Earthpercent

Charity Number: 1188391

Annual Expenditure: £0.6M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £644,535 (2024)
  • Total Grants Awarded: $1.4 million (since 2021)
  • Grant Partners: 27 organizations funded directly
  • Application Method: Invitation only - no public application process
  • Geographic Focus: International (UK and US registered)
  • Funding Model: Trust-based funding

Contact Details

Website: https://www.earthpercent.org

Registered Charity Number: 1188391 (England & Wales)

Key Contact: For general inquiries about EarthPercent's work and mission, contact through their website. Note: They do not accept unsolicited grant applications.

Overview

Founded in 2021 by musician Brian Eno alongside co-founders Adam Callan and Hiroki Shirasuka, EarthPercent is a fundraising and grant-making charity focused on channeling music industry income to environmental organizations. With total income of £916,896 and charitable expenditure of £644,535 in their most recent financial year, the charity has awarded over $1.4 million to 27 environmental organizations in less than three years. EarthPercent practices “proactive philanthropy,” with their world-leading Expert Advisory Panel actively identifying and approaching organizations rather than accepting unsolicited applications. The charity aims to raise $100 million from the music industry by 2030. In 2024, they awarded $710,000 to 18 direct grant partners and many more indirectly through intermediary funders. Thanks to founding donors covering operational costs, 100% of artist and music industry donations flow directly to grant partners.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

EarthPercent provides trust-based funding to environmental organizations across five action areas. In July 2024, they awarded £200,000 in continuation grants to existing partners, demonstrating their commitment to long-term relationships rather than one-off funding.

Funding Mechanism: Proactive identification and invitation only - the Expert Advisory Panels identify organizations aligned with their mission and approach them directly.

Priority Areas

EarthPercent focuses funding across five key action areas:

1. Greening Music

  • Helping events, festivals, and venues become more sustainable
  • Supporting cultural and operational changes across the music industry
  • Recent grant partners: A Greener Future, Julie's Bicycle, Music Declares Emergency, Vision: 2025, LIVE

2. Just Energy Transition

  • Supporting rapid rollout of renewable energy
  • Opposing oil and gas expansion
  • Recent grant partners: Uplift, Critical Frequency

3. Protect & Restore Nature

  • Rainforest conservation and community partnerships
  • Ocean advocacy and deep-sea protection
  • Recent grant partners: Cool Earth, The Ocean & Us

4. Legal & Policy Change

  • Using legal mechanisms to protect environmental rights
  • Climate policy advocacy
  • Recent grant partners: ClientEarth

5. Climate Justice

  • Supporting grassroots climate activists
  • Youth-led climate movements
  • Community-based environmental justice
  • Recent grant partners: Youth Climate Justice Fund, Global Greengrants Fund UK, Trust for Public Land

What They Don't Fund

As EarthPercent practices invitation-only grantmaking, they do not fund organizations through open application processes. Their focus is specifically on climate and biodiversity crisis solutions, so organizations working outside these areas would not align with their mission.

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Governance and Leadership

UK Trustees

  • Humera Afzal - Treasurer, CFO
  • Elodie Roman - Secretary / Executive Assistant, Praxis
  • Adam Callan - Co-founder, EarthPercent / Director, Juicebox
  • Claire Sugrue - Lawyer / Former Director of Legal and Business Affairs, Island Records
  • Hiroki Shirasuka - Co-founder, EarthPercent / Director, Giant Artists Management
  • Mike Smith - Founder, Truth and Justice Music / Former label & publisher head
  • Ssegawa-Ssekintu Kiwanuka - Artist / Founder, We Live & Breathe

US Trustees

  • Harry Poloner - President of the Board / Founder, Connector, Publisher
  • Emily Bines - Treasurer / Sustainability and Publishing Consultant
  • Courtney Marr - Strategic Partner Manager, Artist Partnerships - YouTube Music / Google
  • Michael Delle Donne - Director, Warner Music Group / Founder, Upstream Artist Management

Executive Team

  • Cathy Runciman - Co-executive Director
  • Joel Gardner - Co-executive Director
  • Becky Young - Head of Operations & Community
  • Alice Pelly - Head of Partnerships
  • Vicky Le Lerre - Grants Manager
  • Sarah Ditty - Senior Programme Manager at Laudes Foundation (Expert Advisory Panel Chair)

Expert Advisory Panel

EarthPercent's grant decisions are vetted by internationally recognized experts across five specialized panels:

Legal & Policy Change Panel:

  • Professor Tamsin Edwards - Climate scientist, King's College London
  • Delara Burkhardt MEP - German EU Parliament member
  • Amol Mehra Esq. - Director of Industry Programmes, Laudes Foundation
  • Sophia Kianni - Youngest UN Advisor, Founder of Climate Cardinals
  • Nicholas Davies - Head of Climate Policy, Green Alliance

Climate Justice Panel:

  • Tori Tsui - Climate Justice Activist, author
  • May Thazin Aung - Climate Finance Researcher, IIED
  • Wawa Gatheru - Founder of Black Girl Environmentalist
  • Dr. Samir K. Doshi - Director of Just Transition, CS Fund
  • Dr. Ainka Granderson - Resilience Programme Manager, CANARI

Additional panels cover Just Energy Transition, Protecting Nature, and Greening Music.

Leadership Quotes

Brian Eno (Founder): "Many within the music industry want to do something to address the climate crisis but simply don't know how, which is why EarthPercent is working with scientists and experts to identify and fund the most promising solutions."

Brian Eno on their approach: “We wanted EarthPercent to be a place that sort of sucks in a little bit of all this vast amount of money that goes through the music business and feeds it back out to these people who are, in fact, the people protecting our future.”

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

EarthPercent does not have a public application process. They practice proactive philanthropy, meaning their Expert Advisory Panels identify organizations doing impactful work and actively approach them with funding opportunities. Organizations cannot submit unsolicited grant applications.

As stated on their website: “For the moment, they do not accept unsolicited grant applications.”

Grant Selection Process

  1. Expert Advisory Panels identify promising organizations through their professional networks and sector knowledge
  2. Panels vet potential grant partners based on alignment with EarthPercent's five action areas
  3. Selected organizations are invited to submit funding requests
  4. 100% of artist and music industry donations flow to vetted grant partners
  5. Many grants are continuation grants, indicating long-term partnerships

Decision Timeline

Not applicable for public applications. Organizations identified by the Expert Advisory Panels are approached directly. The charity awarded continuation grants in July 2024, suggesting periodic grant rounds for existing partners.

Success Rates

Not applicable as there is no public application process.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable as there is no public application process. However, the £200,000 in continuation grants awarded in July 2024 demonstrates that EarthPercent maintains ongoing relationships with grant partners and provides multi-year support.

Application Success Factors

Since EarthPercent does not accept unsolicited applications, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, understanding what EarthPercent values can help organizations position themselves within the climate sector and potentially come to the attention of their Expert Advisory Panels:

What EarthPercent Values in Grant Partners

Impact and Evidence-Based Work: Grant partners are vetted by climate scientists, researchers, policymakers, and activists who prioritize organizations with proven impact or innovative approaches to climate solutions.

Alignment with Five Action Areas: All funded organizations clearly align with one or more of EarthPercent's focus areas: Greening Music, Just Energy Transition, Protect & Restore Nature, Legal & Policy Change, and Climate Justice.

Grassroots to Systemic Change: EarthPercent funds organizations working at various levels, from grassroots community organizing to systemic legal and policy change.

Trust-Based Partnership Philosophy: Grant partners describe EarthPercent's support as “trust-based funding that empowers them to be both resilient and strategic” and praise the “flexible support” that enables them to respond to community priorities.

Types of Organizations Funded

  • Legal and policy organizations (e.g., ClientEarth)
  • Grassroots climate justice groups (supported through Global Greengrants Fund UK and Youth Climate Justice Fund)
  • Music industry sustainability organizations (e.g., Julie's Bicycle, Music Declares Emergency, A Greener Future)
  • Conservation organizations (e.g., Cool Earth)
  • Climate advocacy groups (e.g., Uplift, The Ocean & Us)
  • Community transformation projects (e.g., Trust for Public Land)

Grant Partner Testimonials

Global Green Grants Fund: “The flexible support... enables us to continue to respond to the priorities of the communities we seek to support.”

The Ocean and US: "EarthPercent's support has given us the confidence and motivation to be the voice of the deep-sea."

Trust for Public Land: “Your contribution... has helped transform more than 250 schoolyards from asphalt to welcoming community spaces.”

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No public application process: EarthPercent cannot be approached through traditional grant applications - they identify and approach organizations themselves
  • Expert-led selection: Their world-leading Expert Advisory Panel includes climate scientists, researchers, activists, and policymakers who identify promising organizations
  • Long-term partnerships valued: Continuation grants demonstrate commitment to multi-year relationships rather than one-off funding
  • Music industry connection: Organizations working at the intersection of music/culture and climate may have particular relevance
  • Trust-based funding model: EarthPercent provides flexible, unrestricted support that empowers organizations to be strategic
  • Intermediary funders: Some EarthPercent funding flows through organizations like Global Greengrants Fund UK and Youth Climate Justice Fund, which may have their own application processes
  • 100% of donations to grants: Founding donors cover operational costs, meaning all artist and music industry donations go directly to environmental work
  • Visibility in the sector matters: Since panels identify organizations through their professional networks, having strong visibility and reputation in climate and environmental sectors is important

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References