Grant and Funding Programs Offered by Community Evolution

Community Evolution is a charitable, grantmaking organization that partners with local communities to develop and scale community-owned enterprises. Working in countries including Bolivia, Canada, Ecuador and Nepal, it combines facilitation, training and direct financial support to help communities build sustainable, collectively owned businesses that improve livelihoods and strengthen local economies.

The organization explicitly provides funding for three core components: a locally embedded community facilitator, education tailored to a community’s learning needs, and seed capital to start or grow enterprises. Its approach uses financial mechanisms such as grants or loans, alongside capacity building, so that communities can plan, own and manage their own businesses over the long term.

Community Evolution works primarily in community economic development. Two main thematic areas guide its portfolio: community-based tourism, where local groups design and operate tourism services that respect ecosystems and cultural assets, and sustainable agriculture and food systems, focused on food sovereignty and food security. Through its partners, it supports producer cooperatives, agricultural associations, fisheries co‑ops, community farms, school food initiatives and social enterprises.

Funding has supported organizations such as women’s producer associations in Bolivia, agricultural and tourism cooperatives in Ecuador, community food and farm cooperatives in Canada, and the Didi Foundation’s women-focused social enterprises and micro‑loan programs in Nepal. These investments aim to create decent livelihoods, increase community participation in decision‑making, and strengthen natural, human, economic, physical and social capital.

Each partnership is accompanied by a local facilitator who supports community organizing, leadership development, project management and coaching, without taking decision-making power away from community members. Financial support, training and seed capital allow local entrepreneurs to expand income-generating activities, contribute to local development and build resilient, community-led enterprises.

Community Evolution’s work is aligned with several UN Sustainable Development Goals, including gender equality, decent work and economic growth, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, and peace, justice and strong institutions. The organization publishes audited financial statements and emphasizes that 100% of donations are directed into partner communities, reinforcing its role as a transparent philanthropic funder.