Record year for Australian Ethical Foundation as $1.7 million in grants power climate and community solutions

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The Australian Ethical Foundation’s focus is to fight climate change as effectively as possible.

The Australian Ethical Foundation has announced its largest annual donation, distributing $1.7 million in 2024 to address climate change, support vulnerable populations, and protect ecosystems. This record-breaking year brings its total donations to over $11 million since 2000.

Australian Ethical’s unique approach, which allocates 10% of annual profits (after tax and before bonuses) to philanthropy, continues to drive impact. This innovative funding model channels resources into high-impact projects that create scalable solutions for the urgent climate challenge, acting as a catalyst for sustainable change.

Original Power, one of this year’s grant recipients, has collaborated with Wilya Janta, an Aboriginal housing consultancy, to develop Australia’s first climate-resilient, culturally appropriate housing in the Northern Territory. This project directly addresses longstanding issues such as overcrowding, poor thermal performance, and lack of cultural consideration in housing design, which contribute to energy insecurity for First Nations communities. Beyond reducing carbon emissions, the initiative is expected to significantly improve health outcomes by creating cooler, better-ventilated homes, with insights from this demonstration project shaping future housing solutions across Australia.

The Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation, another grant recipient, is tackling deforestation at a systemic level by advocating for stronger policies and developing market-based solutions to protect critical biodiversity and carbon stores. By addressing the root causes of deforestation, this work aims to deliver long-term environmental and economic benefits.

“2024 has been a milestone year for the Australian Ethical Foundation. We’re proud to fund projects that lay the groundwork for sustainable, systemic change. By targeting root causes and collaborating with innovative organisations, we’re supporting solutions that can be scaled and replicated across Australia,” said Australian Ethical’s Head of Foundation Kate Saunders.

This year’s grant recipients include ACBF, Accounting for Nature, ACOSS (Renew Australia for All), Beyond Zero Emissions, Boundless Earth, Climateworks, Environmental Justice Australia, Fletcher St Cottage, Food Frontier, Groundswell Major Giving Circle, Investor Group on Climate Change, Karrkad Kandiji Trust, Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council and Original Power.

With less than 2% of global philanthropy utilised towards addressing climate change[1], the Australian Ethical Foundation’s focus is to fight climate change as effectively as possible, and underpin the systems needed to support a healthy life for people, and animals. Australian Ethical’s approach to philanthropy supplements its ethical stewardship, engaging with companies to achieve systemic change at an economy-wide scale focusing on climate change, as well as the biodiversity crisis, human rights abuse, and industrialised animal cruelty. The company’s investment portfolio has a carbon intensity significantly below industry benchmarks, and its investments in renewable energy continue to drive meaningful progress toward a sustainable economy.

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Notes:
[1] https:/www.weforum.org/impact/how-the-giving-to-amplify-earth-action-will-catapult-climate-action/

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