Our Commitment to Climate Action

Community Foundation Ireland recognises that the accelerating climate crisis presents a profound threat to the achievement of our charitable mission and to the communities we serve. In response, and in line with our values of sustainability and social justice, we became a signatory of the Funder Commitment on Climate Change (FCoCC) in 2025.

Our Approach

Following a 2023 peer review of sustainability practices across grant-making bodies, Community Foundation Ireland engaged Business in the Community to conduct an Environmental Assessment of our organisation. This assessment included desk-based research, team consultations, and a comprehensive gap analysis, alongside a review of international best practice in climate action and philanthropy.

This process resulted in a tailored Action Plan aligned with the FCoCC framework, identifying both our strengths and areas for growth. It provides a clear path for embedding environmental responsibility across our grant-making, governance, operations, and partnerships.

Key Commitments for 2025

As part of our FCoCC signatory status, we have committed to six core actions that guide our work in 2025 and beyond. Using these pillars to guide our focus, we aim to strengthen our role as a catalyst for climate-positive change within Ireland’s philanthropic landscape through partnerships with like-minded organisations.

The key pillars of the FCoCC are: Educate and Learn, Commit Resources, Integrate, Steward our investments for post-carbon future, Decarbonise our operations, and Report on progress. Through our strategic giving, partners like Leave no Trace Ireland, Dark Sky Ireland and the Toy Library and Community Foundation, receive resources that allow them to engage and educate communities.  We collaborate with researchers looking at how best to create an environmentally safe future and report that data to the public and donors. Moving forward, we will continue to integrate climate action into everything we do, ensuring that all our efforts support a healthier planet (Climate Action Works).