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 “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.
Our funding pot has been fully allocated, so our 2024 application window is now closed. Many thanks to all the partners who made an application for funding.
We’re delighted to say that our success rate is 100% and we’ve had the privilege of working with every partner that completed an application so far. If you’d like to learn more about the 21 charities we've supported and the projects we've funded, either click here, or click the download image below.
The 2025 funding post will be available from 01 January 2025. Therefore, in preparation, we will be opening the 2025 window for applications on 01 December 2024. Given the size of the fund and the number of partners we support, please note that we’re only able to accept applications from partners who have NOT applied to the fund before. The first tranche of funding decisions will take place by mid- January 2025. The 2025 fund will remain open until all monies have been spent - so the quicker you get your application to us, the more likely it is that you’ll be able to secure funding. The link to the application form and guidance notes will be sent out in our November newsletter.
Sustainability Articles / Toolkit
In collaboration with Zurich Municipal, we've created this section to provide useful tools and articles around key sustainability topics.
