Environment And Conservation Finally Become Urgent Issues For Philanthropists

Environmental concerns have crept up philanthropist's agendas as they realise the urgency of climate change, a pair of reports published on Friday show. The environment and conservation are a top focus of time-limited philanthropic institutions, a report from Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisers shows. Time-limited, or spend-down organisations, aim to complete their philanthropic projects within a specific time-frame and they have grown rapidly: Nearly half of all organisations established since 2010 are time-limited and most of them want to spend their entire budget within 20 years. This contrasts with previous philanthropists that have traditionally built long lasting foundations focusing on issues like education, health or the arts. However, the status quo has slowly been changing since the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said it would spend all its resources within 20 years of the Gates' deaths. Driving this change is the more immediate demands of the next generation of philanthropists, the report shows. "They're seeking new approaches and instruments to address acute social and environmental issues effectively," says Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors CEO, Melissa A. Berman. Extinction Rebellion protests as well as wildfires in Australia and the Amazon have also been cited as motives by new environmental philanthropists. In the past 12 months, several billionaires have pledged funds to help wildfires as they have caught the world's attention.A separate report created for Rockefeller by Campden Wealth, a wealth research firm, put the global figure slightly higher at 8%. But, in order of philanthropists' priorities, the environment sits in ninth place. Nor is the time-limited model always a good fit for countering environmental threats. “While today’s problems may seem dire, tomorrow’s are likely worse," said one philanthropist who was asked why they wanted to keep an in-perpetuity model...MORE

Finally?? That's not exactly the word I'd use to describe the impact on those of us who are on the receiving end of the results of these grants. Millions of dollars are given each year to environmental organizations who push for larger government and who organize assaults on industry and private property.

Extension Rebellion protests...been cited as motives by new environmental philanthropists.

Even if the protests do not result in the change the enviros want, they can provide something else they want ---money.

For a companion article to the one above see New Report Reveals How The World’s Richest Families Give Away Their Money