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New Survey Highlights Lack of Climate Knowledge as a Key Barrier to Philanthropy

Writer's picture: Olga MurrayOlga Murray

Did you know that only around 2% of global philanthropic funding goes toward climate mitigation efforts?


A new report called "Climate Change and Philanthropy Infrastructure: Supporting the Ecosystem to Act" by Philanthropy Europe Association (Philea) opens with this shocking fact.


From July to September 2024, Philea conducted a survey among 40 philanthropy infrastructure organisations to identify trends, patterns and gaps in how they contribute to the broader climate philanthropy landscape.


The survey found several barriers that philanthropic organisations face.


One of them is "Lack of understanding or capacity to engage around climate". Specifically:


  • A superficial understanding of climate change, lack of sufficient knowledge of its scale and impact,


  • The perception that tackling it falls outside a foundation’s mission


  • The perception that climate change as too big and complex relative to their available resources.


  • The belief that significant enough progress has already been made in Europe in addressing climate change, which translates into lack of new philanthropic giving at scale in this region.


  • ٚ"Limited awareness and knowledge of proven solutions make it harder to direct meaningful funding to where it is most needed, particularly youth-led, community-driven work and organisations in the Global South; as well as funding for adaptation."


Other challenges include:


  • ٚShort-termism and a preference for incremental change, often driven by KPIs,

  • ٚThe hesitation to be “political”

  • Continued investment in fossil fuels is perceived as the most profitable.


The survey also finds that leaders overwhelmingly consider climate change to be a pressing challenge, and 76% of organisations understand the interconnected relationships between the climate crisis and other global and local challenges.


Crucially, this report also provides a comprehensive directory of philanthropy infrastructure organisations that can support philanthropy practitioners to navigate this dynamic ecosystem and increase their engagement around climate.


This quote from the report emphasises the importance of this work:

"As the urgency of the climate crisis intensifies, foundations, as an integral part of the broader philanthropy ecosystem, hold a unique ability to drive the transformative changes needed to create a sustainable and equitable future for people and our planet."

For those looking to deepen their understanding of Climate Change, Private Goodness offers specialised Climate Change and ESG training for Foundations, Grantmakers, Lawyers, and Board Directors. Learn more about our services here."


You can read the full report here.


only around 2% of global philanthropic funding goes toward climate mitigation efforts

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