Our story
The Tallawah Initiative was born in 2025 in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, the strongest storm to ever make landfall in Jamaica.
From across the island and the diaspora, we came together to offer rapid relief to hard hit communities.
Since then, we have formed a bold coalition of professionals with expertise that spans philanthropy, law, land rights, climate policy, emergency management, community organizing, and infrastructure development.
And we’re on a mission to support Jamaica’s transition to a community-rooted, self-determined, and climate-smart future.
Our Beliefs
We believe land retention, secure tenure, and collective ownership are essential to long-term stability and community power.
We build and secure our collective strength as Jamaicans through bold climate preparedness — investing in safe and sustainable homes, food security, resilience hubs, and community care with dignity at the center.
We are called to return to harmony with the seasons, reclaim African and Indigenous ancestral knowledge, culture, and live in deeper balance with nature as the foundation for a resilient Jamaica.
What we do
This fund channels resources directly to those communities and grassroots networks that have long been under-resourced despite the scale of the challenges they navigate and the future they are working to build.
Alongside supporting under-served organizations and communities, the Tallawah Initiative is focused on key areas such as:
Research, data collection and rapid response.
Providing transitional housing, medical services and other aid.
Food systems and regenerative agriculture.
Land, shelter, and community-owned energy.
Resilience hubs and education strengthening.
If you’re interested in learning more about what we do, please contact us, we’re happy to share!