Why philanthropy matters for environmental law and legal scholars: funding environmental NGOs

ABSTRACT In this article, we explore the ways in which philanthropic money exercises influence over the emergence and evolution of environmental law. The ways in which philanthropy funds (or not) environmental non-governmental organizations is little discussed by legal scholars. Drawing on publicly available literature, plus interviews with actors in the philanthropic grant-making world, we explore three aspects of the funding process: the definition and award of grants; the likelihood that grants are restricted and short-term; and the way in which grants and grantees are monitored or supported by philanthropy. We argue that through their funding choices, philanthropic organizations may tend to reinforce, or at least fail to disrupt, certain limitations in the understanding and use of law in environmental groups. This feeds into the shape of law, which could play a richer and more multi-dimensional role for those who work to protect and enhance the environment.