Groundswell Giving

This year we doubled our funding, next year is set to be even bigger! 📈

Let’s take a look at some of the incredible things our grant winners have achieved this year…

Did you know 70% of regional Australians in renewable energy zones support the development of renewable energy projects on local farmland? Farmers for Climate Action, who recently launched a new report on renewable energy in farming communities, have found the “silent majority” of farmers support the renewable transition, despite an increasingly loud campaign by anti-renewable voices. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gV5gswFw

We're thrilled to announce the recipients of our Major Giving Circle grants! Having spent the last few weeks rigorously going through the applications with our MGC members to decide where to direct our funding, we’ve selected 12 game-changing organisations to back. Each group is pulling on the levers of change - working with communities to bring them along on the energy transition, fighting back against disinformation, and holding our leaders accountable on climate action. We’re so proud to be supporting them and can't wait to see their progress in 2025. Hunter Jobs Alliance, Asian Australians for Climate Solutions, Australian Youth Climate Coalition, Farmers for Climate Action, Australian Associated Press (AAP), Common Threads, Community Power Agency, RE-Alliance, Environment Centre NT, Getup & The Next Economy.

“Our research shows how nearly every Aussie family is copping rising costs, made worse by oil and gas prices and unnatural weather events. With the majority of parents having to make tough choices, it’s our kids’ health and wellbeing that’s on the line." Nic Seton, CEO of Parents for Climate, interviewed in Women's Agenda about the impact the energy crisis is having on families. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gY6Uzz85

"Tennant Creek residents say the hot, overcrowded homes built by government contractors are not fit for purpose, so they’ve drawn up their own plans." In a remote NT town, locals are responding to the governments failure to provide safe and adequate housing with a community powered solution. Wilya Janta, a cultural consultancy and housing collective developing homes by Aboriginal people for Aboriginal people, is constructing two demonstration homes to serve as models for culturally appropriate, climate-resilient housing and demonstrate the effectiveness of community-led design. The life-saving impact of this work was recently shared in The Guardian. This is a story that proves just how essential community consultation and engagement is when it comes to long term climate solutions. Groundswell is so proud to be supporting this work with a Caring for Country grant.

We recently hosted our first Major Giving Circle Annual Muster and we're still buzzing from what an amazing day it was! MGC members came together to hear from our expert advisors, talk through the funding applications, and decide on where to direct the $1.23 million of funding we've collectively raised. Some of the highlights included: ⚡ Having so many of our members there, friends both old and new ⚡ Hearing prudent post-US election analysis from our expert advisors who contextualised this big moment ahead of our own election ⚡ The generosity of those members who pledged more funding on the day to make sure every application was met with funding ⚡ How quickly we reached a consensus, allowing us to knock off early and celebrate!

Great to see Environment Centre NT executive director Kirsty Howey was interviewed by 7AM podcast on the NT government’s leaked secret proposal, which could open the floodgates to environmentally damaging projects like fracking.

There’s something you need to know… 🐘 The nuclear energy narrative is just the old fossil fuel energy narrative in a different font. It’s a tactic to prolong the use of coal and gas and delay the widespread adoption of readily available, cost-effective renewables. Australia possesses an abundance of wind and solar resources, and with proper storage solutions and a just transition, they offer the most viable pathway to clean, affordable, and resilient energy for all! 💪 #RenewableEnergy #Sustainability #ClimateChange

Australia’s coal-fired power will be phased out by 2038, but don’t worry – we won’t be left in the dark! 💡 The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), which runs our electricity and gas systems, has a plan to keep the lights on well into the future, all thanks to renewables! ☀️ You can read more about AEMO’s 25-year roadmap to transition the National Electricity Market (NEM) to net zero by 2050 here: https://lnkd.in/g_H3yRQ5 #RenewableEnergy #EnergyTransition #Renewables