ABOUT THE Project
Bringing funders together to tackle overconsumption
IF4SL is a funder collaborative that explores the challenging theme of overconsumption. We bring funders together to create a pooled fund, which explores equitable ways of living within planetary boundaries. This pooled fund will support philanthropy to experiment with work on overconsumption – with shared risk, learning and due diligence.
Initiated by Oak Foundation and managed by the Hot or Cool Institute, IF4SL is now inviting other funders to join the pooled fund. We are an operational fund that undertakes projects in partnership with funders, civil society organisations and researchers, with the aim of encouraging philanthropic action to tackle overconsumption.
Our first project was a survey of foundation staff, leaders and boards, to gather baseline data on how the sector views the challenge of overconsumption.
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Results of the Funder Survey: Tackling Overconsumption in Order to Protect the Environment
Are you acknowledging excess levels of material consumption as a driver of climate change and biodiversity loss? Are you considering being bolder in naming the problems associated with this, and more strategic in mobilising grants programmes in response? These are just a few of the questions addressed in a survey of funders by Hot or Cool Institute´s IF4SL and The Hour Is Late in collaboration with Oak Foundation. This has enabled us to take the pulse of the environmental philanthropy sector on the challenge of overconsumption.
90% of survey participants agree that action is needed to reduce consumption. Although there are significant barriers to funding work that tackles overconsumption, there are already a number of funders active in this field, and many inspiring projects to learn from.
These results are available as a slide deck, and as a video.
If you would like to host (or invite us to host) a discussion about tackling overconsumption please contact Lauren Uba (HoC), Jon Cracknell (The Hour is Late) or Hex Picot (Oak Foundation).
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Why do we need a pooled fund to tackle overconsumption?
Despite the growth in environmental philanthropy in recent years, world-wide consumption of natural resources remains completely unsustainable. Recent academic research suggests that the industrialised world needs to cut its consumption levels by 73% in order to stay within planetary boundaries.
The problem of overconsumption has largely been overlooked by many funders. For example, in Europe, the largest environmental foundations allocated just €1 million to directly tackling over-consumption in 2021, less than 0.1% of the €1.6 billion of environmental grants tracked for that year.
The IF4SL wants to change this. Philanthropy can act as a major lever for positive change through ambitious grant-making. That’s why IF4SL is exploring the theme of overconsumption in a way that opens space for philanthropy to increase ambition in this area.
The vital role of philanthropy in tackling overconsumption
Funders play a key role in socializing cutting-edge approaches – as has been the case with new economics, climate justice, movement building and more. The work of funders in legitimizing emerging approaches and raising ambition levels within the wider movement, is key to moving from incremental to systemic interventions in the field of consumption and sustainable living.
If you are interested in meeting other funders to discuss strategies for tackling overconsumption, please come and join us in the Funders for Sustainable Living Network.
Our approach is informed by the Funders for Sustainable Living Network (F4SL)
Through our regular F4SL workshops we are building a collaboration of foundation staff who are curious about deeper systems change and tackling overconsumption. Members of the F4SL network are helping to mainstream long term visions for fair and sustainable living through the funding they give, as well as the constructive conversations they lead on challenging issues, such as learning to accept limits to consumption.
To find out more about the F4SL network and / or suggest future topics for exploration, please contact Lauren Uba at f4sl@hotorcool.org
Tackling Overconsumption Funder Survey: The First Project of the New IF4SL
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”.
Imaginging Aviation: Caps and Limits on Overconsumption
The April 2024 Funders for Sustainable Living (F4SL) Network gathering centred around an exploration of caps and limits on unnecessary overconsumption.
Project Partners
Our funders
Oak Foundation commits its resources to address issues of global, social, and environmental concern, particularly those that have a major impact on the lives of the disadvantaged. Through grant-making, they support others to make the world a safer, fairer, and more sustainable place to live. With offices in Europe, India, and North America, Oak Foundation makes grants to organisations in approximately 40 countries worldwide.
