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Environment Grants: Latest Grants Available

3 min read

30 May 2023

Australian communities regularly experience extreme weather events, including devastating droughts, bushfires, floods, and other disasters. Many individuals, organisations, and businesses are looking for ways to take action to address climate change. Environmental grants are available to support these objectives.

The Grants Hub aims to make finding these grants easy and accessible for our community - because we all have a part to play in protecting and preserving our planet for future generations.

Climate Change Research

This report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) presents a stark assessment of the risks climate change will inflict on the world:

The projected global warming under current global emissions reduction policies would leave many of the region's human and natural systems at very high risk and beyond adaptation limits.

Source: Fact Sheet - Australasia, Sixth Assessment Report, IPCC Working Group II - Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability

The risks currently projected for the Australiasian region are severe, including:

Our coral reefs, marine life, snow regions, forests, and all of the animals who dwell within them, as well as the habitation and activities we humans enjoy there, will come to an end
Our agriculture sector will be affected, there will be increasing supply chain disruptions, and our ability to inhabit coastal as well as metropolitan areas will decline
Our collective health will also deteriorate, with vulnerable communities experiencing higher mortality rates as a direct result of climate change
Our economy will suffer the effects of forced migration, infrastructure and engineering expenses, rising insurance premiums, and health costs related to pollution.

The window of opportunity to effectively respond to these impacts is rapidly closing - we cannot delay in taking positive action.

What are the objectives of environmental grants?

Whether working in a large business or organisation, or as an individual volunteering with your local school or community, you can make a difference to our environment.

Grants available will help you undertake initiatives including:

Preparing for and mitigating the effects of extreme weather events on communities and on the environment (e.g. bushfire, flood, tsunami, drought, etc)

Building community knowledge, education and skills
Delivering sustainability initiatives (e.g. recycling programs, tree planting, composting, community gardening, school programs, etc)
Conserving and preserving biodiversity and natural ecosystems
Protecting Traditional Owners and promoting cultural awareness
Conducting scientific and social research
Promoting animal welfare (e.g. for the prevention of disease, promoting health and wellbeing, providing shelter, humane treatment, etc.)
Protecting threatened species
Reducing pollution and waste
Advocacy related to climate change

Where can we find environmental grants?

Environment specific funding is available from a broad range of sources, including government, philanthropy, and other funding providers. The value and number of funding opportunities varies, but is increasing.

ClimateWorks Foundation’s research in 2021 found that “although climate change mitigation philanthropy has experienced meaningful growth over 2020, it still remained below 2% of total philanthropic giving worldwide.” (Source: Funding trends 2021: Climate change mitigation philanthropy).

In an analysis of The Grants Hub’s grants directory, we found that 17% of grant rounds we listed that had 2021 deadlines had an environmental focus, including animal welfare grants and other types of grants.

One observation we have is that whereas traditionally funding providers often treated environmental objectives as completely separate from community or social objectives, today that’s changing and there are many more grants available that appreciate the interconnectedness of social and environmental issues.

That means that no matter who or what your aims are, you may be eligible for environmental grants that can help you take climate action - while delivering your core mission.

Right now, there are more than 280 environment grants listed at The Grants Hub.

Here are just a few examples you might be interested in:

ACT Community Gardens Grant

Seeks to support a variety of garden types, not just traditional food gardens.

Applications close 7 September 2023.

View & Track Grant

The North Face Explore Fund

Helps to create access and drive equity in the outdoors by funding organisations around two themes: creating a community of new explorers, and protecting the environment.

Applications close 30 September 2023

View & Track Grant