Philanthropy shaping environmental law: the ‘influence of thought’

Abstract Philanthropy influences environmental law in ways that extend beyond the granting and withholding of funds to environmental civil society. Ideas and approaches do not just emerge but are constructed by a complex range of forces and actors, including philanthropy. Drawing on publicly available literature, plus interviews with actors in the philanthropic grant-making world, we explore that influence through three lenses: framing or making meaning of the world; networking by bringing individuals and organizations together around a common endeavour; and more tentatively, the self-belief and immense sense of agency that allows some organizations to extend their vision and values far and wide. The ways in which the most active parts of philanthropy can amplify and intensify their voice has the potential to shrink the space for diversity of ideas and approaches in environmental law. Even if we are not taking philanthropic money, we are still part of their world.