Groundswell Giving

What did we get up and who did we meet at New York Climate Week? Our CEO Arielle Gamble shares all the goss over at Philanthropy Australia. TLDR: here are her key takeaways! 💡 Collective, strategic funding is crucial to solving the climate crisis with the highest possible impact. 🌏 An Australian-Pacific COP31 in 2026 presents a rare, transformative opportunity for global climate action. Centring First Nations and Pacific voices, accelerating advocacy, and strengthening international partnerships are essential. ☠️ Disinformation fuelled by AI is a real, urgent and growing threat – investing in positive climate stories across media will be key to combating bad actors and achieving our emissions targets. 🙏 Australian philanthropy must move beyond talk and mobilise at scale to fund the work requiring resourcing now. With less than five years left in our global carbon budget, this is our last shot. Together with the COP31 funders group, we are assembling a prospectus for co-funding and encouraging people to reach out and get involved. ⚡ The decisions made by world leaders will be shaped by the advocacy and funding we invest in today. Quite simply, we don’t have time to lose.

There is one extremely important reason why investing in climate action is needed now and not next year (and certainly not the year after). As early as March there will be a federal election. This means politicians are deciding right now what issues they are going to build their campaign on, which will then go on to shape what action they take on winning power. They want to win votes. So they will do what they think is popular. Action on climate must be up there. Whoever wins this next election will be making decisions on climate change that lead us through to the end of the critical decade. Scientists are emphatic about this – our best shot at mitigating the worst impacts of climate change is by taking as much action as possible by 2030. This urgency is at the heart of our Major Giving Circle's strategy. If you want to make a very real and meaningful difference on climate, do not wait. Find out more about what's involved and get in touch: tinyurl.com/3rm3dfec

Our CEO Arielle Gamble recently had a chat with Tim Buckley of Climate Energy Finance and here's where things got interesting. In this interciew, Tim talks about funding climate advocacy is an insurance against your investments in green energy and tech. These are the kind of insights members of our newly launched Major Giving Circle have access to. Our Advisory Committee includes Australia's most strategic climate thinkers, including Tim. What's most exciting about the Major Giving Circle is that we know when great people come together with shared purpose, what's previously been unimaginable can suddenly become possible. By joining forces through collective giving, the MGC will fund and amplify campaigns that will transform public discourse, shape policy, and push for the large-scale changes our world urgently needs. Keen to join? More info here: tinyurl.com/3rm3dfec

Why join our Major Giving Circle? "While improving the life outcomes of young Australians through our other giving strategies remains central to our foundation’s mission, we acknowledge the urgent threat of climate change to our planet and society. We are dedicated to fostering a thriving and sustainable world for generations to come…and the Major Giving Circle is a great way to maximise our impact, learn from others, collaborate, and start to gain deeper knowledge within climate and environmental funding." This is just one reason a new member gave us on sign up – we couldn't have put it better ourselves! Working together, MGC members will fund high-impact projects that transform public discourse, shape policy and drive large-scale, systemic change that would otherwise be impossible. If you're interested in joining, get in touch now: tinyurl.com/3rm3dfec

Last week was a big week of climate news. Here's what we're doing about it. Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek approved three massive coal mine extensions that are set to pump out over a billion tonnes of climate pollution until 2048. That’s more than DOUBLE Australia’s total annual emissions. Meanwhile, the energy plan put forward by the Coalition was a smokescreen designed to hide the fact that if elected they plan to keep burning coal and gas for decades to come. The planet and our kids can’t afford this. Climate change will get worse if we don’t stop burning fossil fuels. Australia must stop approving new coal, oil and gas projects. It’s that simple. So what now? Climate solutions need to be fought for. Through collective action, we can influence policy and push for the kind of transformation that’s needed. This is the purpose of Groundswell. By bringing together a community of donors, we’re co-funding high-impact climate advocacy initiatives across Australia. We know this works because also in the news this week: the companies behind a massive seismic blasting proposal in Australia’s oceans have withdrawn their plans. That’s a gas blasting project in an ocean area larger than Tasmania stopped thanks to years of community campaigning! Our grant making helped make this win happen – and many more like it. Now, we need more wins. Bigger ones too. Which is why we’ve launched our Major Giving Circle. As a collective of philanthropic funders, we can drive large-scale, systemic change that would otherwise be impossible. So far we’ve raised $800k to deploy by the end of the year. Can you help us reach out $1m goal? Learn more about what’s involved here: https://lnkd.in/g6F43KwT

Did you know we have a newsletter? It comes out about once a month and features climate stories that'll give you heart whomps, inspiring interviews with leaders on the frontlines of climate action, exclusive invites to upcoming events, and curated lists of climate books/podcasts/films to catch up on. Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/gdJa3duk

What an honour it is having brilliant minds like Amelia Telford, Co-Executive Director at Centre for Australian Progress, on the Advisory Committee of our recently launched Major Giving Circle. Here's Millie talking to our CEO Arielle Gamble about why investing in climate advocacy is critical. Right now, we're looking for a few more people to join the MGC and help us raise $1 million in climate funding before the end of the year. This is not just a number. It represents a strategic wave of interventions to counter the misinformation campaigns and political fear mongering that is currently delaying climate action. The organisations the MGC fund will be chosen for their proven ability to transform public discourse, shape policy and create a cultural shift where climate action becomes the norm. As a collective, our members are supercharging their work and drive large-scale, systemic change that would otherwise be impossible. If you're ready to make a tangible difference on climate and create the future we know is possible, talk to us now about joining: tinyurl.com/3rm3dfec

What is the number one reason people give for joining our Major Giving Circle? To engage with like-minded people and to learn how to be a more strategic climate action funder. All feel the urgency of the climate crisis and want to be ambitious in rapidly moving the dial on climate. In their words... "We invest 60% of our funds into environmental initiatives, the majority of it being 'profit for purpose' models. While we still believe in commercial solutions, we feel that political will and public pressure needs serious lifting to reach meaningful, systemic and rapid change. Joining others and using our collective voice and resources seems like a way to go." If this sounds like you too, we have a few spots left to join this amazing group of people. Get in touch now: tinyurl.com/3rm3dfec

Heartfelt advice for anyone just starting out in climate funding, from the extremely wise Rathana Chea, Co-Founder of Multicultural Leadership Initiative, chatting to Groundswell's CEO Arielle Gamble. Rathana is also an advisor of our newly launched Major Giving Circle – a dedicated new funding collective for individuals and families united in the fight against climate change. We started the Major Giving Circle because of a deep understanding of the urgency of this moment. Yes, we only have a few short years left to avoid locking in irreversible climate damage, and yes the changes we need are systemic and need to be driven by the government. But the government doesn’t act in a vacuum. Politicians respond to people. Especially when the people are many, insistent, and loud about what they want. Through collective action, we can shift the public narrative, influence policy, and push for the kind of transformation that’s needed. This is what is driving our Major Giving Circle strategy. If you're interested in learning more please reach out: tinyurl.com/3rm3dfec

Bravo Parents for Climate! We're so proud to support the work Nic Seton & the Parents team do.