Environmental issues intersect with every social challenge, disproportionately affecting disadvantaged communities and amplifying existing inequalities. All funders have a vested interest in the state of environmental philanthropy. The ninth edition of Where the Green Grants Went (WTGGW9) sheds crucial light on the trends in environmental philanthropy that non-environmental funders need to know.
Your cause areas are at risk
Environmental philanthropy, though growing, remains insufficient to meet the vast challenges posed by climate change and environmental degradation. As every cause area is affected by climate change and wider environmental degradation the lower the level of environmental funding, the greater the risk to your causes. WTGGW9 shows that environmental philanthropy is as little as 8.5% of funding from UK Trusts and Foundations. This is approximately £600 million per year, which for context is equivalent to half of the cost of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a year’s worth of research at Oxford University or approx. £90 million less than Cancer Research’s annual expediture last year (2023/24).
‘Somebody else’ doesn’t have it covered
You would be forgiven for thinking that given climate change is an existential threat to humans, that there would be plenty of funders supporting environmental issues. WTGGW9 shows this is not the case. The research found ten foundations accounted for 78% of total environmental giving and they generally give large grants to a relatively small number of organisations (25 organisations received just over 50% of total funding and 14 of these were re-granters). The implication of this is that competition for funds is high, and amounts granted often incredibly small.
In short, most environmental funding is scatter-gun:
- 85% of grantees received funding from only one foundation
- 50% of grantees received less than £10,000
- Over 1,250 grants were worth less than £3,600 –arguably less than the cost of application.
As more non-environmental charities rise to the challenge of the climate and nature crises, competition for funding risks growing greater than available resources. ‘Somebody else’ doesn’t cover these costs, environmental philanthropy needs you too.
The underfunded issues are especially relevant to you
Only 17% of environmental philanthropy stays within the UK (a downward trend). Most funding is directed to international projects or larger, established organisations, leaving smaller, local initiatives underfunded. In the UK, London and the Southeast dominate environmental funding allocations, while regions like the North East receive far less on a per-capita basis. In parallel, some thematic issues remain perpetually overlooked. Categories such as fresh water, and toxics & pollution, accounted for less than 1% of total funding. Such issues almost always share root causes with social issues, particularly health and social inequity. Are these underfunded areas perhaps the space you can help?
What you can do next
- Integrate environmental considerations into your grantmaking. This could mean prioritising low-carbon solutions, supporting organisations to reduce their ecological footprint, or funding projects that deliver both environmental and social benefits.
- Collaborate with environmental foundations to co-fund intersectional initiatives, leveraging the expertise of environmental specialists while contributing your own sector’s knowledge.
As a non-environmental funder, make 2025 the year that you rise to the challenges of climate change, wider environmental degradation, and the impacts on your cause areas.