Our principles guide our work, underpinning how we make decisions.
We are…
- GUIDED BY NATURE: In thinking about how to support effective environmental work and funding we take our lead from natural ecosystems, where diversity, connectivity and the efficient flow of resources are crucial to good health.
- FUTURE FOCUSSED AND URGENT: We focus on what must be done now, knowing that measures taken today to conserve and restore the living world will be significantly more potent than those taken when we are further along our current trajectories.
- IMPACT-ORIENTATED: Everything we do is focused on our mission of increasing the levels and efficacy of philanthropy for environmental causes.
- ACCESSIBLE: We are open to funders at all stages of their funding journey and keep the barriers to entry to EFN as low as possible.
- COMMITTED TO PLURALITY: We recognise that social change requires a range of different approaches that, combined, can lead to impact, and we enable the sector to embrace plurality.
- COLLABORATIVE: We embrace the power of collaboration to allow individual groups to become more than the sum of their parts. We collaborate strategically ourselves to achieve more than we could alone.
- EVIDENCE-LED: We use research and learning – ours and others’ – to underpin, evolve and guide our work.
- SYSTEMIC: We recognise that there are key systemic issues that give rise to environmental harms, including issues of justice and power, such as racism and wealth inequality, and we shine a light on potential solutions through our programmes.
- AMPLIFYING: We believe that those particularly affected by environmental issues are well placed to identify solutions, and we use EFN ‘s platform to help amplify their voices.
- MODELLING THE CHANGE: In our team and within our networks, we seek to create a microcosm of the structures and processes we think would make the world a better place, taking into account equitable power dynamics, a relationships-based approach, kindness and care.
