GCHA Ethical Fundraising Policy

The Global Climate and Health Alliance is a non-profit, charitable organization that operates as a  sponsored project of the Social Good Fund, a non-profit, charitable fiscal sponsorship organization registered in the United States. GCHA welcomes grants and donations to fulfill its Mission to “tackle global climate change and, through this, to protect and promote public health.”

The purpose of GCHA’s Ethical Fundraising Policy is to provide guidance to the board of directors and staff on which grants and gifts can be accepted and how they should be handled. The policy also serves as a source of information for potential donors interested in supporting GCHA’s activities. This policy and any accompanying procedures apply to grants and gifts made to GCHA for the benefit of any of its operations, programs and services. 

Ethical guidelines for grant, contract and gift acceptance

GCHA will strike an appropriate balance between managing reputational risks and securing funding for our programs. GCHA will at all times maintain independence and objectivity in its educational and advocacy programs.

The conditions under which GCHA accepts grants, contracts and gifts are as follows:

  • Grants, contracts and gifts shall support GCHA’s mission, vision and long‐term direction.
  • GCHA shall not accept gifts from groups or organizations that:
    • Encroach on the organization’s integrity;
    • Restrict its liberty of action;
    • Cause damage to its reputation;
    • Place additional costs or burdens on the organization;
    • Expose it to uncertain risk or possible liability.
  • GCHA reserves the right to decline any gift.

GCHA accepts grants, gifts and donations from individuals, philanthropic foundations, non-profit organizations, United Nations agencies, professional and trade associations, employee groups, corporations and corporate foundations (under strict conditions; see Exclusions below), governments and other donors aligned with its values and Mission. 

Exclusions

Funding from certain sources and sectors are deemed incompatible with GCHA’s mission. This includes but is not limited to companies or institutions that derive a substantial portion (i.e., 10% or more) of their total revenue from: fossil fuels (production, refinement and distribution); timber from protected forests (collection, processing and marketing); tobacco, alcohol and other potentially addictive substances; weapons; and chemicals proven to be unsafe to human, ecosystem or planetary health. GCHA will not accept funding from philanthropic foundations or trusts whose assets have originated from or continue to include income from these sources. In addition, GCHA will also not accept funding from pharmaceutical, medical device, and biotechnology companies.

This includes (a) outright gifts of cash, (b) external events driven by corporate management or  sponsorship, (d) donations of goods and services, (e) direct sponsorship or partnerships, (f) company matching gifts and (g) recognition gifts. 

Exceptions may be made on a case by case basis with approval by the GCHA Board.

Types of grants and gifts

The following types of grants* and gifts are deemed eligible for acceptance by GCHA:

  • Grants and gifts in the form of cash, cheques, wire transfers and cash equivalents;
  • Publicly traded securities (including stocks, mutual funds and bonds);
  • Cryptocurrencies;
    • Gifts of in-kind property of use to the organization (e.g. computer equipment);
  • Bequests, life insurance policies, gifts of residual interest and annuities.

In the case of publicly traded securities and open-source cryptocurrencies, GCHA’s practice is to sell immediately upon receipt and convert to cash. A charitable tax receipt will be issued for the fair market value at the date of transfer. Gifts of in-kind property should be evaluated prior to donation to ensure that they are of immediate or future use to the organization. GCHA recognizes that donors may occasionally wish to give property that is not readily marketable. GCHA will evaluate such gifts to determine whether there are costs or risks associated with acceptance.

Charitable tax receipting

GCHA issues charitable tax receipts for all eligible donations, in accordance with US Internal Revenue Service regulations.

Corporate and Government Partnerships

GCHA is a catalyst organization. Our impact and successes can be further achieved through relationships with values-aligned corporate and government partners. All partnerships are evaluated based on alignment with GCHA organizational values, programs and brand.

Types of partnerships include:

  • Funding partnerships: Grants and donations received  to support GCHA operations or programs 
  • Sponsorships: Specific sponsorship of GCHA programs or events with clear sponsor benefits like tickets, signage, etc.
  • Employee engagement partnerships: Employee groups or individuals volunteering at GCHA events or supporting  GCHA programs in other ways, including donations 
  • Third-party fundraiser: Donations from revenue or profits of goods or services sold

In order to ensure that potential corporate and government partnerships are mission- and values-aligned with GCHA, all potential corporate, corporate foundation and government  partnerships will be reviewed and voted upon by the Board, with a special due diligence review conducted by a designated committee, if requested by any board member. 

[Note: Board members will be given 2 weeks to consider and vote (online) on all proposed corporate, corporate foundation and government partnerships. During that time, if a board member requests an extra due diligence review, voting will be suspended and three or more board members–including the board member(s) requesting the review–will be appointed to conduct the due diligence and report their recommendation to the full board. They will be given up to two weeks to conduct the due diligence and submit their recommendation, unless special circumstances warrant a longer due diligence period. After their recommendation has been submitted, all board members will have one additional week to vote for or against the proposal. Thus, the total time period from proposal to the board to the final board decision should not exceed 5 weeks.]

Transparency and reporting

  • Grants and gifts shall be accounted for in a manner that allows donors and the public to develop a fair picture of how GCHA conducts its activities.
  • GCHA will respect individual donors’ wishes for anonymity and consult with donors to obtain their permission before public disclosure of their giving.
    • GCHA will publicly list all corporate donations.
  • GCHA will conduct itself in accordance with all US Internal Revenue regulations and laws applicable to 501(c)(3) organizations.
  • GCHA urges prospective donors to seek the assistance of personal legal and financial advisers in matters relating to their gifts and the resulting tax and estate-planning consequences.
  • All organizations and individuals providing funding to GCHA in excess of USD $5,000 in value will be acknowledged on its website, although individuals can choose to be anonymous.
  • GCHA’s Ethical Fundraising Policy will be available on its website.

Naming opportunities

Authority to accept or decline any proposal to apply a donor’s name to a program within GCHA (on a temporary or permanent basis) rests with the ED, in consultation with the development committee of the board of directors.

Delegation of authority

All corporate, corporate foundation and government gifts and partnerships will be presented to the Board of Directors for review and decision. The Board delegates to the ED the authority to evaluate, negotiate and pursue or decline grants, gifts, sponsorship or contracts from philanthropic foundations and UN agencies, individual donors, health professional associations, and member organizations, in keeping with this policy.

Executive responsibilities

The executive team will:

  • Ensure that the organization adheres to the Ethical Fundraising Policy. 
  • Seek guidance from the Board for any grants or gifts that fall outside of this policy. 
  • Report at or in preparation for each Board meeting on grants, gifts and fundraising activities.