In our research for the ACF leaders forum 2024, members told us that they wanted dedicated spaces to explore issues together — to get stuck in and problem solve collectively. The collaboration centres are designed to do just that.
The impacts of climate change are already shaping the world in which trusts and foundations are operating, the communities and sectors they are seeking to support, and the change they are intent on creating. We've all witnessed first-hand the impacts of climate change on people and planet, confirming that the crisis is no longer a distant threat — it's here and now. Our members have consistently expressed that climate change ranks among their top challenges. Our members also tell us that they are grappling with how best to take action, including balancing concerns about relevance, feasibility, or capacity and resource constraints.
As organisations that often have the resources and capacity to take a long-term view, foundations are well-placed to contribute towards the changes, individual and collective, that we will all need to make.
By providing the space to have meaningful action orientated discussions, the collaboration centres at the ACF leaders forum 2024 will support our members to explore the collective responsibility of foundations, the barriers they are facing and the potential positive impact of their actions on the climate and nature emergency.
Collaboration centres
Our research surfaced ten areas members feel it is important for trusts and foundations to collaborate on in the ACF leaders forum 2024 collaboration centres:
-
Making the link between missions and climate and nature
Explore collaboratively how to apply a climate and nature lens to current work without pivoting from existing missions and charitable objectives.
Designed and facilitated by: Kris Karslake, Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation
-
Using our power
Trusts and foundations have access to conversations and stakeholders that many in the ecosystem do not – explore how this power can be leveraged to rise to the challenge of the climate and nature emergency, and how can it be exercised equitably.
Designed and facilitated by: Bonnie Hewson, Farming the Future and Sarah Benioff, Cripplegate Foundation
- The unique role for trusts and foundations
Explore the meaningful contribution that only trusts and foundations can make in rising to the challenges of the climate and nature emergency.
Designed and facilitated by: Nick Addington, William Grant Foundation
- Empowering future generations
Explore what trusts and foundations can do to develop an empowering infrastructure for young people to drive change.
Designed and facilitated by: Eli Manderson Evans, Blagrave Trust and Dr Asimina Vergou, Co-op Foundation
- Investing for climate - what really works?
Cazenove Charities are delighted to host Dr Ellen Quigley from the University of Cambridge to share her research on how Foundations can effectively take climate action with their investments - cutting through the noise to showcase what really works. This will be followed by collaborative discussions on how to turn theory into meaningful action.
Designed and facilitated by: ACF official partner Cazenove Charities
- How to talk to your board about climate and nature
Explore practical tools and approaches for how to talk to your board about climate and nature. Changing hearts, minds, and hands - hear what’s worked and what are the common pitfalls from Impatience Earth.
Designed and facilitated by: Daniela Lloyd-Williams, JAC Trust and Yasmin Ahammad, Impatience Earth
- Convening others, holding space
Trusts and foundations are well positioned to convene wide ranging stakeholders - explore how to assume this role to advance dialogue, resolve issues and create the space for others to build new narratives to rise to the challenges of the climate and nature emergency.
Designed and facilitated by: Felicity Mallam, Wates Family Enterprise Trust and Jo Kerr, Turn2us
- The climate and nature emergency, a social justice issue
Throughout history no significant social change has happened without active social movements. Given the scale of the issue, and the power that is entrenched in the status quo, supporting movement building, network creation and advocacy is one of the most important ways to hold decision makers to account. Explore how philanthropy can support movements.
Designed and facilitated by: Greg Hilditch, Global Greengrants Fund UK and Christine Oliver, Polden-Puckham
- An impactful funder community - identifying and overcoming barriers together
Explore barriers and collectively identify what trusts and foundations need from the ACF community to rise to the challenge of the climate and nature emergency.
Designed and facilitated by: Rachel Heydecker, ACF
- The State of the Climate Transition: Investor Strategies
Explore a framework to help investors work together to set and implement climate-related principles and targets across their investment strategy. This framework leverages Mercer's client experience and research in investing to support the transition.
Designed and facilitated by: Vanessa Hodge, ACF official partner Mercer
Get involved
Have an idea / speaker suggestion / things to share with the ACF member(s) designing the collaboration centres?
Add it here.
What will collaboration centres look like?
- Collaboration centres are not intended to be presentation heavy; they are intended to be active spaces for group discussion and exploration.
- They may include a range of lightening talks - to draw out key issues, ground conversations and spark new ideas, but these should be brief.
- The main focus of the sessions should be on collaboration, bringing senior leaders and decision makers in the room together to problem solve collectively.