Membership Guidelines

Membership in Environment Funders Canada (EFC) is open to organizations and individuals that:

  1. Make grants of at least $20,000/ year to benefit the environment in Canada.
  2. Act primarily as grant-makers, not grant-seekers

Our membership is comprised of:

  • Community Foundations
  • Corporate Foundations
  • Private Foundations
  • Public Foundations
  • Government Funding Programs
  • Corporate Giving Programs
  • Donor Advised Funds
  • Individual Philanthropists
  • Family Offices
  • Public pension funds & other public institutions

The applicant must agree not to use the membership in Environment Funders Canada for the purposes of grant-seeking or promoting business products and/or services.

Environment Funders Canada membership fees are assessed annually based on the applicant’s total environmentally-related granting in Canada in the applicant’s last full fiscal year.

Annual membership runs from January 1st to December 31st. For new members joining later in the year, the fees may be pro-rated.

Each member organization will identify one individual to be the primary contact person for Environment Funders Canada, and this person will be responsible for exercising the Member’s vote. Participation in Environment Funders Canada’s offerings are open to all staff and Board members of a member organization.

Any EFC member may apply to join EFC’s Board of Directors when positions become available, and applications will be considered via EFC’s formal Board recruitment process.

Environment Funders Canada reserves the right to refuse membership to any organization that does not, in the opinion of EFC Board, fully meet all the membership criteria.

all amounts in Canadian dollars

Membership Categories & Fee Scale

Sustaining Membership

EFC offers four levels of Sustaining Membership – Trailblazer, Builder, Champion, and Leadership – for those members who are able to support EFC beyond a General Membership. This category of membership provides vital, unrestricted support to ensure EFC has additional capacity to sustain and expand valued services and programs for our members.

  • Trailblazer
  • (Includes 4 complimentary conference passes)
$40K+
Join
  • Builder
  • (Includes 3 complimentary conference passes)
$25,000 - $39,999
Join
  • Champion
  • (Includes 2 complimentary conference passes)
$10,000 - $24,999
Join
  • Leadership
  • (Includes 1 complimentary conference pass)
$5,000 - $9,999
Join

General Membership

The fee scale for general membership is based on the annual total of environmentally-related grants made in Canada as indicated below.

  • Under $500000
$ 685
Join
  • $500000 to $1.5 million
$ 1,350
Join
  • Over $1.5 million
$ 2,050
Join

Why Join EFC?

Environment Funders Canada is your chance to collaborate with and learn from other funders working to build an environmentally sound and sustainable Canada. As a member, you will be joining with leading funders from across North America working to drive effective action on sustainability in a variety of ways and from diverse angles.

Being a member of EFC means:

COMMUNITY: We are a special community that nurtures relationship-building through annual conferences, regional gatherings, and much more.

COLLABORATION: We facilitate strategic opportunities to collaborate with other funders through topic-specific convenings and funder collaboratives.

LEARNING: EFC provides members with content that helps our members stay updated and connected to the state of environmentally-related grant-making in Canada through our members listserv, monthly newsletters, webinars, and reports. These resources are particularly helpful to individuals and organizations new to the sector.

Environmental funding has never been more critical to the building of a wave of change needed to create a more sustainable world. It has also never been clearer that funders need to simultaneously address environmental, economic, and social challenges to be effective.

Our members recognize that environmental problems are often rooted in issues of equity, human rights, and justice, and we work together to develop effective approaches that serve both people and the planet. Whether your organization has a long history of supporting focused environmental causes or is linking its work to sustainability with issues such as health and social justice, arts, youth leadership, and many more, we welcome your participation in our growing network.