Money & Finance
Key questions
What banking, pension and insurance schemes and services do you use?
Are they using your money to invest in fossil fuels and where do they stand on fossil fuel divestment and ethical investment more broadly?
What can you do move the money managed on your behalf away from fossil fuel investment and into more environmentally responsible and ethical investment?
Do you already have a policy or guidelines on fundraising, sponsorships and donations, or some red lines on who won’t accept money from?
What can you do to develop fund-raising opportunities with funders, foundations, sponsors or donors with strong environmental and ethical credentials?
Make your money matter. Move it away from ties with fossil fuel investment and environmentally damaging activities into investment and activity which is better for planet and people.
Top Tips
- Find out where you bank(s) stand on divestment from fossil fuels and more broadly on ethical investment.
- Explore your options for switching bank or some or all of your banking services to a bank which does not invest in fossil fuels or is committed to fossil fuel divestment and ethical investment more broadly. Good With Money is a good place to start.
- If you have a pension scheme, find out what type of pension it is, how it works, what to ask and how to push for change. Make My Money Matter and Good With Money are good places to start.
- If your organisation sits within a local authority or university, find out their position on fossil fuel divestment. Divest UK provides information on local authorities.
- Find out what your options are to change to pension scheme or fund(s) which do not invest in fossil fuels or are divesting from fossil fuels, encourage pension scheme trustees or providers to do more, or move to a different pension provider. Make My Money Matter reports on pensions annually.
- Find out where your insurance provider stands on divestment from fossil fuels and more broadly on ethical investment.
- Explore your options for switching to an insurance provider which does not use its insurance premiums to invest in fossil fuels or is committed to divestment and ethical investment more broadly.
- Let employees and freelancers know what you are doing and what they can do as individuals to switch banks, pension schemes, funds and insurance companies committed to fossil fuel divestment. See, for example, the information Equity for a Green New Deal provided to its members on How to Green Your Equity Pension.
- If you already have an ethical fundraising policy, or guidelines on who you will or prefer to accept money from and who you won’t or prefer not to accept money from – consider and formalise your position on money tied to fossil fuels.
- Develop an ethical fundraising policy or guidelines. See for example the Arts Marketing Association’s Guidelines for Creating Ethical Guidelines for Fundraising.
- Explore opportunities for developing new relationships with funders, foundations, sponsors or donors whose money isn’t tied to or made from fossil fuels and environmentally damaging activities and with strong environmental commitment, values and credentials.
- Collaborate with the wider sector to engage audiences and stakeholders in issues relating to fossil fuel divestment and sustainable finance.
Money & Finance Resources
Julie's Bicycle – Counting on Culture: How to stop financing the environmental crises
This Arts Council England guide explains how creative sector finances impact the climate crisis and how divestment can drive ecological change.
Find out more
Julie's Bicycle – Financing the Arts
This webinar explores divestment, rethinking organisational finances, and funding questions for a just transition, featuring insights from cultural finance and activism experts.
Read more
Julie's Bicycle – Putting a Price on Carbon
This Arts Council England guide examines carbon offsetting for creative organisations, its pros and cons, and alternative approaches to carbon pricing.
Find out more
Good with Money
Good with Money offers resources for businesses and individuals on ethical banking, sustainable pensions, and responsible savings options.
Find out more
Make My Money Matter – Pensions Guide
Their guide explains net zero pensions, their business benefits, and practical steps for SMEs to achieve them.
Find out more
Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy – Now, New and Next: Fundraising philanthropy and the environmental agenda
This report examines green philanthropy, cultural sector climate funding, and corporate sponsorship’s role in supporting environmental initiatives.
Read more
Chartered Institute of Fundraising – Environmental Change, a Toolkit for Fundraisers
This report focuses on what charities can do to integrate environmental considerations into their decision-making and fund-raising policies, procedures and activities.
Read more