In this critical decade for action, we must continue to strengthen climate and environmental philanthropy commensurate with the scale and urgency of the challenges we face.
This report offers a comprehensive assessment of national and global philanthropic giving to climate and environment, summarising the megatrends influencing best practices in climate and environmental philanthropy.
Its findings show a pivotal shift towards greater climate and environmental giving in recent years, prompted by a global awakening to the urgency of the climate and biodiversity crises. This growing philanthropic focus is observed in global and local giving trends, with public and private donors becoming increasingly committed to funding a more just, sustainable and resilient future.
While this is a promising development, there are signs that funding growth is plateauing despite the quantum of philanthropy directed toward climate and environment remaining small compared to other funding areas.
Headline findings
- Global foundation giving to climate change mitigation has tripled in recent years, growing from US$900 million in 2015 to more than
US$3 billion in 2021, before plateauing from 2021 to 2022. - Global individual and foundation giving to climate change mitigation still represents less than 2 per cent of overall philanthropic giving. This will need to scale rapidly to meet the urgency of the climate crisis.
- In Australia, private ancillary fund (PAF) and public ancillary fund (PuAF) climate and environmental giving has increased at ten times the rate of overall giving; PuAF giving soared from $1.2 million in 2018 to $33 million in 2021.
- Australian donations and bequests to charities have also surged in recent years and giving to charities working on climate and environment grew 82 per cent (around $122 million) from 2018 to 2021.
Comments
On having enough
Tash Keuneman
Environmental and Climate Change Giving Trends 2022
16 March 2022
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