Page 21 - Social_Philanthropy

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4.4 Best practices and cases

Climate change is a reality nowadays. Temperatures and sea levels are increasing, plastics swim in our
oceans, and all of this affects not just the environment but our direct well-being. Governments are par-
tially addressing the issue, but they tend to stay in short term solutions and the essential thing about this
problem is that we need to address the issue in the long run. In this sense, philanthropy is an ideal way to
tackle this problem and offer great solutions.

However, apparently, there is a lack of philanthropists interested in this issue. The amount of money spent
in this causes is ridiculous if we compare it to what is invested in other social causes. However, we can still
name some ventures, foundations and initiatives that use philanthropy to address environmental issues.
Here you have some examples (Hess, 2019):

William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

Source: (Hewlett Foundation, 2020)

This foundation is a private charitable foundation from the US with a special programme dedicated to
environmental causes. They create grants to protect people and places from the consequences of climate
change and biodiversity conservation. For example, they have a programme to fight climate change and
clean energy with the objective to reduce greenhouse emissions. Another programme focuses on preserving
landscapes and in the West of the United States (Hewlett Foundation, 2020).

DOEN Foundation

Source: DOEN Foundation (Stichting DOEN, 2020)