Embedding climate action to ensure equality for all in thriving communities – Community Foundation Ireland

Section

What does climate integration look like for a national community foundation whose core mission is equality?

This case study, from the publication “How to Integrate Climate into Your Philanthropic Programmes: What Foundations Need to Know, and Where to Begin” shows how Community Foundation Ireland is weaving climate justice through its grantmaking – from retrofitting cold homes and supporting circular economy jobs, to youth organising, migrant-led cooperatives and legal advocacy – so that clean air, warm homes and access to nature become part of thriving communities across Ireland.

About the organisation

As a philanthropic hub with 5,000 voluntary, community and charitable partners, Community Foundation Ireland understands that its mission of “Equality for all in thriving communities” cannot be achieved without addressing the climate crisis. Climate change and its impacts are threat multipliers for vulnerable populations in Ireland, such as senior citizens, migrant communities and low-income families.

Thriving communities require clean air, warm homes and accessible green spaces while ensuring that development remains within planetary boundaries. By embedding climate considerations into much of its €23 million annual grantmaking, the foundation ensures that climate justice and social justice go hand in hand.

Its partnerships respond to both immediate community needs and long-term systemic change, ensuring that efforts to break intergenerational cycles of inequality are sustainable.

Motivation and approach

In line with its mission, Community Foundation Ireland views climate change as a fundamental equality issue. The foundation recognises that many marginalised community groups whose consumption patterns often contribute the least to Ireland’s CO2 emissions are often most affected by its consequences. Ensuring clean air, warm homes and access to green spaces is central to the foundation’s vision of thriving communities, and addressing climate justice is essential to achieving long-term social equity.

Community Foundation Ireland takes a dual approach to tackling the climate crisis: immediate action to support vulnerable communities and systemic change through advocacy, research, and policy interventions. Direct climate and nature grantmaking fall under the foundation’s “Sustainable Futures” programme, one of four pillars which support the overall equality mission. By embedding climate considerations more broadly across its annual grantmaking, the foundation ensures that a large part of its funded initiatives, even those that fall under the other thematic pillars, also contribute to the vision of a sustainable and just Ireland.

An integrated approach to funding climate

The foundation is a national leader in promoting the circular economy, funding initiatives that move away from a throwaway society – from ending fast fashion to giving old furniture new life to developing carbon-neutral areas. The circular economy projects supported by the foundation not only generate tangible climate benefits but also provide economic opportunities, shared wealth and job opportunities for disadvantaged communities.

Additionally, Community Foundation Ireland has become a strategic partner for climate advocacy, working with leading organisations to hold the Irish Government accountable for its climate policies. In collaboration with Friends of the Earth, the foundation supports an annual report card that tracks the government’s progress on climate commitments, highlighting delays and shortfalls.

Community Law & Mediation’s Centre for Environmental Justice is a key partner in the foundation’s efforts to integrate climate justice into its broader mission of social equity. The centre provides legal support, advocacy and education to individuals and communities facing environmental injustices, ensuring that vulnerable populations have access to legal remedies and policy influence in climate-related matters.

Integrating climate into the foundation’s work with marginalised communities

As Ireland’s community foundation, serving communities is at the heart of the foundation’s work. Community Foundation Ireland integrates climate considerations into its work with vulnerable communities across Ireland, ensuring that environmental action supports social equity, resilience and long-term well-being.

Empowering generations around climate change

Older populations are particularly vulnerable to climate-related challenges, from poorly insulated homes and rising energy costs to the health risks posed by extreme weather. In response, Community Foundation Ireland partnered with Alone, a charity supporting older people, to fund home retrofitting and energy efficiency improvements. By creating warmer and more comfortable living spaces, the initiative reduces energy consumption, lowers household bills, and improves respiratory health by addressing damp and cold-related illnesses. While these measures may not be perceived as explicitly climate-driven, they effectively cut emissions while enhancing quality of life for senior citizens.

At the same time, the foundation invests in climate education and youth engagement, ensuring that younger generations are empowered to act. The foundation supports climate literacy programmes in schools, providing students with the knowledge and tools they need to understand environmental challenges. It also funds climate action workshops that encourage young people to develop local solutions and advocate for sustainability. In addition, the foundation supports climate activism by young people, offering practical support for future community leaders on climate.

Migrant communities and climate resilience

Migrant communities often face economic instability and are over-represented in low-paid, high-carbon industries. Community Foundation Ireland takes a progressive approach by supporting projects that create sustainable employment while addressing climate challenges. One such initiative is the Great Care Coop, a cooperatively managed home care service owned and operated by migrant women. By investing in the care economy, which is inherently low-carbon, the foundation promotes a model of fair, sustainable job creation. The initiative provides stable and dignified employment; offers an alternative to exploitative, high-carbon industries; and fosters a community-driven, cooperative business model that aligns economic opportunity with climate-conscious development.

Low-income families and climate equity

Ireland’s high proportion of poorly insulated homes leaves many low-income families struggling with energy poverty, forcing them to spend more on heating while living in unhealthy conditions. Community Foundation Ireland addresses this issue by funding retrofit projects that improve home insulation and energy efficiency, helping to lower energy consumption, reduce carbon footprints, and create healthier indoor environments. By easing the financial strain of high energy costs, these initiatives enhance both household well-being and environmental sustainability.

Beyond housing, the foundation also tackles food insecurity and waste through its support of FoodCloud, a social enterprise that redistributes surplus food to charities and community groups. By preventing food waste, this initiative reduces greenhouse gas emissions while ensuring that nutritious food reaches those who need it most.

Success factors

Strategic support for climate awareness among donors

Up to 20% of the foundation’s expenditure comes from its own funds. The rest comes from donor-advised funds which often have their own grantmaking programmes but can be aligned with the foundation’s priority programmes. Community Foundation Ireland is working actively to support donor interest in climate solutions, resulting in a significant increase in donations for the Sustainable Futures Pillar, which now accounts for 15% of the foundation’s grantmaking. In June 2024, the foundation hosted “Invest in our Planet”, a climate-themed donor convening that brought together philanthropists to exchange insights and explore strategies for addressing the climate crisis. The event featured a special message from global climate champion and former President of Ireland Mary Robinson in which she highlighted the important role of climate philanthropy. To further connect donors with climate-focused projects, the foundation developed an opportunity booklet, inviting 50 applicants to submit ideas for potential funding.

Climate and Biodiversity Advisory Panel

A key success factor in the foundation’s climate strategy is the establishment of the Climate and Biodiversity Advisory Panel in 2022. This group includes researchers, activists, grantee representatives and the foundation’s CEO and Director of Grants. The panel plays a crucial role in identifying emerging trends, challenges and opportunities in climate action, advising on policies, technologies and best practices, and strengthening partnerships and collaborations in the climate sector. The overall mandate of the panel is to advise Community Foundation Ireland on how to effectively contribute to the achievement of Ireland’s national climate goals and commitments.

Fostering an internal culture of learning and development

Community Foundation Ireland prioritises learning and development to ensure that climate action is deeply embedded across the organisation. By fostering climate literacy among staff, the foundation strengthens its ability to make informed, impactful decisions. A mix of structured and non-structured learning approaches has been implemented, including carbon literacy training and mandatory participation in donor and grantee convenings to deepen understanding of climate-related challenges and solutions. To assess and refine its own practices, Community Foundation Ireland conducted a peer review with Foundation Scotland. This process highlighted the need to define success metrics and deliverables, with ongoing learning and development identified as key to enhancing climate integration within the foundation’s operations.