The story of using influence as a funder

For ‘The story of using influence as a funder’, we spoke to Nick Addington, Chief Executive at William Grant Foundation (WGF) and Ben Twist, Director of Creative Carbon Scotland (now Culture for Climate Scotland) about funders’ approaches to environmental sustainability.

How can funders/grant makers apply a ‘climate lens’ to their funding (as opposed to their own operations)?

Nick Addington: A first step is to acknowledge that the changing climate is defining the time we’re living in and that it’s going to affect any place, population or problem that funders are interested in – both directly and indirectly – due to the changes we’re going to see in society and the economy. Then they can help those they fund and partner with to think through the implications and support them to factor climate action into their own work.

I think there are five thing funders can do:

• Inform – to help applicants and grantees think about how climate will intersect with their missions.
• Inspire – which means talking about climate change and nature loss, and the opportunities for a more sustainable and fairer future, as part of the narratives they use themselves when describing their aims and approaches, as well as showcasing what other organisations are doing to build climate action into their work.
• Infrastructure – support sector-wide initiatives or other collaborations that help organisations and communities (and funders) to listen, learn and act together.
• Invest – provide the kind of flexible funding that gives organisations and communities the capacity to learn and collaborate around climate, to adopt sustainable ways of working, and adapt as things change.
• Incentives – this could be by using related funding criteria, increasing funding for relevant projects, or just by adopting a climate-informed strategy to guide their programmes and funding decisions.

Why is it important that funders/grant makers incorporate sustainability commitments into their criteria for recipients?

Ben Twist: Some arts and culture sector organisations had been working on climate change voluntarily, but there was a step change when Creative Scotland made it mandatory for recipients of regular funding to report their carbon emissions, and later to develop carbon management and adaptation plans. The number of organisations focusing on sustainability grew substantially, the data became more accurate and the plans more ambitious.

When sustainability commitments are mandatory, chief executives, leadership teams and boards must get involved. Sustainability becomes part of the overall working of the organisation, integrated with other areas of work. Once it is mainstreamed in that way, climate issues become everyone’s job, with the whole team thinking about the problems and solutions and, importantly, getting things done.

How did you begin a conversation with WGF about its role as a funder in relation to the climate and sustainability?

Ben Twist: Initially, WGF invited us to apply for some funding and, in early conversations, it became clear that they’re interested in supporting change to happen. We talked about our experience developing Creative Scotland’s climate emergency and sustainability plan, and that resulted in us leading a workshop with WGF’s Scottish Culture & Heritage committee.

Their funding supports a strand of our strategy work, much of which is about working with WGF on thinking about how funders, particularly those supporting environmental and/or cultural work, can start applying a climate lens to their grant-making process. This means considering climate change not just in their own operations, but in the work they fund and in how they support funding recipients. We’ve started with WGF itself, leading conversations and workshops with their team and board to help them work on this topic, and our goal is to extend this programme to other funders.

What challenges are there for funders to overcome?

Nick Addington: We have to build our own understanding of how climate change and nature loss affects the causes that matter to us. There are lots of resources to support this now – including Everyone’s Environment briefings – but we have to make time to explore this with boards and teams.

We can worry we have to get our own house in order before asking others to think about climate. It’s best to acknowledge that we’re starting where we can and are learning about this, too, and encourage those we work with to also just get started – we can learn together.

We are also wary of over-burdening the hard-working charities and groups we support. It’s important to stress that climate action can align with their existing activities and lead to win-wins: greener often means healthier, cheaper and fairer.

Ben Twist: For a long time, climate change has felt like a problem of the future. Many funders have been addressing immediate problems and, understandably, running out of time for issues that seem less urgent, like sustainability. As climate change worsens, urgent issues are exacerbated. Everyone needs to work on it to ease problems not only in the future, but right now.

Change is always hard. A funder asking grant recipients to start carbon reporting or demanding climate change plans seems burdensome when they are already working hard and are up against great challenges. What we have found is that many organisations are already thinking about climate change so asking them for information or planning helps them to prepare.

How has working with Culture for Climate Scotland brought about change in the way WGF thinks about environmental sustainability in funding?

Nick Addington: One of our four key themes is culture and heritage. Culture for Climate Scotland has really helped us see how organisations that tell stories about possible futures and different histories, illustrate ideas and provide shared experiences, have a really important role in moving us as a society towards a sustainable future. Culture creates the environment in which change feels necessary and possible.

This has helped us think more broadly about the role that all organisations can play beyond making their operations carbon neutral, not least that of funders like us who – rightly or wrongly – wield such influence in the third sector.

What are the next steps for Culture for Climate Scotland getting more foundations like WGF on board?

Ben Twist: WGF has introduced us to other funders, and we have presented jointly to members of the Scottish Funders Forum to start a similar conversation. This has led to discussions with the Robertson Trust, the Environmental Funders Network and others.

I’ve been attending the Pathway Group for Everyone’s Environment, which has developed a resource for funders, and provides advice about how charities can incorporate climate change into all their work and funding.

We will invite many funding organisations to our SPRINGBOARD: Assembly for creative climate action in March 2025, to provide advice and support, and to enable them to have a conversation about how to apply the climate lens to their work.

William Grant Foundation is an unincorporated association providing governance and direction for the grant-making of William Grant & Sons Ltd, building on a long history of philanthropy by the family-owned businesses, and reflecting an enduring commitment to helping Scotland thrive.

Everyone’s Environment is a collaboration of more than 80 social and environmental charities to accelerate action on the social impacts of the environmental crises.

This story is part of a series developed for Scottish Government’s Climate Week 2024, showcasing the work Culture for Climate Scotland is supporting to help achieve an environmentally sustainable Scotland. This year’s Climate Week is a chance for communities and organisations to celebrate and encourage climate action by sharing ‘Stories for Change’.