Over one hundred leaders and representatives from U.S. and European foundations, including members of EDGE Funders Alliance joined the COP 21 Funders Initiative delegation to the COP21 United Nations conference climate summit in December.

The initiative was co-organized with the Climate and Energy Funders Group, the Environmental Grantmakers Association, The European Foundation Centre, the Centre Français des Fonds et Fondations as well as individual foundations including the European Climate Foundation and EDGE members afterFACT and Fondation Charles Léopold Mayer. EDGE Funders and our members organized a series of funder breakfast briefings, post-breakfast meetings, a community reception, and funder guided tours to provide on-the-ground learning and offer spaces for reflection and dialogue.

While the COP21 agreement was “historic” and probably the best globally achievable deal possible, it fell dramatically short of what is needed to prevent disastrous climate change. At the same time, the need to transition as rapidly as possible not only to a post-fossil fuel economy but to a different economic logic entirely permeated the air in Paris – as evident in the climate justice workshops at the Climate Action Zone, in some of the debates inside the negotiating venues at Le Bourget, and in many funder/donor venues organized over the course of the week.