Rippleworks awards HIH $2.5m to expand community-led rainforest conservation

Thanks to a new $2.5 million grant from Rippleworks, Health In Harmony will expand to serve more than 65,700 people across 312 communities in critical biodiversity hotspots in Indonesia, Madagascar, Brazil, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The investment will enable HIH to significantly scale its groundbreaking community-led conservation model that addresses the root causes driving both health disparities and environmental destruction, protecting over 5.1 million hectares of critical rainforest habitat.

"This investment from Rippleworks represents a transformational moment for our work," said Ashley Emerson, CEO of Business and Scale at Health In Harmony. "We've proven that when you invest in community solutions such as healthcare access and livelihood alternatives, the impact on carbon sequestration, biodiversity protection, and human well-being is one of the highest return investments we can make for climate, nature, and people. We will make yet another leap with partners and communities to protect the world's most biodiverse and carbon-rich ecosystems."

The funding will strengthen HIH’s coalition model, developed with scientific institutions, governments, and Indigenous-led partners, including the Woodwell Climate Research Center, Ministry of Health (Indonesia), Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), Pawanka Fund, among others. 

Directing funds and resources to climate solutions led by Indigenous Peoples, Afrodescendant Peoples, and local communities, HIH is building long-term systems for communities to thrive as financially sustainable guardians of their forests.

Alongside these communities, HIH has already delivered measurable results at the intersection of human and environmental health. Its programs have protected 2.69 million hectares of land, prevented 1.345 million tons of CO₂ emissions, and in Indonesia alone achieved a 90% reduction in illegal logging and a 67% decrease in infant mortality. 

Currently operating in 200 communities across global biodiversity hotspots, HIH is grateful that Ripplework’s grant will enable the further support of local priorities at scale, whether that’s health clinics, livelihood programs, or education, while linking conservation commitments to tangible community benefits.