All Strategic Climate Fund spending must meet the following criteria:
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Be proven and effective
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Have immediate impact and contribute to meeting near-term climate targets.
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Be in line with the principles of climate justice.
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Create change that would not otherwise have happened.
SCFs can be spent on a. External Donations & b. Internal Investments.
Spending SCFs: External Donations
GCC has developed this ‘Partner Selection Criteria’ to help select projects that can be supported by external donations.
To receive funds from an SCF, organisations should:
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Keep fossil fuels in the ground and greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.
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Protect natural environments, their biodiversity and their human inhabitants.
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Respect the principles of climate justice.
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Be effective at doing this within the 2030 timeline.
GCC recommends looking for frontline projects that support systemic change and help accelerate the wider transition away from fossil fuels and destructive land use, and towards a more regenerative society. See below for some suggested examples of positive projects and initiatives.
We do not recommend spending on direct air carbon capture or other “carbon removal” schemes; we believe there are many more effective and proven options that will have a greater positive impact per pound spent. See here for more information.
GCC also advises caution around donating to speculative, unproven or marginal technologies (eg. “sustainable aviation fuel”), when more reliable options for spending on climate action are available. If something appears too good to be true, it probably is. If in doubt, feel free to contact GCC for further advice - or choose from our recommended projects below.
Note: GCC would advise that non-profit organisations prioritise SCF spending on Internal Investments.
External Donations: GCC SCF Fund Partners
GCC has identified and partnered with five exceptional organisations that meet our SCF selection criteria and we recommend them as recipients for SCF External Donations. GCC is confident that all of these schemes will have a positive impact within the 2030 timeline.
Art To Acres
Art To Acres works with local communities on large- scale land conservation projects. It has helped provide legal status and protection to millions of hectares of rainforest land in partnership with Indigenous peoples and other local communities. There are many more large areas of global forest where local people have persuaded their governments to apply these protections in theory, but the resources have not been available for them to make sure they are implemented. Donating to Art to Acres can help make these protections a reality in more places, keeping huge amounts of carbon safely locked up in forests for years to come.
Agroecology Fund
Agroecology Fund supports inspiring projects around the world that are changing the way we produce food. Industrial agriculture is a huge source of emissions. Agroecology combines traditional methods of farming with appropriate renewable technology. This doesn’t just prevent emissions in the short term, but also has the potential to pull huge amounts of carbon back into the soil in the longer term, while supporting local livelihoods and sustainably feeding the world.
Client Earth
Client Earth is an environmental charity with a unique approach. They use existing environmental laws to challenge polluting projects – and win. In the last two years their actions have helped stop the construction of three huge coal plants in Poland and Germany and a giant gas plant in the UK, amongst a range of other victories. In 2017, they were named the ‘UK’s most effective environmental organisation’ by the Environmental Funders Network.
Rainforest Action Network
Rainforest Action Network preserves forests, protects the climate and upholds human rights by challenging corporate power and systemic injustice through frontline partnerships and strategic campaigns. The Network has set up a “Protect an Acre” fund, where money will go to local communities who are taking a stand right now against destructive projects. These funds are given out as grants to threatened communities who need them, especially Indigenous groups, and are helping to make a difference in some of the most urgent struggles for climate safety on the planet.
Solar Aid
Solar Aid works to help communities in Africa ‘leapfrog’ over dirty energy and build a clean energy future. Their mission is to provide solar lighting to every home, school and clinic in Africa by 2030, replacing millions of polluting kerosene lamps and preventing the need for new fossil-fuelled power stations. They work with local partners to build knowledge, capacity and skills in communities with the aim of creating a long- term sustainable solar lighting market.
Spending SCFs: Internal Investments
Crucially, any internal spending should be in addition to existing decarbonisation plans. Internal SCF spending - in line with the categories listed here - can be used as a way to accelerate your decarbonisation, allowing you to go further and faster than just meeting your basic reduction targets.
This is a new area of the SCF policy and will be reviewed and expanded on in the future. In the meantime, we trust that our members will undertake this work honestly and transparently and that SCFs will only be used for funding internal activities that would not otherwise have happened.
Internal SCF spending should fall into the following categories:
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Installing devices to produce renewable energy, energy efficient hardware, and improving building efficiency.
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Subsidising low-carbon alternatives methods of travel and freight.
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Addressing supply chain emissions associated with activities of clients, contractors, vendors and visitors etc.
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Training staff, consulting with advisors or commissioning carbon, energy and waste audits.
Internal Investments: Examples
SCFs are a commitment to go further and faster than your existing carbon targets. Internally allocated funds should only be spent on initiatives that would not otherwise have happened and should be done in addition to existing decarbonisation actions. Below are some examples of actions in line with the SCF Internal Investments categories.
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Installing on-site renewable energy or heat generation, such as solar panels and ground source heat pumps.
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Implementing a staff travel policy that subsidies and incentivises low- carbon alternatives.
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Empowering staff to take climate action through carbon literacy training.
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Consulting with environmental advisors to develop a custom decarbonisation action plan.
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Switching to 100% LED lighting and installing time or motion sensors.
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Commissioning a comprehensive carbon emissions audit of all your operations.
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Subsidising additional costs associated with sustainable packaging and shipping methods.
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Installing insulation and draught- proofing in all office / storage / exhibition spaces.
Note that internal SCF spending should be in addition to the investments needed to reach your 2030 reduction target. This is an opportunity to push further and faster, and achieve a greater than 50% reduction in line with climate justice. Some arts organisations are aiming for 70 - 90% emissions reductions by 2030, and SCFs can play a helpful role in achieving these kinds of goals.
Some of the activities recommended here are basic energy efficiency actions that should be undertaken regardless of SCFs. If you are already doing them, please use this as an opportunity to do more rather than claiming work that is already underway as an SCF. However, for some organisations using SCFs for internal investments may be the difference between the actions happening or not, which means the process will look a bit different for everyone. We trust that our members will undertake this work honestly and transparently and look forward to seeing case studies about how it has been successfully implemented.
Further SCF reading:
