More than $400 million pledged by nine foundations to help solve climate change in Canada

A group of families and foundations from across Canada have pledged more than $400 million over the next decade to help solve climate change.

A group of families and foundations from across Canada have pledged $405 million over the next decade to help solve climate change.

The pledge includes commitments from prominent families, including $150 million from the Trottier Family Foundation, $100 million from the Peter Gilgan Foundation, $18 million from the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation, $15 million from the Chisholm Thomson Family Foundation, $10 million from David Keith and Kirsten Anderson, $6 million from the Sitka Foundation, $5 million from the Vohra Miller Foundation and $1 million from Allan Shiff – all in addition to the $100 million that the Ivey Foundation recommitted.

"Climate change is an issue that touches really every aspects of our lives, of our communities, of our economy, of our ecosystems. There's really no part of our day-to-day life (that) isn't being affected by climate change and will not continue to be affected more and more as the planet warms," Sylvie Trottier, a board member of the Trottier Family Foundation, told CTV News Toronto in an interview.

"It's a threat multiplier, so whether one is concerned about inequality, housing, food, migrant rights, what have you, climate is going to be driving those changes and not in a positive direction. So for us, and our family's foundation … it was a major priority of our funding. "

The pledge was made through the Climate Champions initiative, a Clean Economy Fund campaign that aims to encourage new commitments to climate philanthropy – something they say Canada has apparently been lagging behind in. While Thursday's announcement provides a large boost, in 2022, there was about $106 million in climate philanthropy (amounting to less than one per cent of all philanthropic endeavours in the country at the time and well below the global average of 1.6 per cent).

The fund's goal is to triple annual contributions toward climate initiatives, going from about $100 million to more than $300 million, by 2030.

“Climate change is impacting our lives more than ever,” Luke Gilgan, board member for the Peter Gilgan Foundation, said in a release. “We are proud to be a part of this historic effort and invite all Canadian philanthropists to join us in stepping up to support climate solutions.”