the CRE and how can communities apply?

The maximum grant we provide is US $5000 dollars. Communities can submit proposals for financial support when there are calls for proposals. Regional or global calls for proposals are usually opened twice a year, and they will be posted on this page .

The calls can be either open or can be targeted for specific groups, topics or strategies. The Regional Grant Working Groups, made up by members of the CRE team and a group of collaborators from the different regions, is ultimately responsible for deciding who to award financial support. Further information in this infographic .

Outside the calls for proposals, communities can still apply to collaborate with the CRE. However, financial support is only awarded through the calls for proposals. If I have already received CRE financial support, can I apply again to get support for a different activity?

You can apply for a CRE grant for a maximum of two times, that can be consecutive or not. The Regional Grant Working Group will decide whether to approve the second grant or not. If I applied for a grant but it was not approved, can I still get other forms of support?

Non-financial support: we can facilitate linkages with possible allies, learning opportunities, sharing resources and information, and supporting any activity that falls within our strategy areas.

Linkages with or referrals to other organizations that provide small grants: the CRE can help you understand the grant application process and requirements for other funds, and can also review your proposals so that you can potentially access funds from other groups. How can we collaborate with the CRE to support communities?

If you are interested in collaborating with the CRE and being connected with communities, you can write to: cre@rightsindevelopment. org . One of the Regional Facilitators will be in touch with you.

We are always happy to have collaborators who can share their expertise with communities and help them assert and fight for their rights. We are constantly mapping potential collaborators (especially experts in specific strategy areas) to ensure that we can support communities once they request linkages. You can also opt to become a “national” or “strategic” node.

”Strategy nodes” share their expertise on their specific areas of expertise (e.g.: financial mapping, Chinese finance, international law, etc). National nodes perform three key functions: help the CRE conduct due diligence on communities requesting assistance; connect communities seeking support to the CRE; conduct outreach activities, in partnership with the CRE, so that more communities can be connected to the CRE.

How does the CRE collaborate with sister networks? The CRE, to maximize its outreach and avoid duplication of work, engages with several networks at the global and regional level who have experience in a particular strategy or region. We rely on our “sister networks” to lead in their areas of expertise.

For example, one of the “sister networks” is the “Defenders in Development campaign”, which focuses on supporting human rights defenders in the context of projects funded by development banks. Which regions and countries does the CRE work? The CRE supports communities in Africa, Asia and the Caucasus, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Who are the CRE Regional Facilitators? Faith Kivuti – fkivuti@rightsindevelopment. org [Africa] Claudia Romero – cromero@rightsindevelopment.

org [Latin America] Carmina Flores Obanil – cfobanil@rightsindevelopment. org [International Coordinator – can forward requests to our Asia and Caucasus Regional Facilitator]