Over the past three years, climate change has become one of the fastest‑growing funding pillars at the Peter Gilgan Foundation (PGF). Following a formal strategic review, PGF moved from a broad environment and sustainability focus to a dedicated climate portfolio, supported by a clear set of focus areas and a commitment to deploy capital on an ongoing basis where it can make a measurable difference. 

Climate, Health, and Leveraging Existing Strengths 

Climate and Health represents the newest focus area that builds on PGF’s decades of experience supporting hospitals and health systems across the Greater Toronto Area. Through its climate strategy, PGF recognized that these institutions are also among the largest emitters in the built environment, with significant influence over energy use, procurement, and food systems.  

PGF is working to leverage its existing relationships to support hospitals in advancing climate solutions that are already underway but under‑resourced. This includes infrastructure upgrades, operational changes, and system‑level learning across these institutions. 

Greenhouse Gas Reductions as a Central Anchor 

A defining feature of PGF’s approach is its use of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions as a central anchor for assessing and prioritizing climate grants. Rather than positioning GHG measurement as a compliance requirement, PGF uses emissions reduction as both a decision‑making tool and a shared learning framework. 

This methodology was developed during the Foundation’s strategic review and is applied across the grant lifecycle, from application review to reporting, to ensure that a climate lens is embedded consistently across funded work.  

Importantly, PGF does not expect all applicants to arrive with advanced emissions accounting capacity. Instead, PGF often uses the process to engage applicants in deeper conversations about how their work contributes to climate mitigation, even when emissions reduction is not their primary framing. 

Resourcing Intersections Without Forcing Fit 

While PGF’s grant-making is structured into distinct funding pillars, the Foundation recognizes that climate work rarely fits neatly into a single category. Many projects can often sit at the intersection of mitigation, resilience, equity, food systems, Indigenous leadership, or health. 

This internal collaboration allows the Foundation to recognize co‑benefits without diluting its focus on climate impact and reflects an understanding that resourcing complex systems change requires flexibility within institutions, not just well‑defined categories. 

Scaling Resources Without Losing Focus 

In November 2024, PGF committed $100 million over ten years to climate action as part of the Climate Champions Initiative, one of the largest philanthropic climate pledges in Canadian history. While the scale of this commitment is significant, PGF has taken a measured approach to growth. 

Rather than expanding rapidly across new areas, PGF continues to emphasize alignment, technical rigour, and learning. PGF remains active in funder collaborations such as Environment Funders Canada and climate‑focused peer networks, using these spaces to share methodologies, compare approaches, and avoid duplication. 

At the same time, PGF is navigating real questions: how to grow the portfolio meaningfully, where to deepen focus, and when to explore under‑resourced areas without overstretching expertise. 

What This Approach Makes Possible 

Taken together, PGF’s climate work demonstrates how resources can be mobilized with discipline, humility, and learning at the centre. By anchoring funding decisions in emissions reduction while remaining open to dialogue and adaptation, PGF balances technical rigour with relational practice.