The Anthony Rae Foundation

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This is a private Foundation that supports environmental research and campaigning actvity, particularly in the areas of Climate Change and Biodiversity. 

The Foundation
opened in Autumn 2009 and makes relatively small grants.  It is under my sole direction and does not consider unsolicited requests for financial assistance.

If you wish to find out more about its activities, contact me at foundation@anthonyrae.com or tel: 01422 845061

2009 Year*

This year the Foundation made the following awards:

£6,000 to Friends of the Earth  to pay for its fundraising event in advance of the Copenhagen Climate Change negotiations.  This took place on 15th October at the Hub, Kings Cross, and was well attended.  The speakers were Andy Atkins, Executive Director FOE; Professor Kevin Anderson, Director Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research; Peter Ainsworth MP Shadow Environment spokesman 2005-9 and former Chair, Environmental Audit Committee; and Nnimmo Bassey, Chair of Friends of the Earth International and Chair of Environmental Rights Action in Nigeria.  

Anthony Rae commented: “I have said that funding from my Foundation will be focused quite tightly on environmental research and campaigning activity, but supporting this fundraiser as a very first donation seemed the right thing in the circumstances: the run-up to Copenhagen.  People who came have responded very generously, and support comes in other forms as well - I understand that the actress Helen Baxendale, who has gone on to join the FOE campaigners in Copenhagen, also attended the event.  So this was a good place to start the Foundation’s giving.”


speakers at fundraiser

         Andy Atkins, Anthony Rae and Prof Kevin Anderson at the Climate Change fundraiser

-  £10,000


-  £10,000
(with the assistance of matched funding from the Big Give/Reed Foundation) to Friends of the Earth to sponsor two FOE expert campaigners who are part of their team seeking to influence the outcome of the international climate change negotiations in Copenhagen.  Anthony Rae commented: "It would be an enormous missed opportunity if the Foundation didn't immediately make a second contribution to campaigning activity around this hugely significant global event.  I'd like to thank the Reed Foundation for the great generosity in providing matched funding so that my Foundation can in turn double the value of its donation."


Copenhagen march Copenhagen action


         FOE International contingent: Flood event, Copenhagen 12th December 2009; protest 'action' 14th December with Nnimmo Bassey

-  £10,000 (also with the same assistance, and via the contribution of an associate to the Foundation) to Friends of the Earth to fund ongoing climate change campaigning that may be needed after Copenhagen.  The timing of this grant has been advanced to take advantage of the 'Big Give' opportunity; the specific purpose will be identified in Spring 2010.

Anthony Rae commented: "I'm supporting FOE (rather than other campaigning organisations) with these three grants on the back of their superb campaign to devise and successfully promote the Climate Change Act 2008, which has set the UK framework for emissions reduction; and their attempts to link together the positions of the Global South and North in a common stance based on justice.  Their track record campaigning for solutions to climate change merits strong support".

-  £10,000 (also with the same assistance, and via the contribution of an associate to the Foundation) to Friends of the Earth to fund ongoing climate change campaigning that may be needed after Copenhagen.  The timing of this grant has been advanced to take advantage of the 'Big Give' opportunity; the specific purpose will be identified in Spring 2010.

Anthony Rae commented: "I'm supporting FOE (rather than other campaigning organisations) with these three grants on the back of their superb campaign to devise and successfully promote the Climate Change Act 2008, which has set the UK framework for emissions reduction; and their attempts to link together the positions of the Global South and North in a common stance based on justice.  Their track record campaigning for solutions to climate change merits strong support".

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-  £10,000
(also with the same assistance, and via the contribution of an associate to the Foundation) to Friends of the Earth to fund ongoing climate change campaigning that may be needed after Copenhagen.  The timing of this grant has been advanced to take advantage of the 'Big Give' opportunity; the specific purpose will be identified in Spring 2010.

Anthony Rae commented: "I'm supporting FOE (rather than other campaigning organisations) with these three grants on the back of their superb campaign to devise and successfully promote the Climate Change Act 2008, which has set the UK framework for emissions reduction; and their attempts to link together the positions of the Global South and North in a common stance based on justice.  Their track record campaigning for solutions to climate change merits strong support".

- 
£2,000 (with the assistance of matched funding from the Big Give/ Reed Foundation) to WWF for their international Tiger conservation project 

-  £2,000 (with the same assistance) to the  Fora & Fauna International for their international gorilla conservation programme in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Uganda. Anthony Rae commented: “These two smaller grants are for more traditional conservation work, but the matched funding availability makes them suitable projects for support and allows the Foundation to make its first grants for Biodiversity where there is equal global urgency.  Once again, my thanks to the Reed Foundation for their great generosity in making matched funding available."

'Season of Giving' 
£2,000:  At the end of each year*, the Foundation will make some smaller donations, beyond its defined focus of activity, and to round-off the annual programme.  This year these donations are (again taking advantage of the matched funding of the Big Give) £1,000 to the Oxfam project Irrigation to help families adapt to climate change in Zimbabwe  to provide a year-round source of food to 25,000 people; and £1,000 to a second Oxfam project which is supporting 70,000 pastoralists in the drought stricken Somali Region of Ethiopia.  The intention is that "by helping them keep two breeding animals (such as goats) alive, the children can have milk, and the family's herd can recover in time.   Other actions include digging wells, and reseeding pastures - to make the communities better able to cope with future droughts."

Total made available by/via the Foundation in 2009* (including matched funding and Gift Aid): 
£32,000   -  against a target of £20,000

The 2009 programme is now complete.  "These first few months have proved to be a great start for the Foundation, and a rewarding new addition to my personal portfolio of activity" said Anthony Rae, who has also joined the Environmental Funders Network  "Their experience and advice will greatly assist the professionalism of the Foundation's development."  A prospectus about the potential areas of funding for 2010 and beyond will be issued in the New Year.

 
* The Foundation operates on calendar years, usefully crossing the usual financial year boundary

Updated: 5/7/2010   Please report any technical problems with the site to ar@anthonyrae.com

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