Climate

“Put simply, net-zero means cutting greenhouse gas emissions to as close to zero as possible, with any remaining emissions re-absorbed from the atmosphere, by oceans and forests for instance.”  – United Nations Net Zero Coalition

Approach

Ensuring Canada’s reaches a net zero carbon economy by 2050 requires the rapid decarbonization of all economic sectors. Our granting targets climate mitigation in Canada’s highest emitting sectors: oil and gas, transportation, electricity, buildings and agriculture. We also focus on developing solutions for those sectors that are hard to decarbonize, and ensuring sustained public support, across all political affinities, for ambitious climate action.

Transitioning to a net zero carbon economy offers the opportunity to share the costs and benefits more equitably. Our granting supports climate mitigation solutions that:

• Reduce energy poverty
• Ensure respect for Indigenous rights in all energy projects, and continued leadership from Indigenous communities in the clean energy transition.
• Provide training to ensure the Canadian workforce has the skills to access new clean energy jobs
• Ensure this new workforce is more inclusive and diverse.
• Empower youth to contribute to decision making on the net zero carbon economy.
• Deal with pollution and other damage from oil and gas production and ensure appropriate compensation for impacted communities.

These are the equity outcomes the Foundation supports in its climate focus area.

Finally, capital markets need to align with climate science. Canada’s financial system is highly exposed to fossil fuels, presenting risks to the stability of our economy. The Foundation supports work to advance new regulations and legal precedents to require Canadian financial institutions and companies to shift investments out of carbon intensive sectors into the net zero carbon economy.

We recognize that this is a field in rapid evolution, and we are always open to learning about new approaches. We invite you to book a 15-minute appointment with our team to determine if we are the right partner for your project.

With this focus area, we seek to support organizations contributing to at least one of the following strategies: 

Climate mitigation solutions

Our goal is to enable the conditions for rapid decarbonization of high emitting sectors in Canada

What we fund:

• Projects that enable conditions to decarbonize the following five high emitting sectors: Oil and gas, Electricity, Transportation, Buildings and Agriculture.
• Projects that identify and implement climate mitigation solutions in hard to abate sectors, for example aviation, marine shipping, heavy industry.
• Projects to build and sustain public support for climate action across political affinities.

We do not support:

• Carbon capture and storage in the oil and gas sector
• Carbon removal technologies
• Nature-based climate solutions (such as conservation, tree planting, reforestation etc.)
• Environmental education
• Carbon offsets
• Climate adaptation
• Retrofits of industrial or commercial buildings
• Academic research
• Projects outside Canada

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

Our goal is to reduce energy poverty, advance Indigenous rights and economic development, build a diverse workforce, and ensure youth are empowered to contribute to the net zero carbon economy.

What we fund:

• Climate mitigation projects, programs and policies that reduce energy poverty, including through deep retrofits of existing not-for-profit housing and building new net zero carbon non-profit housing 
• Indigenous leadership and economic development in climate mitigation projects, and respect of Indigenous Rights in all energy projects
• Youth leadership and participation in climate mitigation projects and policies
• A diverse and skilled Canadian workforce equipped for the net zero carbon economy
• Projects that ensure the fossil fuel industry is held accountable for its share of climate and environmental damages

Climate Finance Strategy

Our goal is to support the regulatory oversight and legal precedents necessary to ensure Canadian financial institutions and corporations’ investments are aligned with climate science.

What we fund:

• Organizations that advance regulatory oversight on climate risk disclosures in Canadian financial and corporate sectors
• Organizations that deploy strategic litigation and other legal strategies to align Canadian financial institutions’ lending and investment practices with climate science
• Organizations that advance the implementation of Canada’s green and transition taxonomy
• Organizations that advance other policies to compel Canada’s financial institutions (banks, pension funds, insurance companies etc.) to align their investments with climate science

To learn more about the questions and criteria for all three funding strategies, please read our sample application form.