The Tenure Facility works directly with Indigenous Peoples and local communities and their allies to ensure laws on community rights are translated into rights recognition on the ground. It supports them to achieve formal legal recognition of their territorial rights on maps, in laws, and in the plans and operations of governments and private investors. We work strategically with local, national, and international stakeholders to foster community-level partnership and joint action with governments and the private sector.
Tenure Facility is a leading funder specialised in Indigenous Peoples and local communities’ rights and governance of land, forest, and territories. Work across the tropics in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, we support these communities so that they can manage, defend and thrive in their territories.
Tributaries join to form powerful currents. And when waters rise together, they can reshape entire landscapes. 2025 was a year of funding cuts, political uncertainty, and growing pressure on territories. Yet communities and organisations continued to push the movement forward.
Like tributaries feeding a river, thousands of local efforts, acts of leadership, and hard-won victories came together to build something far greater than the sum of their parts.
The figures below offer a glimpse of what that looked like in 2025:
~56.6 million hectares
Where partner organisations and communities strengthened tenure security and territorial governance in 2025—an area roughly the size of France.
~9,605 communities
Advancing rights, strengthening governance systems, defending territories, building institutions, and shaping their own futures.
But these numbers tell only part of the story.
Today, we share our 2025 Annual Report, which opens a window into a year that tested communities, organisations, and movements—and revealed the leadership, knowledge, persistence, and collective action behind these achievements.
The rest of the story unfolds through the people, partnerships, challenges, lessons, and hard-won victories that shaped 2025—and continue to shape what is possible for climate, biodiversity, and self-determination.
Learn more about our impact in our latest annual report.
2025 was a year of funding cuts, political uncertainty, and growing pressure on territories. Yet communities and organisations continued to push the movement forward.
56.6 million hectares
Where partner organisations and communities strengthened tenure security and territorial governance in 2025—an area roughly the size of France.
9,605 communities
Advancing rights, strengthening governance systems, defending territories, building institutions, and shaping their own futures.
These figures reflect important progress, but they tell only part of the story.
Our 2025 Annual Report explores the partnerships, leadership, lessons, and achievements behind these results, highlighting how communities and their organisations continue to drive lasting change for people, territories, climate, and biodiversity.
In 2024, our partners secured formal recognition of land rights in almost 4.4 million hectares and strengthened tenure and governance over 33 million hectares — lands that protect not only their homes but also our planet’s vital forests and other ecosystems. From Colombia to the Congo Basin to Papua, their leadership is driving meaningful impact at every level, from local forests to national policies. Our 2024 annual report is a story of real change, resilience, and hard-won victories that deserves to be celebrated.
In 2023, our partners’ efforts led to the formal recognition of more than 2 million hectares of land and forest. This significant progress also included improvements in tenure security and governance across nearly 22 million hectares. Our 2023 annual report is more than just a reflection of these past achievements; it is a beacon of hope in turbulent times and a call to action. Together with the continued support of our donors and the dedication of our partners, local and indigenous communities can thrive.