Strategic Compass
FINAL REVISED FOR BOARD APPROVAL
December 2023
This Deck
This deck presents updates to the Strategic Compass based on feedback from member foundations at the regional meetings and the retreats and from learnings from Initiative teams using the Strategic Compass to guide the development of the Initiative Impact Plans (IIPs). It begins by summarizing the feedback and learnings and then presents a revised Strategic Compass Theory of Change for consideration and approval by CLUA’s Board at its December 2023 meeting.
Questions on this document can be directed to Carolina Zambrano-Barragan, Director of Programs.
What has changed in the
STRATEGIC COMPASS?
What has changed in the Strategic Compass? (1 of 3)
What we heard | Changes we made |
Include ‘climate’ in the goal of the Strategic Compass (and initiative plans also should ensure the goal speaks to Climate) | Added ‘climate-resilience’ to the Strategic Compass goal: By 2030, tropical forest systems are sustainably conserved and restored, rights are secured and exercised, and equity, well-being, and climate- resilience advanced. |
Protect and Restore forests, Equity and Justice, and Climate-resilience should infuse all of our work. We will ensure that they are integrated across the goal, scope, and outcomes in the Strategic Compass TOC and in each IIP. | Recognizing that ‘Protect & Restore forests’, ‘Equity and Justice’, and ‘Advancing Climate-resilience’ are fully integrated into the TOC scope, goal, and overarching outcomes - and therefore influencing all our work - these will be considered in the Initiative Impact Plans in: i. the scope (at a high level); ii. at IIP the outcome level; and, iii. mainstreamed across the Strategic Lines of Action. Gender, Equity, and Justice will also be a core element of our Operations Plan (including actions around grantmaking practices and team capacities). |
What we heard | Changes we made |
Need for more focus and simplification of the TOC, including the definition of CLUA’s niche, role and priority interventions | Consolidated the original set of 8 SLAs to 5 core SLAs (see working descriptions of each here):
|
Given the consolidated number of SLAs, eliminated the Impact Areas which are no longer needed to categorize the 5 SLAs. | |
We are asking teams to prioritize results within every SLA, so that initiatives identify what each will: CONTINUE (Existing priorities); START (New priorities); POTENTIAL (With more funding) and STOP (Reduced priorities). |
What has changed in the Strategic Compass? (2 of 3)
What we heard | Changes we made |
Define where extractives, infrastructure and the energy transition fall within the TOC |
|
To the extent possible, the Strategic Compass and the IIPs should enable us to measure our progress and impact. | We continue to develop CLUA’s approach to Reflection, Evidence, Adaptation, and Learning (REAL) within the IIPs and via thinking around an integrated capability to support both CLUA and FPC. Additionally, the December iteration of the IIPs will include somewhat sharper (although not yet fully “SMART”) goals and outcomes, as well as prioritized results under each SLA, all of which will move us a step closer to measurability. In 2024, each initiative and CLUA as a whole will more fully elaborate approaches to tracking and assessing progress/impact and capturing learning, and using these to strengthen our work and the field overall. |
What has changed in the Strategic Compass? (3 of 3)
Revised Strategic Compass Theory of Change for Board Approval
MISSION To amplify the power of people and the potential of forests to achieve a just and climate-resilient world.
WE FOCUS ON Tropical forest systems with significant potential for addressing the climate crisis and preserving cultural and biological diversity. (Priority geographies as of 2023 are Brazil, Colombia & Peru, Mexico & C. Am., Indonesia, Global)
WHERE OUR GOAL IS By 2030, tropical forest systems are sustainably conserved and restored, rights are secured and exercised, and equity, well-being, and climate-resilience advanced.
TO ACHIEVE OUTCOMES TARGETING
SYSTEMS
TROPICAL FOREST SYSTEMS, upon which life and climate regulation depend, revert from declining to regenerative & resilient.
ECONOMIC SYSTEMS become centered in justice,equity, and ecological health �and resilience.
SOCIETIES are built, organized, and driven by equality, diversity and inclusion, economic justice, and good governance.
��Those who ultimately decide the fate of forest systems have and leverage the necessary opportunity (power, rights, ability), will (want to/have to), and means (know-how, resources, capacity) to consistently make decisions and take actions in support of thriving forest systems.
Often, this requires changing power dynamics, securing rights, and addressing conflict in order to shift the ability and right to decide.
LAND USE��The matrix of land uses within and around tropical forest systems mitigates environmental and social risks, strengthens equity and climate-resilience, and enables a just economic transition.
SUPPORTING
STRATEGIC LINES OF ACTION
ENHANCE JUST & SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES
ULTIMATE DECISION-MAKERS
WE WORK TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL BY
ADVANCE GOVERNANCE, POLICY & ACCOUNTABILITY
SUPPORT FOREST COMMUNITIES’ RIGHTS & LIVELIHOODS
STRENGTHEN MOVEMENTS, NARRATIVES & COLLECTIVE ACTION
SHIFT FINANCIAL SYSTEMS
IMPROVE PRODUCTION, CONSUMPTION & TRADE
Annex: Visual summary of changes to the Strategic Compass from June to December
OVERARCHING SYSTEMS CHANGE OUTCOMES:
Economic systems become centered in justice, equity, and ecological health and resilience.
Societies are built, organized, and driven by equality, diversity and inclusion, economic justice, and good governance.
Tropical forest systems, upon which life and climate regulation depend, revert from declining to regenerative & resilient.
ULTIMATE DECISION-MAKER OUTCOME: Those who ultimately decide the fate of forest systems have and leverage the necessary opportunity (power, rights, ability), will (want to/have to), and means (know-how, resources, capacity) to consistently make decisions and take actions in support of thriving forest systems. This outcome often requires shifting power dynamics, securing rights, and addressing conflict regarding who has the ability and right to decide.
CLUA’s MISSION is to amplify the power of people and the potential of forests to achieve a just and climate-resilient world.
SCOPE: tropical forest systems with significant potential for addressing the climate crisis and preserving cultural and biological diversity.
LAND USE OUTCOME: The �matrix of land uses within and around tropical forest systems mitigates environmental and �social risks, strengthens equity �and climate-resilience, and �enables a just economic transition.
The array of land uses that occur within and around forest systems largely determines their extent and health, depending on the nature of the land uses and where and how they are conducted.
GOAL: By 2030, tropical forest systems are sustainably conserved and restored, rights are secured and exercised, and equity and human well-being and climate- resilience advanced improved.
WHAT WE SEEK TO ACHIEVE
WHAT WE WILL DO
WHAT WE AIM TO AFFECT
TECH SYSTEM
POLITICAL SYSTEM
ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM
ECONOMIC SYSTEM
SOCIAL SYSTEM
Whether the matrix of land uses conserves or degrades forest systems ultimately depends on decisions of people who hold the rights to, directly utilize, depend on, and/or manage forests, including IPLCs, the private sector, land owners, government/ the state, and illegal actors.
Forest systems exist within broader systems that comprise our social-ecological world. These systems include countless actors with the power to influence ultimate decisions regarding the fate of forests. Systems-level changes are required to change the overall power dynamics and calculus that drive and constrain the thinking, behavior, and decisions of both influencers and ultimate deciders.
STRATEGIC IMPACT AREAS AND LINES OF ACTION
Interdependent IMPACT AREAS & STRATEGIC LINES OF ACTION
SUPPORT FOREST COMMUNITIES’ RIGHTS AND LIVELIHOODS
PROTECT & RESTORE TROPICAL FOREST SYSTEMS
VIBRANT FOREST SYSTEMS & COMMUNITIES
SHIFT FINANCIAL SYSTEMS
IMPROVE PRODUCTION, CONSUMPTION & TRADE
ENHANCE JUST & SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES
SUSTAINABLE & EQUITABLE ECONOMIES
BUILD NARRATIVES & SUPPORT FOR ACTION
EXPAND CIVIC SPACE & STRENGTHEN MOVEMENTS
JUST & RESILIENT SOCIETIES
ADVANCE POLICY, GOVERNANCE & ACCOUNTABILITY
STRENGTHEN MOVEMENTS, NARRATIVES & COLLECTIVE ACTION
Work to develop the IIPs has demonstrated that Protection & Restoration of forests, Centering Equity & Justice, and Advancing Climate-Resilience must permeate our work (versus sit as separate SLAs or principles). In fact, these critical concepts appear throughout our Scope, Goal, and Outcome. Efforts to refine the IIPs will ensure that both are given explicit emphasis within IIP Goals and Outcomes and the suite of prioritized SLAs.
Visual summary of what has changed between the June and December versions of the Strategic Compass.
Expand Civic Space & Strengthen Movements has been consolidated within the SLAs of Policy & Governance...(which now captures Civic Space) and Narratives (which now also captures Movements).