ABOUT THE Project
Funders for Sustainable Living is an open network promoting ambitious action for radically equitable and sustainable ways of living.
The F4SL network provides collegial support, motivation and expert knowledge to members in exploring the enormity of this challenge. Members report that our monthly workshops (to support funders in exploring what to fund, and the wider role of funders in catalysing systemic change) and complementary activities are highly valuable, and have positive impacts including:
- Funding of projects introduced to funders via F4SL workshops;
- New and strengthened relationships among funders, including co-funding;
- New relationships between funders and civil society organisations;
- New ideas, motivation and support. Motivation and support was deemed particularly important, as sustainable lifestyles is a controversial field with few colleagues or champions in philanthropy, and can therefore sometimes feel isolating;
- Development of a Canadian network of funders for sustainable living: Fair Earth Living.
You can access our full 2020-2021 report below, and the short version here F4SL Summary Report.
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Our Approach
We embrace a diversity of approaches while advocating for higher ambition levels, informed by the 1.5 Degree Lifestyles research programme: an equity-based approach to give the 1.5 Degree target a reasonable chance of being achieved – by keeping per capita consumption emissions below 2.5 tons per year by 2030 and 700kg per year by 2050.
With a growing membership of over 30 philanthropic foundations and other funding bodies, we welcome funders with a wide range of focus areas and strategies, from community initiatives to international policy processes. Our growing and diverse global network would love to welcome you!
If you work for a funder and you are interested in the field of sustainable living, we would love to welcome you to a workshop and tell you more about joining the network. Please contact Lauren Uba.
F4SL Blog | The Future of Flying? New levers for aviation emissions reduction
Aviation could be responsible for a quarter of global emissions by 2050 if current growth rates continue. Technological solutions are simply insufficient to bring these emissions within a ‘safe’ threshold in time; demand reduction is critical to mitigate emissions in the short-term.
IF4SL Blog | Tackling Overconsumption Funder Survey
Our February Funders for Sustainable Living Network workshop marked the official launch of the Innovation Fund for Sustainable Living (IF4SL) with an introduction to its first project “Funders Survey: Tackling Overconsumption”.
F4SL Blog | Strengthening Pro-Social Values: A guide for funders
Funders can be powerful, heavy lifters as cultural influencers, and therefore have big potential to reinforce pro-social values. But at the moment, the values we need for fair and sustainable societies – such as equality, peace, helpfulness and social justice – are being drowned out by entrenched cultural narratives focused on growth, competition and consumerism.
