Supporting Sustainability
The term "sustainability" has gained widespread attention in recent years. However, it signifies various things to different individuals, and it was crucial for ZCT to establish its own definition:
“For us, it's not just about environmental factors. By committing to support our partnerships “through sustainable actions” we've shifted our emphasis from short term grant led partnerships, to multi-year relationships where we're able to offer far greater value. This means we're investing beyond the financial support in our partnerships – we are also investing in their future through our ‘More than Money’ approach offering.
It can also be about involving local people and organisations in decision making about their communities and level up uneven societies. This inspired our commitment to “Help build more resilient and sustainable communities”.
As a foundation that is a fundraiser, volunteer broker and grant maker, we're passionate about ensuring those environmental concerns flow through all of the pillars of our work”.
UN Sustainability Goals
In 2015, all UN Member States adopted “The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” the Agenda provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for both people and our planet.
At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) which are calls to action, whether it’s to end poverty, improve health and education or reduce inequality – all while tackling climate change.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are founded on the principle that all parties have a role to fulfill, and collaboration across sectors is crucial for success. The responsibility lies not only with governments and civil society but also encompasses all sectors and stakeholders, including businesses, charities, and individuals. No single sector or organization can accomplish the necessary scale of change alone – it requires a collective effort and action from everyone.
What did we do?
We cross-referenced all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the initiatives that ZCT has backed in recent years through our current partners and charity friends, including support provided via grants, challenges, or skill-sharing, as well as our collaborations with suppliers. We were delighted to discover that we have supported all 17 SDGs thus far. However, we recognized that to truly 'reduce inequalities and connect communities,' we must also assist our charity partners on their sustainability journeys.
Therefore, we created the Sustainability & DEIB Network and launched our new £100,000 (per annum) Sustainability Fund.
Since 2023, we’ve pledged £100,000 per annum, on a first come, first served basis, to support our charity partners on their own sustainability journey.
The fund is linked to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals “SDG’s” so whilst there is a primary focus on climate change, we’ve also supported our partners with other pressing needs, such as SDG 3 – Good Health & Wellbeing and SDG 5 – Gender Equality.
Spanning two funding years, our newest fund has been open for less than a year (officially opening on 31 May 2023). However, we’re delighted that, so far, 17 of our charities have applied for funding, and all 17 have been successful in their applications!
To date, we’ve spent a grand total of £161,960 leaving £38,040 left in the 2024 funding pot.
You can find out more about the projects we’ve funded here and check your organisations eligibility here.
The 2024 fund is only open to our partners that have not applied to the fund, so far (whether in 2023 or 2024). If you believe your organisation is eligible and would benefit from a sustainability grant, you can apply via the link provided below.ZCT's Sustainability & DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging) Network
The Sustainability & DEIB Network is made up representatives from our local and national charity partners, who meet on a quarterly basis. There is an open invitation to all partners to join at any point within the duration of our partnership - everyone is welcome!
The objective of the group
- To share first-hand advice around anything DEIB related
- Sense check ideas with like-minded individuals/organisations
- Find new sustainable ways to save money
- Utilise each other’s knowledge to access sustainable free, subsidised or heavily discounted goods and services
- Learn more about established ways of recruiting and retaining diverse staff/volunteers
- Share ideas around supporting a diverse base of service users
- Find out more about how our partners support the mental/physical health of employees, volunteers and service users by following an inclusive and sustainable agenda.
If you are interested in joining the Network, please contact Carla Mandis in the ZCT team.
Sustainability Articles / Toolkit
In conjunction with Zurich Municipal, we have created these articles for our partners so they can discover more about the following sustainability topics:
