that people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, and our fellow apes thrive in a world where social and environmental justice are a reality.

SOCIAL JUSTICE PROGRAM:

The Arcus Foundation’s Social Justice Program envisions a world in which all LGBTQ people live with dignity, safety, and opportunity in inclusive communities and societies. The foundation realizes this vision by supporting initiatives that increase safety for LGBTQ people, strengthen LGBTQ-affirming protections, and improve inclusion and acceptance of LGBTQ people. We give priority to LGBTQ populations who have been pushed to the margins based on their racial, gender, or economic status in specific places in the Americas and Africa, where research suggests potential for our work to contribute to concrete changes over a 10-year period.

The Social Justice Program deploys finite grantmaking and non-grantmaking resources in ways that build the long-term resilience and power of our partners, so they can remain resolute in advancing justice, often in the face of ongoing violence, inequity, and exclusion. The program approaches its work in a manner that acknowledges and includes the wisdom, power, and self-determination of LGBTQ communities.

Social Justice funding addresses the following areas under all goals:

--Cross-movement collaboration and coordination

--Efforts led by and for the communities most affected by the work’s intended impact

--Establishment of durable networks, especially among those most marginalized

--Inclusion of those most marginalized in decision-making and organizational leadership

--Initiatives led by faith, trans, and other groups with less access to resources and who are marginalized within LGBTQ communities

--Work that empowers constituencies to influence change through civic engagement and democratic participation.

GREAT APES & GIBBONS PROGRAM

Arcus’ Great Apes & Gibbons Program strategy is driven by its mission to ensure conservation and respect for the world’s gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, and gibbons, all of whom are under threat in every country in which they live. The program’s 10-year strategy, from 2016 to 2026, focuses on ape-range landscapes across 18 countries in Africa and Asia, as well as two countries, the United States and Kenya, in which apes are held in captivity outside their range.

The Great Apes & Gibbons Program strategy aims to:

--Reconcile socio-economic development and conservation activities in priority ape landscapes

--Build an effective movement of organizations and advocates addressing current and emerging threats to apes

--Increase respect for the intrinsic value of apes, diminishing their exploitation and ensuring they are provided appropriate care.

The Great Apes & Gibbons Program currently prioritizes 24 landscapes based on ape habitat size, the distribution and density of ape populations, species diversity, threat level, current conservation efforts, and the existence of supportive institutions and legislation. Twelve of those landscapes are in pristine areas; 10 are in frontier areas; and two are in isolated areas. Across these landscapes, we support holistic, collaborative, and long-term approaches by a range of actors from the conservation movement and other sectors to promote behavior change, including policy and legal challenges, increase in monitoring and law enforcement efforts, expansion of sustainable economic opportunities for local communities, and development of strong public awareness of the issues, including through thought leadership.

Arcus Foundation is the author of State of the Apes, the world’s first publication series looking at the threats and dangers facing great apes and gibbons and the opportunities for reconciling economic and social development with biodiversity conservation. Learn more at https://www.stateoftheapes.com/.

Arcus Foundation’s mission is driven by the vision of our founder and by our shared commitment to global human rights and conservation movements. We partner with experts and activists—brave advocates for change who push boundaries and confront tough challenges. Together, we learn from one another and take bold risks on groundbreaking ideas that drive progress toward a future of respect and dignity for all.