Leading Country Climate NGOs: The Climate Coalition (TCC), UK

The Climate Coalition (TCC) is the UK’s largest NGO dedicated to action against climate change. The charity operates throughout England and Wales. It has three main pillars of action: providing advocacy/advice/information, sponsoring/undertaking research, and acting as an umbrella/resource body.

The Climate Coalition is the operating name of the registered charity The Climate Movement. Along with its sister organizations, Stop Climate Chaos Cymru and Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, the group includes over 130 organizations across the UK—including the National Trust, Women’s Institute, Oxfam, the Salvation Army, and the RSPB—and together represents more than 22 million voices. It also receives the support of several corporate members.

The charity is governed by a Board of Trustees, including campaign leaders from coalition members such as WWF, Friends of the Earth, Save the Children, Water Aid, RSPB, Oxfam, and Christian Aid. Members of the coalition, led by a Steering Group and supported by the secretariat (experts from across the fields of politics, communications, and campaigning), drive forward the work. Planning activities, generating campaigning and public communications ideas, and delivering operational activities are conducted by working groups and committees drawn from members. The charity has 11 employees, ten trustees, and ten permanent volunteers.

TCC has the following objectives:

The promotion for the benefit of the public of the conservation, protection, rehabilitation, and improvement of the physical and natural environment,
The relief of poverty and the improvement of the conditions of life in socially and economically disadvantaged communities,
The education of the public about sustainable development, the prudent use of natural resources, sustainable means of achieving economic growth and regeneration,
The promotion of study and research.

The charity aims to achieve these objectives by fostering changes in public behavior and official policy to limit the average global warming to 1.5 degrees C. TCC works to bring people together in a strong and unified voice, asking for decision-makers to take ambitious action on climate change. It also empowers people to tackle climate change in their own lives by taking clear, tangible actions. It encourages them to contact politicians of all parties in the UK to ask for the required changes in public policy.

TCC has:

Unlocked funding to help people lower the carbon footprint of their homes,
Made sure the UK no longer spends public money on polluting fossil fuel projects overseas,
Protected green spaces and unique places,
Reduced road pollution by bringing forward the end of petrol and diesel cars,
Motivated thousands of communities to reduce their meat consumption, switch to renewable energy providers, and recycle more,
They helped community groups to engage people in their local area about climate action.

Principal Funding Sources

Funding is divided between contributions from member organizations (annual subscriptions and additional donations), charitable grants, and funds from the previous accounting year. In addition, income from external donors – primarily charitable trusts and foundations- is slowly being developed. However, alternative income streams, such as corporate and individual giving, are slowly being developed. The Charity Commission for England and Wales reports an annual income of £937k (financial year ending 31 March 2023). The largest donors were the European Climate Foundation, The National Lottery, the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, and The National Trust. TCC’s income has steadily risen over time, a healthy sign allowing the charity to expand its advocacy work. For every £1 the charity receives from funders and supporters, 91pence go towards work to stop climate change. The rest goes to raising funds, sharing knowledge and understanding of climate change, and working with partners across all sectors.

This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard UK Country Manager Camille Brandon-Martinez.

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The charity is headquartered in London, at Romero House, 55 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7JB. It was founded in 2005 by Sophie Marple and is currently led by Helen Meech (helen@theclimatecoalition.org).

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