Canadian Philanthropic Commitment on Climate Change Second Progress Report From Momentum to Sustaining Climate Action in Philanthropy CPCCC Second Progress Report Philanthropy is not just a funder. It is a vital systems partner. Philanthropy has a unique role to play globally: taking risks, supporting long-term systems change, and backing solutions led by communities closest to climate impacts. Beyond granting, philanthropy helps connect ideas, resources, and people to accelerate change where it is most needed and strengthening outcomes. Climate change not a standalone issue. CPCCC signatories increasingly understand climate action as intersecting other philanthropic priorities, such as equity, Indigenous reconciliation, housing, healthcare, food security, economic inclusion, ecosystems, and community resilience. To address this, more foundations are taking organization-wide action, from granting to changing governance and investment strategies. Momentum on climate action is real. The challenge is sustaining it. Across the eight CPCCC pillars, signatories have taken meaningful climate action, with some pillars progressing more steadily than others. Obstacles remain, particularly when it comes to organizational capacities and structural challenges, such as governance and requirements for non-qualified donees. Learning from one another and building on the progress the CPCCC community has already made will help sustain momentum and advance long-term impacts across communities. How is climate risk showing up in Canadians’ lives? Climate impacts are accelerating faster than many systems are adapting and intensifying existing inequities. Extreme heat is now one of the most serious risks to health, wellbeing, and food security. Wildfires are reshaping communities and ecosystems across the country. Flooding remains the most widespread climate‑related hazard in Canada. The political context for climate action has shifted. Globally, several major economies are slowing their progress towards climate commitments amid geopolitical and energy security concerns and the United States withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement. In Canada, climate action increasingly competes with short-term economic, affordability, supply chain, and security priorities. Vulnerable and marginalized communities are hardest hit by climate impacts including Indigenous, rural, remote, and low-income communities and seniors, renters, and people with existing health conditions. Indigenous-led Climate Action is central to climate philanthropy. 97% of CPCCC survey respondents are directing funding to Indigenous-led organizations. Organizations are moving away from transactional grantmaking towards relational, trust-based, and community-centred approaches. Rather than focusing narrowly on emissions reduction, Indigenous-led climate action often centres land stewardship, water protection, food systems, governance, cultural revitalization, and healing. Power-sharing and Indigenous governance are key to advancing progress under this pillar. At the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia (REFBC), all funding decisions under the Indigenous Grants Stream are made by an Indigenous Community Leaders Circle. Building on Progress: Continue embedding Indigenous leadership, governance, and self‑determination across priorities, funding decisions, and climate learning. Address barriers, such as non‑qualified donee rules and rigid internal policies and reporting systems. Case Study Seven Cups of Tea – Rural Communities Foundation of Nova Scotia At the Rural Communities Foundation of Nova Scotia, climate action is about equity, resilience, and centring Indigenous and African Nova Scotian leadership. Intersectional funding and investment approaches help scale climate impact. Flexible, trust-based funding reduces barriers and enables community leadership. Many signatories emphasize equity and community-level impact in climate granting and are adopting flexible approaches to reduce reporting burdens for grantees where possible. Intentional use of investments can strengthen climate and equity goals. Investing in clean energy, decarbonization, and Indigenous-led companies helps create long-term capital to support the energy transition while reflecting equity and reconciliation objectives. Building on Progress: Prioritize longer-term and trust-based funding, embrace flexibility where possible, and coordinate funding timelines with other organizations to ensure sustainable support that enables outcomes. Align investments and governance with climate and equity goals to complement and reinforce grantmaking priorities. Case Study Partners, Not Funders – Vancity Community Foundation For Vancity Community Foundation (VCF), investment strategy, grantmaking, and community resilience are interconnected. By aligning capital with climate justice and supporting pooled funds for adaptation and resilience, mitigation and immediate community needs are addressed together. Case Study Mobilizing Resources with Clarity and Intention – The Peter Gilgan Foundation What happens when climate work doesn’t fit neatly into a single program? The Peter Gilgan Foundation demonstrates how organizations can bridge the gaps between intersecting priorities to support projects that have climate and community benefits. Influence and advocacy are about deliberate steps and collaboration. 74% of CPCCC survey respondents collaborate with other foundations across the sector to advance climate action. Collaboration and partnerships can help foundations coordinate funding to advance collective priorities. Five CPCCC signatories have committed a total of $359 million in funding to the Climate Champions Initiative, helping to mobilize capital for climate action. These signatories are: Trottier Family Foundation, Ivey Foundation, Peter Gilgan Foundation, Sitka Foundation, and Consecon Foundation. Many organizations need more clarity on how they can advocate under charitable rules. Without clear guidelines, several signatories veer towards risk aversion when it comes to advocacy and political engagement to avoid overstepping charitable boundaries. Building on Progress: Continue engaging in influence through funding, convening, storytelling, and partnerships that centre Indigenous and community leadership. Clarify the boundaries of advocacy within charitable parameters and support sustained and collaborative engagement rather than one-off efforts. Case Study Water Security in Canada – The de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation Over the past decade, the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation has advocated for water security in Canada, bringing to light how it affects food systems, housing, and infrastructure, and how climate change exacerbates impacts. By collaborating with other organizations, the Foundation is helping to scale awareness and impact. Climate action is most sustainable when it is integrated consistently and incrementally. Climate education is most effective when it is consistently linked to existing priorities and decision-making. While many foundations value climate learning, they often struggle to embed it across boards, staff, and decision-making. Taking incremental steps advances overall climate integration. Whether it is considering what organizations can do internally to reduce their carbon footprints or to disclose climate-focused work, every small step helps make climate action more sustainable across the organization. Building on Progress: Develop shared approaches to education, impact tracking, and transparency that use flexible definitions of climate aligned work and recognize incremental steps as a part of the process. Prioritize creating tools and practices that are feasible for foundations of different sizes, mandates, and capacities. Case Study Relational and Holistic Climate Action – MakeWay Foundation At MakeWay Foundation, climate is not a distinct program area or standalone strategy, and many of the initiatives they support do not define themselves as “climate projects.” Instead, climate is relational, long-term, and embedded across grantmaking, investing, and organizational practices. Dig Deeper