Green funders add $300m to the cause, but it’s nowhere near enough

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Posted on 17 Jun 2025

By Matthew Schulz, journalist, SmartyGrants

Philanthropic giving – including grants to environmental organisations – has hit a new high but still represents a tiny fraction of what’s needed to address climate change.

AEGN report — Tap on the cover to access the full report.

According to the Giving Trends 2025 report by the Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network (AEGN), the group’s more than 200 members gave $247 million to environmental and climate causes in the 2023–24 financial year, up from $138 million in 2022.

This is a major share of the $300 million given to environmental charities, according to data from the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). However, it represents just 2 per cent of the total $14 billion given to all charities across Australia.

The AEGN says philanthropy must make a much greater investment in climate change adaptation, and that between now and 2035, developing countries will require $5 trillion for climate adaptation measures. On current trajectories, little more than one quarter of that is likely to be available.

AEGN chief executive Claire O’Rourke said Australia was leading the way in environmental giving, but more effort was needed.

“The top 10 hottest years on record have occurred in the last decade. At the same time, the planet faces a dangerous decline in nature, with over one million species threatened with extinction, soils becoming infertile and water sources running dry,” she says in the report.

“The interconnected impacts of a changing climate and the collapse of natural systems touch nearly every aspect of human society.

“In the face of escalating climate disasters and biodiversity loss, philanthropy has the opportunity to meet the scale and urgency of these crises, forging a path toward a more just, sustainable and resilient future.”

AEGN chief executive Claire O’Rourke

O’Rourke said environmentally minded philanthropists had a big role to play in addressing the problems, and while nearly one third of the AEGN’s members had increased giving to environmental causes, more effort was needed.

“In the face of escalating climate disasters and biodiversity loss, philanthropy has the opportunity to meet the scale and urgency of these crises, forging a path toward a more just, sustainable and resilient future.”

According to the report, the AEGN’s members prioritised clean energy, nature conservation and supporting a sustainable economy in 2023–24, and contributed $83 million to core funding and capacity building. About 12% of member funding supported First Nations climate or nature initiatives.

AEGN figures show environmental giving by public ancillary funds (PuAFs) dropped significantly after a one-off surge in spending linked to the 2019–20 Black Summer bushfires.

That summer saw a $33 million spike in spending on relief and recovery efforts, which had plummeted to just $4 million at the last count.

O’Rourke said the dip in giving may reflect the tail end of post-Black Summer funding and strategic “spend-down” behaviour by major philanthropists.

Philathropy’s role in climate transformation

The AEGN’s giving trends report should be read in conjunction with another one of its publications, The Economics of Giving: The case for climate philanthropy.

It stresses the value of long-term, flexible funding, which could enable organisations to sustain long-term efforts and act more quickly to make an impact.

It argues funders should give more boldly, fund core operations and multi-year work, support flexible funding, back rapid responses, increase the trust of those “on the ground” and collaborate better.