Discover what we learnt about funder-fundraiser relationships, the current funding ecosystem and how we can improve it during our annual funder-fundraiser gathering.
In our Stepping Up series, we host conversations with environmental leaders that sit outside of philanthropy to explore what “stepping up” to this political moment looks like. Find all recordings here.
This Lunch & Learn session, with Laura Perratt, explained exactly what the new UK charitable purpose soft opt-in legislation means for organisations, and shared practical steps to help prepare for this change.
Discover what we learnt about funder-fundraiser relationships, the current funding ecosystem and how we can improve it during our annual funder-fundraiser gathering.
Neurodivergent climate justice activist, Emma de Saram, shares important insights from her neurodiversity and climate workshop and research, as well as key recommendations for funders and environmental organisations.
In this session, we explored how philanthropy can ensure Payments for Ecosystem Services are effective, equitable and sustainable.
In this session we heard reflections from people who attended COP30 and their key takeaways.
By popular request, this session explored how LinkedIn can support fundraisers and connecting with donors.
This session explored how charities can use data to measure, understand and explain their impact with the support of PBE.
Explore what planet repairs and reparations are in the context of environmental justice and the role of funders.
We explored WWF’s philanthropy journey and the challenges, opportunities and lessons learned along their way.
Explore reflections from the Green Fundraisers Forum’s nature retreat from the fundraisers that joined us.
In this short session, we explained how Phase 2 on the Environmental Impact Investing Group will work.
In this event of our Stepping Up series, we explored Emma Pinchbeck's role as CEO of the Climate Change Committee and the governments Net Zero commitments.
Explore what planet repairs and reparations are in the context of environmental justice and the role of funders.
Our Chair of Trustees, Catherine Bryan, shares her personal reflections on the IUCN’s World Conservation Congress and key takeaways for funders.
In this session we explored the environmental challenges local government faces and how philanthropy can help.
In this session we examined the environmental impact and positive changes that activism can achieve.
The right to protest is under threat and activists are being silenced. In this Climate Funders Group session, we considered what it takes to fund well in this context.
In this session, we explored the rise of anti-climate discourse in UK politics and how we can respond.
Discover how the Earth Funding Lab is helping philanthropy to invest responsibly and sustainably.
In this event of our Stepping Up series, we explored the need for robust communication infrastructure to combat far-right messaging around important environmental topics.
In this event of our Stepping Up series, we explored the complex and layered challenges we face moving to a world that is 3 degrees warmer and the role philanthropy can play.
Explore the lessons learnt from the Green Fundraisers Forum nature retreat and the transformative power of connecting with nature and each other.
Explore three reflections from this year’s members’ retreat that propose how environmental philanthropy can step up to better support the environmental movement.
This session covered corporate fundraising basics and explored the non-financial benefits corporates can offer, how your organisation can deliver value in return, and which industries to target for the best fit.
Discover more about the Earth Funding Lab Basecamp Training programme, starting in September.
In this session with ECF and Green Alliance, we explored the opportunities for environmental change within the current parliament and how to approach political engagement as a funder.
This session covered the basics on AI and fundraising, highlighted current tools and resources and explored future possibilities for the sector.
Projects Manager, Sophia Cooke, went on holiday to Alderney and came back with insights on how – and why – funders can support environmental work on this impressive island.
Discover what we learnt from 2025’s member survey and what we’ll be doing to put your feedback into practice.
In this event of Getting the most out of data series, we explored how funders can assess the impact of their grant-making and better capture environmental impact data.
Discover more about the Leadership Lab development programme for senior Scottish environmental leaders.
Explore important findings on Scottish grants from our new report, Where the Green Grants Went 9: Scotland Edition.
Explore key learnings and important takeaways for environmental funders from new research on social justice funding in the UK.
At the first The Missing Link event, we looked at drugs, aviation and e-waste.
This session explored how green finance can complement traditional grants and unlock new investment opportunities.
In this session, we heard from Andy about his experience leading a Christian environmental charity and explored tips on how to encourage charity Chief Executives to take an active, front-facing role in fundraising.
The Eating Better alliance shares their insights into the power of collaboration to help the environmental philanthropy sector thrive.
A session on how to engage the next generation of major donors.
In this session we heard from the MRU on their work supporting grassroot environmental action.
A workshop on creating a successful corporate fundraising strategy Steve Jones.
Why is Toxics & Pollution still a cinderella issue? Explore the intersectional impacts of toxics on health, equality, climate and environment.
IMPACTWILD’s work focuses on transforming programming into a powerful tool to benefit the environment. This session focused on harnessing the power of impact production to protect nature.
Freshwater Funder Group members can find all the recordings of events and meetings here.
Climate Funder Group members can find all the recordings of events and meetings here.
This panel explored baseline data in conservation. We discussed the importance of baseline data, challenges with data collection, and how two organisations are using and sharing their data.
What did we learn and enjoy from our first reading week? Here are eight recommendations to read, watch and listen to.
Why is access nature so rarely prioritised within the UK school system? Watch this panel of expert speakers discuss why and what should happen next.
Environmental issues are inseparable from social challenges. Liz Gadd shares how non-environmental funders can play a vital role by integrating environmental considerations into their work.
January's meeting focused on fundraiser wellbeing with psychologist Michelle Reynolds.
We are thrilled to announce Nick Gardner as our new Executive Director.
With the support of CAAD, this panel explored the challenge of disinformation and the role funders can play.
Learn what role voluntary carbon markets and philanthropy play in protecting coastal and marine ecosystems.
Explore the UK Overseas Territories Fund and our latest report which shows the successes of the fund so far and why funders should get involved.
A report from the third of four events in our funder learning series about the UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs), focusing on innovative approaches to financing vital conservation and restoration work.
This is the launch event to highlight the key findings from our new report, Exploring the role of wealth and philanthropy advisors in green giving.
Oscar Brennecke-Dunn, our Events Coordinator, shares his reflections on our one-day conference that brought funders and fundraisers together to discuss how we can make environmental philanthropy work more effectively for everyone.
With our partner, Big Give, we share more about the Green Match Fund, it's future ambitions and how funders can get involved.
Sophia Cooke, co-author of our latest report, Increasing the effectiveness of environmental funder-fundraiser relationships, shares why we’ve researched this intersection, what we learnt and key takeaways for funders.
In this event, we explore consumption, diet shifts, regenerative farming practices and more, from the perspective of what needs funding and how it might work going forward.
Watch our launch event for Where the Green Grants Went 9. Co-author Jon Cracknell and the EFN team summarises the key findings from the report and outlines clear next steps.
Catch up on the November Green Fundraisers Forum meeting. In this session, we covered the importance of including young people in environment and climate action.
Watch the third event in the UKOTs Learning Series run in partnership with the John Ellerman Foundation.
Watch our latest exploration in carbon removals and what it means for funders and future action.
The UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are at the forefront of the world’s biodiversity and climate crises. Yet many UK environmental funders are not aware of the UK's responsibility for them, or that they host 94% of the nation’s biodiversity.
EIIG members can find all the recordings from the learning programme here.
Where the Green Grants Went 9 reveals that environmental grants from UK-based foundations have almost tripled since our last report in 2021 Yet, the report highlights worrying trends in environmental philanthropy that need addressing for the sector as a whole to maximise its potential.
Watch the second event in the UKOTs learning series in partnership with the John Ellerman Foundation.
Tom Brookes updates his 'Ten – reflections on a decade in the climate community' from June 2019, which shared key lessons on joining the climate movement. Now five years further on, Tom looks back on what he wrote and presents us with a revised and powerful: 14 reflections on 15 years in the climate community.
Catch up on the September Green Fundraisers Forum meeting - in this session, Sophia covers our new report: Increasing the effectiveness of funder-fundraiser relationships.
Inspired by our new UKOTs learning series, this piece explores some of the UK's most biodiverse regions, why we need to protect them, and how funders can get involved.
Jack Durant, the Co-Founder & Co-Director of Youngwilders, shares how funders and EFN stepped up to help their youth-led organisation in its early days by providing much more than financial support and helping them grow more effectively.
Watch the first event in the UKOTs Learning Series run in partnership with the John Ellerman Foundation.
Explore our series of events highlighting the approaches, challenges and opportunities in funding forest conservation.
Shishir Malhotra, the Impact Investment Director for Treebeard Trust, joins us to demystify impact investing. He shares his personal story of how he got into investing, explains why it can work alongside philanthropy, offers some tips for beginners and explains why the free Environmental Impact Investing Group (EIIG) can help.
Alex Jacobs, Executive Director of the Joffe Trust, reveals the truth about illicit finance, how it funds anti-environment forces and why funders can both help stop dirty money and accelerate a just climate transition around the world.
Kat Jones from Action to Protect Rural Scotland raises awareness of Scotland's new planning system, National Planning Framework 4, and how it could better address the environmental and nature crises.
This #InternationalWomensDay, we wanted to spotlight this incredibly important intersection: how gender-based violence affects environmental action.
CEO of Pilotlight, Ed Mayo, shares findings from their new research, 'The organisational needs of charities and social enterprises in the UK working on climate and sustainability'. Learning from a survey of 298 organisations, Ed proposes that funding organisations rather than projects is key.
Following a decision by staff and trustees, in late 2023, we closed our business bank account with HSBC after reporting showed that they are still heavily financing fossil fuels. This blog shares our decision, the full letter and further resources for those interested in greening their finances as well.
Climate Emergency UK have recently published the first-ever UK-wide assessment of local government climate action: the Council Climate Action Scorecards. The results? Not good! Annie Pickering from Climate Emergency UK shares the barriers to local climate action and why funders can help spark real progress.
Climate change and the destruction of entire ecosystems attract most of our attention. But we face another environmental threat - one which is insidious and fast-growing: light pollution.
In this episode, Grace Yu (Aurora Trust) speaks to Alison Baker (EcoCascade CIC), Jemima Cooper (EcoCascade CIC) and Dr Kyla Orr (KelpCrofters Ltd) about seaweed.
Marie-Amélie Viatte discusses the need for a food revolution and how deliberate investment into regenerative urban food growing can be the catalyst for change we’ve been looking for.
Being a good environmental fundraiser goes beyond simply securing funds. In this blog, Natasha Ratter, explores core qualities of being a good environmental fundraiser and illustrates the importance of finding your voice, understanding your role in the bigger picture, prioritising relationships and wellbeing, and joining a supportive community.
Why is it that campaign groups and funders are neglecting consumption, a fundamental driver of environmental harm? Libby Peake explores why this is, the significant impact overconsumption has on greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss and why we must turn our attention to it.
Last December, we attended COP15, the United Nations Biodiversity Conference in Montreal, together with many other young people of our network. This was not the first summit where youth was represented. However, our voices were never as strong as at COP15, where the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) was decided on.
Nani Jansen Reventlow’s keynote talk during our annual retreat for funders this year was titled ‘Harnessing the law for climate justice.’ Nani laid out what long-term funding in strategic litigation can achieve and how to use it as a tool for climate justice.
Whatever the scale, and wherever the location, most of our funding could be better spent if we ensure the work being proposed is based on reliable evidence, whether that be from academia or from centuries of local understanding. Funders can be instrumental in encouraging applicants to check and use available evidence for their work.
APRS Director, Kat Jones, shared lessons from the eight-year ‘Have you got the bottle?’ campaign for a deposit return scheme for Scotland with funders and other NGOs.
COP15 set a course for nations to significantly step up their actions to halt the loss of biodiversity. But will the new ‘plan of action’ for nature adopted at COP15 – termed the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework – succeed? Catherine shares her reflections and the 'reasons to be cheerful', despite the challenges left unresolved.
To truly address the impact of the climate crisis, funding must be anti-racist and address social injustice. In this blog, Nani Jansen Reventlow sets out five ways to become a better climate justice funder.
Why is 'new economy' work relevant to environmental philanthropy? Reflections on how can funders support work to redesign the economic system to be life-supporting, not life-eroding.
Insights from our new sector survey show that there is a vital role for philanthropic funding in recognising the importance of environmental action and giving it the stability needed to really make a difference.
As the largest funder of community activity in the UK, The National Lottery Community Fund plays a critical role supporting communities to unleash their energy and potential, especially on the climate and environmental emergencies. John Rose discusses the work the National Lottery Community Fund is doing to take environmental action and support grant holders.
Katy Scholfield shares how the Arcus Foundation's Great Apes and Gibbons Program works to reconcile the well-being and resilience of local, Indigenous, and forest-dependent communities with wildlife conservation objectives.
Third sector organisations have a critical contribution to make in response to the climate emergency. But reducing their carbon footprints isn’t it. In this blog, Nick Addington offers some thoughts about a possible framework to help organisations think more broadly about their role and recognise opportunities to help achieve a sustainable future.
In this episode, Catherine Bryan (Synchronicity Earth & EFN) speaks to Brian Zimmerman (Bristol Zoological Society), Mike Baltzer (Shoal), Monti Aguirre (International Rivers) and Tess Gatan-Balbas (Mabuwaya Foundation) about freshwater.
Annual giving from UK foundations for environmental work nearly doubled between 2015/16 and 2018/19. We summarise the key findings from the latest edition of the Environmental Funders Network’s 'Where the Green Grants Went' series.
In this episode, Devika Waney, (Savitri Waney Charitable Trust) speaks to Dr. Apolline Roger (ClientEarth), Elizabeth Salter Green, (CHEM Trust), Josie Cohen, (PAN UK) and Dr. Kerry Dinsmore, (Fidra).
Our Healthy Planet, Healthy People series explored the many interconnections between human health and the environment.
Sufina Ahmad, Director of the John Ellerman Foundation, speaks to Dr Esther Bertram, Annick Jackman and Hugh Raven about the UK Overseas Territories.
EFN and New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) collaborated to deliver this training for environmental charities on what it means to be an impact-focused organisation
In this episode, Robert Macfarlane (author) and Hendrikus van Hensbergen (Action for Conservation) speak to two young environmental leaders.
Summary of Dr Garnett's presentation at the EFN Retreat. Most people agree that our food system is broken, but views on what constitutes a good food system are wildly divergent. Tara sketched out four different sustainable food discourses, the arguments they make, and the questions they leave unanswered.
How can funders use the tools we have — our power, privileges and positions — to tackle those things that are most systemic? How can we support climate action that is truly intersectional? Farhana Yamin put forward various suggestions in her keynote talk at EFN's annual retreat.
Notes from Steven Smith's presentation on his hugely useful research on climate-focused organisations, followed by a discussion with his collaborator, Ian Christie, at the 2021 EFN Retreat.
It is widely documented that mental health is affected by a complex interplay of genetic, psychological, social / lifestyle factors, and environmental exposures. In recent years evidence of the environmental determinants of mental health has grown, yet these emerging concerns are often under the radar in the third sector.
Explore EFN's information on climate-related grantmaking from funders that participated in EFN’s Climate Funders Group in 2020.
In the summer of 2020, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation were considering how they could help tackle the climate crisis. They engaged us – Lucent Consultancy – to help with some background research. Today we share what we learnt about green funders’ grantmaking, as one of the main tools to influence change.
In this episode, philanthropist Hugh Raven, Alison Lomax (Hebridean Whale & Dolphin Trust), Dan Renton (Seawilding), Kerri Whiteside (Fauna & Flora International) and Phil Taylor (Open Seas) reveal what most excites them about marine conservation in Scottish waters.
In this episode, funder Kristina Johansson (Solberga Foundation) speaks to Hilma Angula (Next Generation Climate Advisory Board, Global Greengrants Fund, Namibia), Joy Munthali, (Green Girls Platform, Malawi) and Shamiso Mupara (Environmental Buddies Zimbabwe).
In this episode, Julia Davies, environmental funder and the founder of We Have The Power, speaks to Louise Edge, (Greenpeace), Jo Morley (City to Sea), Julian Kirby (Friends of the Earth) and Tanya Bascombe (European Outdoor Conservation Association).
What is currently working well in digital fundraising, and what are some of the common pitfalls to avoid? Hear from an environmental charity which is raising money successfully through digital channels during the coronavirus crisis .
The full impact of coronavirus on the economy and your prospective corporate partners is still unknown. So how do you find out who to target, how to engage them, and how to secure them?
Bright Spot Director Rob Woods shares techniques to help you bring to life the key issues that your supporters care about, so that you talk and write less about what your charity does, and more in ways that help supporters want to take action.
A training webinar for anyone entering the world of fundraising and wanting to quickly learn the fundamentals. Are you a non-fundraiser who is now supporting your organisation’s fundraising? Or perhaps you’re very new to fundraising and want to learn the key principles.
On this episode, passionate environmental philanthropist, Ben Goldsmith, who funds rewilding projects, speaks to Isabella Tree from Knepp Estate, Alastair Driver from Rewilding Britain and Derek Gow, ecologist.
With Ella Saltmarshe and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, EFN co-hosted a workshop for people from across the environment sector (funders and NGOs) on reframing issues.
Why we need to connect young people to their sense of rebellion to help improve their mental health and protect the environment at the same time.
British millennials have the second worst mental wellbeing in the world, second only to Japan. What if the solution to the mental health crisis facing young people is the same as tackling environmental degradation?
We asked 92 chief executives of environmental organisations, “Which non-profit UK environmental organisations (not including your own) do you think accomplish the most, given the resources at their disposal?” Here's what they told us.
It becomes clearer with each passing day that simply ameliorating current problems is not going to be sufficient. This blog is about how we might scale up transformative change.