Ecosystem is a widespread term today, having grown in popularity in recent years. Discussions across various fields echo this word as a mantra, from business and technology to environmental science and social justice. There is an urgency and a need to recognise the interconnection and interdependence of complex systems to tackle the intertwined crises we face today. These include climate change, wars, conflicts, rising inequality, or democratic regression. But does simply labelling something an ecosystem …

As world leaders and environmental advocates are gathering at COP29, discussions around climate and funding priorities are in the spotlight. Yet, amid these critical negotiations, an urgent issue remains underfunded and often overlooked: air pollution. Air pollution is one of the biggest threats to human health, climate, and the environment. It cuts short millions of lives each year and is linked to a wide range of diseases, including respiratory illnesses and heart conditions. The same …

We need to reconsider the very foundations of philanthropy. That is the challenge of Rob Reich, in his book Just Giving: Why Philanthropy Is Failing Democracy and How It Can Do Better, which explores the relationship between philanthropy and the fight against social inequalities. Reich proposes that philanthropy should cease to be thought of merely in terms of the individual moral motivations for giving and, instead, be designed and studied from the perspective of its …

‘People on the ground really do have a strong sense of what’s happening and how to move forward, and CLF is listening.’ These are the words of Christine Canaly of the San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council when asked what makes Conservation Lands Foundation (CLF) so highly rated in one of the largest datasets of grantees of intermediaries. Organisations or entities that regrant funds – often called intermediaries – have enjoyed a sunny reputation in recent …