Lead organisation: Equal Right
Equal Right works to establish the Climate Commons Fund (CCF) in Laikipia County, Kenya. This will serve as Africa’s first pilot linking unconditional cash transfers (UCTs) directly to ecosystem conservation. Through an innovative ‘cash for conservation’ model, the CCF will provide regular, unconditional cash payments (referred to as ‘climate dividends’) to rural communities to support ecological restoration activities such as regenerative agriculture and rangeland management. The initiative promotes community-led governance, builds climate resilience, and lays the foundation for a locally governed, self-sustaining conservation economy. Backed by the Global Cash for Conservation Working Group, the project aims to catalyse a shift away from extractive conservation models toward equitable, inclusive, and scalable nature-based solutions.
A Basic Income for Nature and Climate has been selected as one of the RAIN bridge fund recipients. Bridge funding supports selected projects to sustain and build on their work during 2026. This funding is intended to provide a strategic bridge between the original RAIN award and future pathways for scale, influence, or longer term financing.
Building on its RAIN 3 efforts, Equal Right is piloting the first integration of unconditional cash transfers with a community owned conservation fund. Ten Il Ngwesi participants receive lump sum payments to invest in climate positive livelihoods such as agroecology and soil restoration. At the same time, a locally governed fund is being established to generate returns and pay conservation dividends.