The U.S. government, through the United States Agency for International Development and in partnership with the Gerry Roxas Foundation, awarded 13 civil society organizations (CSOs)—including the Oscar M. Lopez Center—with grants to work on biodiversity conservation and natural climate solutions in the Philippines.
The grants, which were awarded under USAID’s Investing in Sustainability and Partnerships for Inclusive Growth and Regenerative Ecosystems (INSPIRE) project, aim to contribute to the natural resource conservation and ecosystem and community resilience efforts in the Philippines by supporting CSOs that advocate for and participate in good natural resource governance.
The OML Center and Humanity and Inclusion Philippines were awarded 1 million USD each in grants to support disability-inclusive climate actions. The grant received by the OML Center will fund the Center’s development of climate change-related terms in Filipino Sign Language to empower Deaf participation in policymaking and discourse.
Meanwhile, 11 other CSOs were awarded 300,000 USD each to implement three-year conservation and climate projects that will help communities adopt environmentally friendly practices, engage public and private sectors, and establish local enterprises that support conservation. CSOs that received this grant are: ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation, Inc., Jaime V. Ongpin Foundation, Inc., Mount Apo Foundation, Inc., NGOs for Fisheries Reform, PATH Foundation Philippines, Inc., Philippine Association for the Intellectual Development, Inc., Philippines Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Inc., Philippine Eagle Foundation, Inc., Sentro Para sa Ikauunlad ng Katutubong Agham at Teknolohiya, Xavier Science Foundation, Inc., and Zoological Society of London–Philippines.
The grants were formally awarded by USAID Philippines Deputy Mission Director Jennifer Crow, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Undersecretary Marilou Erni, and Gerry Roxas Foundation Executive Director Glen de Castro last August 30, 2022. The OML Center was represented at the event by Executive Director Rodel D. Lasco. He was joined by Ms. Carolyn Dagani, President of the Philippine Federation of the Deaf.
Learn more about the grant here: https://bit.ly/3qlgTrs