The UK’s biggest, coordinated environmental fundraising campaign, the ‘Green Match Fund’, has raised £2.7m for 146 environmental charities. 13,466 people donated and three charities raised over £100k each: ClientEarth
raised £107,933 to use the power of the law to change the way we live in the world and protect life on Earth. Bees for Development Trust raised £100,001, Friends of the Earth raised £100,529.
Donations made to participating charities were matched thanks to “Champion” funders, sourced by the Big Give and The Environmental Funders Network.
The Green Match Fund campaign has been organised by the Big Give, the UK’s biggest online match funding platform and the brainchild of recruitment entrepreneur and philanthropist Sir Alec Reed. By bringing 146 charities together for the first time in a larger campaign tied into Earth Day, the Big Give hopes to draw attention to environmental issues and the importance of taking action now to save the planet.
The Big Give has raised over £190m for thousands of great causes through the power of match funding. The match funding for this campaign is being provided by a network of “Champions”, philanthropists and funders, including; The Reed Foundation, AKO Foundation, Michael O’Mara Books, EQ Foundation and players of People’s Postcode Lottery with funding awarded by Postcode Earth Trust, amongst others.
The money raised will be a vital lifeline for the environmental sector. In a recent report conducted by the Big Give, almost two thirds (63%) of environmental charities reported a decrease in income in 2020 because of Covid-19. According to the same report, 1 in 5 environmental charities were planning to reduce service delivery as a result.
Alex Day, Director of the Big Give, said: “We are delighted to have raised over £2.7 million for 146 high-impact environmental charities in the 2022 Green Match Fund. As the recent IPCC report has shown, this is a critical year for the environment, and we must act now, collectively, to save our planet. Whilst we have a long way to go, we are inspired to have seen thousands of people coming together to support these charities to continue their vital work. We are thankful to the Environmental Funders Network for supporting the campaign again this year and for the generous match funders like Reed Foundation, Players of the People’s Postcode Lottery, AKO Capital Foundation, EQ Investors, Michael O’Mara Books Limited and many others who have made this possible.”
Peter Littlewood, Director of Young People’s Trust for the Environment, said:
“Match funding from the Green Match Fund has helped us to launch ‘Better Planet Schools’, our new environmental education programme for primary schools throughout the UK. Better Planet Schools provides lesson plans, presentations, videos and child-led activities that help children learn about important environmental issues and how they can make a difference. And we know it works: our pilot project saw schools saving 10-15% of their annual energy usage as a result of child-led behaviour change alone. With the average school energy bill being £31,000 in 2019, it saves the school money and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. We hope that by 2030, all UK primary schools will have taken part in Better Planet Schools. Places cost £100 per school per year, but donations from sources like the Green Match Fund have meant that every school taking part has been able to claim a fully-funded place and participate free of charge. We are really grateful to the Green Match Fund and our supporters and donors for helping make Better Planet Schools a reality.”
For more information and to see the full list of charities who participated in the campaign: https://donate.thebiggive.org.uk/green-match-fund-2022