With a wave of new pledges of large grants to environmental organisations, as funders, we need to reflect on how our philanthropy can be improved. Building trust between donors and grantees plus reshaping the donor community so it can better support the organisations working on the ground are the foundations of a philosophy and approach gaining momentum in the environment movement: trust-based philanthropy.
Nina Seale reflects on a discussion convened by Reverse the Red discussing the need for environmental philanthropy to evolve and looks at Synchronicity Earth’s relationships with programme partners.
‘Record USD 5 billion donation to protect nature could herald new green era of giving.’ (September 2021)
Governments and private funders announce historic USD 1.7 billion pledge at COP26 in support of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.’ (November 2021)
‘USD 12 billion donor support to halt and reverse forest loss and protect land rights.’ (November 2021)
After the biodiversity and climate Conferences of the Parties (COPs) in 2021, a series of grand headlines appeared, filled with promises of billions of dollars of new funding.
These commitments offer opportunity and optimism, yet despite their impressive size, they are a mere drop in the ocean in terms of what is needed to reverse nature’s decline, and there is no guarantee that the funding they provide will go where it is most needed and most effective. Philanthropy and overseas aid have long fallen short of their missions, often in part due to an unacknowledged power imbalance between donors and their grantees, and funding not reaching those that need it most.
However, with these pledges comes a growing need to acknowledge the importance of centring the voices of Indigenous Peoples and local communities throughout the grant-giving process and place trust at the heart of environmental philanthropy.
