Follow the Money Investigations
Since 2016, we have been taking requests from community advocates for support researching and mapping the investment and supply chains behind harmful projects—to identify the banks, investors, insurance companies, commodity buyers, even development finance institutions and other stakeholders that keep these projects going.
These actors are often unknown to communities impacted by the projects they support. In many cases they are intentionally hidden from public scrutiny. But they can be particularly useful pressure points for advocacy, as many of them are bound by rules that require them to respect human rights and the environment, and they often have visible brands to protect.
The more we and affected communities know about who is financing a harmful project upstream, who is buying the goods produced downstream, and who else is making the project possible and profitable, the more avenues we can find to secure accountability.
Impact of our Follow the Money Investigations
Learn more about the projects the Follow the Money initiative has investigated in the interactive map below. Zoom in and click on the icons to learn about the projects. Drag the Pegman onto the map to see the projects sites in Street View.
How to Request our Support
Communities and their civil society supporters can request a Follow the Money investigation by our team by filling in our request form (also available in French).
We provide this service free of charge. In some cases, we may request a fee from international organizations to help subsidize our work with groups in the Global South.
Upon completion of the research, we will provide you with a report laying out our findings, along with tailored advice on how you might put this information to use in advocacy. We will also hold a video conference or in-person workshop to answer questions and brainstorm advocacy strategies. In many cases, we can also produce accompanying materials, such as a short, simplified report translated into local languages.
Given capacity restraints, we may not be able to fulfill every request. We currently prioritize requests that align with our strategic focus on advancing a just energy transition and an effective response to the climate emergency. That includes inquiries from communities fighting climate-busting fossil fuel projects and those working to ensure that “transition mineral” extraction and renewable energy projects respect and promote local communities’ rights and development aspirations.
After receiving your request, we will assess whether our approach is suitable for your case and, if it is, we will place it in our research queue and provide you with an estimated completion date. If you have any questions not answered here, please reach out to our research director Dustin Roasa by email: dustin [at] inclusivedevelopment [dot] net.
How to follow the money yourself
Our Following the Money to Justice website provides a step-by-step guide to conducting your own investigations. We also run a training and mentorship program for organizations interested in applying these methods in their own work. You can learn more about the tools and training we offer here.
Investigated nearly 280 harmful projects in 36 countries.
Helped communities identify 570 advocacy opportunities, including 127 opportunities to access international accountability mechanisms.
Uncovered the involvement of more than 1 in 4 Fortune 500 companies in harmful projects.