IP Briefing: What's Going on with Philanthropy for Oceans and Freshwater?

In a sentence: Philanthropy for water-related issues is rising, but more is needed in this historically siloed sector.

What’s going on

The water challenges the world faces today are increasing, from ocean warming to crumbling infrastructure, and disproportionately impacting poor communities and communities of color. Philanthropy to address these threats is increasing, too—but will it be enough? There is an urgent need to engage more funders and attract more dollars to this area, as climate pressures mount and clean water threats intensify.

In the last five years, the amount of funding and the number of funders for ocean and freshwater resources has risen, but funding levels are still low compared to other sectors, we reported in State of American Philanthropy: Giving for Oceans and Freshwater.

Water-related issues occupy a vast and complex space, and giving in this area has historically been siloed. Top funders tend to give primarily to either ocean or freshwater causes, or to focus on, say, conservation while someone else works on drinking water. But that’s changing, as new initiatives emphasize collaboration, including public-private partnerships, and interdependence.

By the numbers

Global philanthropy for marine conservation doubled over the past decade, from $520 million per year in 2010 to $1.2 billion in 2020, according to a Packard Foundation-funded report.
In 2014, 4,794 grantmakers funded water-related causes. In 2018, 6,927 grantmakers were in the field, according to data from Candid.

Key funders

Giving in this area has been concentrated among a relatively small set of donors. On the marine side, 20 top funders accounted for 64 percent of grantmaking over the past decade. Key among them are the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Leading grantmakers for freshwater causes include the William Penn, Charles Stewart Mott and William and Flora Hewlett foundations. Of the private foundations giving the most in this area, only the Walton Family Foundation makes grants to both marine and freshwater programs.

Community foundations are a growing presence, especially on freshwater issues and at the intersections of clean water, public health, and sustainability at the local level. The Chicago Community Trust’s Great Rivers Chicago initiative is an innovative public-private project. The Foundation for the Carolinas has made substantial donations to Waterkeepers Alliance, Ocean Conservancy, Oceana, and Clean Water for North Carolina, among other groups. The Community Foundation Water Initiative (2015–2020), led by the now-spent-down S.D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation, brought together several California community foundations to promote integrating water issues into community foundations’ work.

Some high-profile billionaire givers are also getting involved, as evidenced by Bezos’s $100 million pledge last year to support Oceans 2050, among other commitments. Bloomberg Philanthropies has committed $139 million to the Vibrant Oceans Initiative. Marc and Lynne Benioff, Ray and Barbara Dalio, and Eric and Wendy Schmidt have also given for water issues.

Corporate funders of water-related programs include the Tiffany & Co. Foundation, Coca-Cola, Xerox, Anheuser-Busch, and 3M.

New and notable

In the face of mounting climate threats, collaboration is critical. Last summer, when public funding fell short of what was needed, the Walton Family and Gordon and Betty Moore foundations joined with the Water Funder Initiative, NGOs and corporate partners to fill a funding gap in a landmark effort to conserve water along the Colorado River.
The Blue Nature Alliance is a group of nonprofits and funders aiming to protect 5% of the world’s oceans over the next five years.
Marc and Lynne Benioff crowdsourced their philanthropic strategy for ocean conservation. The Benioff Ocean Initiative’s first project is focused on whales.

Food for thought

“There is a lack of understanding of how urgently we need to address the climate crisis, the biodiversity crisis, and the pending water security challenges to adapt to climate impacts.” —a fundraiser, in an anonymous survey conducted by IP in 2020.

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