Bright Futures. Liveable Planet.
All children deserve to look forward to a bright future full of opportunities. But for many children, there are two major threats to that future: poverty and climate change.
That is why we at the IKEA Foundation have made two commitments that guide our grantmaking:
1. We are committed to helping families living in poverty afford a better everyday life.
2. We are committed to protecting the planet.
Families need both financial stability and a healthy environment if they and their children are to thrive.
That is why our commitments to help families improve their wealth and to protect the planet go hand in hand.
© Hailey Tucker/One Acre Fund
When people have meaningful employment or can run their own business, they can send their children to school, enjoy better healthcare, and invest in assets such as a home. Communities also reap the rewards when families are able to spend more money, helping their local and national economies grow. We see the largest generation of young people as a vibrant force for driving economic growth in planet-positive ways.
We want to create a world where youth, women and refugees have equal chances to develop marketable skills, find sustainable jobs, start businesses, turn agriculture into a source of growth and innovation, use their creativity and grow family incomes. We support programmes that create systems change, addressing the barriers these groups face when it comes to earning a living.
We believe that planet-friendly agriculture and value chains will offer viable career options in small agricultural businesses where people are proud to work—not just because they feed the world but also because they can earn enough to afford a better life for themselves and their families.
Access to renewable energy for all is another powerful way to create new opportunities for people in impoverished communities to develop an income and assets in a green and inclusive way. That is why we support programmes that power communities with renewable energy resources.
This work is essential for our children and grandchildren to still have a place to call home. We support programmes that will encourage businesses, financial institutions and governments to drastically reduce carbon emissions, so temperatures do not increase beyond 1.5 degrees. The scientific evidence is clear: we have only a small window of time in which to meet this target. We need to act now and work together to tackle climate change.
When people join together and unleash their creative power, they can create a brighter future. That’s why we support programmes that promote new and unprecedented collaboration between businesses, civil society, governments and the many people.
Our vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people. Much remains to be done if we are to make that vision a reality… and now is the time to do it.