Environmental Funders NetworkBlog - Environmental Funders Network

Mission critical: how third sector organisations can play to their strengths in responding to the climate emergency

Nick Addington, William Grant Foundation Mission critical: how third sector organisations can play to their strengths in responding to the climate emergency

Posted on 24 Mar 2022

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.

Keywords: climate change, collective-impact, effectiveness, grassroots, joined-up-thinking

Ed Dean, Ashden COP26: Philanthropy can drive systemic change – and back more equitable climate solutions

Posted on 9 Dec 2021

The COP26 climate talks brought hope and frustration – but also reminded us of the unique role philanthropy can play in creating a fair and sustainable world. In this piece, Ed Dean considers what the COP taught us about the power and potential of philanthropy.

Keywords: climate change, cop26, growing the pie, investment, justice, systems change

Jim Pettiward, Synchronicity Earth The World Conservation Congress: A message from Marseille

Posted on 24 Nov 2021

With large-scale environmental events such as the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), the International Union for Conservation of Nature World Conservation Congress (IUCN WCC) and the upcoming UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP15) gaining more attention – particularly among mainstream media – what can environmental funders do to support their grantees and help to ensure their ideas and concerns are heard within these spaces? In this piece, Jim Pettiward explains how Synchronicity Earth championed its partners and helped to promote a broad and diverse range of voices at IUCN WCC this year.

Keywords: advocacy, conservation, indigenous peoples, policy work

Patricia Cremona and Florence Miller, EFN UK foundation giving to environmental causes is on the up, but still a drop in the ocean

Posted on 17 Nov 2021

After years of little change, annual giving from UK foundations for environmental work nearly doubled between 2015/16 and 2018/19, a hugely encouraging upswing. At £222 million, annual giving levels still have a long way to go to meet the scale of the challenge (this figure represents just 6% of total UK foundation giving in 2018/19), but our forecast indicates that the trajectory will continue to rise steeply. In this blog we summarise the key findings from the latest edition of the Environmental Funders Network’s 'Where the Green Grants Went' series, which examines environmental giving from UK-based foundations and lottery sources from 2016/17 to 2018/19 in comparison to previous years.

Keywords: collaboration, effectiveness, growing the pie, mapping

Eva Rehse, Global Greengrants Fund UK, and Florence Miller, EFN The State of Climate Funding Pre-COP26

Posted on 29 Oct 2021

COP26 will shape how governments respond to the climate crisis. It is also an organising moment for civil society, and a chance for funders to make public commitments in solidarity with civil society and the climate movement. Ahead of the start of COP later this week, Eva Rehse and Florence Miller take a critical look at the state of climate philanthropy today.

Keywords: climate change, collaboration, collective-impact, effectiveness, joined-up-thinking

Byron Swift, Re:wild Improving the effectiveness of philanthropy for international conservation

Posted on 14 Oct 2021

How can we maximize the effectiveness of grant-making in the international conservation field? This article is based on my experience in international environmental conservation, both as head of implementing nonprofits for 35 years, and as a foundation grant officer supporting in-country organizations for 15 years. I have witnessed both very effective – and ineffective – grant making practices, and would like to share my perspectives on best practices.

Keywords: biodiversity, conservation, effectiveness, funding overseas

Josie Cohen, PAN UK Funding work on pesticides: why now is the perfect time to take the plunge

Posted on 23 Sep 2021

Many of society’s environmental and health goals cannot be met without tackling chemical pollution and there are huge wins to be had right now. Let’s not miss this window of opportunity to create a healthier and more sustainable future.

Keywords: agriculture, biodiversity, food, health, markets campaigns, policy work, toxics and pollution

Florence Miller, EFN Is a shift in consciousness the key to pushing back Earth Overshoot Day?

Posted on 29 Jul 2021

Today we hit Earth Overshoot Day, the day by which we’ve used up the ecological resources that the Earth could regenerate in one year – fully five months before the end of the year. This is utter madness: we have pushed the self-destruct button and piled our many possessions on top of it to hold it down. Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk may be choosing to launch themselves into the void to escape the – well, possibility of creating another void here on Earth – but what can be done to push that day back to 31 December or beyond? What is the role for philanthropy in creating human systems that cultivate life, rather than destroying it?

Keywords: effectiveness, limits, systems change, values

Jonny Hughes and Neil Burgess, UNEP-WCMC Action for nature must be informed by science and knowledge or we risk wasting precious time and money

Posted on 21 Jul 2021

Applied research ensures that actions to combat global challenges such as biodiversity loss are effective, resources are used efficiently, and outcomes for nature and people are understood and sustained. But government funding for such research is being reduced, just when we need it most.

Keywords: agriculture, biodiversity, conservation, research

Dr Tara Garnett, Table What does a good food system look like? (Says who?)

Posted on 8 Jul 2021

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.

Keywords: agriculture, food

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