European Environmental Funders Group

Vision

Environmental philanthropy that is as effective as it can be, providing a consistent, coordinated and long-term support to environmental and conservation causes.

Themes

• Increasing the overall philanthropic funding going to environment-related initiatives
• Making connections within the field
• Producing timely and updated evidence to support decision-making and improve the effective development of environmental philanthropic grantmaking

Activities

Relationship building:

• Bringing together European funders in dialogue with other members and networks of Philea to broaden the EEFG’s reach and foster cross-thematic conversations.
• Providing a “safe space” for discussions in the context of a reliable and trustworthy network of funders willing to discuss common interests and challenges.
• Creating and maintaining relationships with diverse actors (NGOs, policymakers, researchers, think tanks, etc.), as well as with other environmental funders networks.

Knowledge and intelligence sharing

• Regularly scanning the policy horizon for emerging environmental issues.
• Aggregating the collective intelligence of the network’s members on the funding environment as well as philanthropic action in the environment sector and producing every two years the only European mapping on environmental funding.
• Curating strategic reflections on the environmental field with different players.

Learning together

• Organising thematic learning events.
• Analysing frameworks and practices, comparing funders’ approaches, identifying potential gaps and exploring how to advance collaborative work.
• Improving coordination among environmental funders and strengthening cooperation on specific issues.

How to engage

Join the Steering Committee

Funders can help govern the network by becoming part of the Steering Committee. This entails committing time, financial resources and expertise to collaboratively drive the agenda forward and offer appealing activities linked to the broader Philea community. The Committee is composed of 8-10 funders to guarantee thematic and geographical balance and reflect the diversity of funders participating in the EEFG activities.

Join the Community

Loose membership criteria will be introduced in 2024 in order to create a sense of community. This mid-level of engagement allows members to work with a core group of committed funders that goes beyond the Steering Committee and which clearly allows funders to identify as an “EEFG member”.

Participate in network activities

Beyond the governance and the mid-level of engagement, any foundation, national association or funders collaborative can participate in the publicly announced activities of the EEFG.

Steering Committee