The Aurora Trust (formerly The Ashden Trust)

Open or will open again Active citizenship Age Children (0-12) Community and neighbourhood development Community development environment Housing and homelessness International issues organisational development Overseas aid and development Recycling and waste management Rural development social enterprise Social partnership Sustainable development Sustainable energy Urban development World issues Young people (13-25) Africa Antrim & Newtownabbey Ards & North Down Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Belfast City Causeway Coast and Glens Derry City and Strabane England Fermanagh and Omagh Great Britain International Lisburn and Castlereagh Mid and East Antrim Mid Ulster Newry, Mourne and Down Northern Ireland Scotland Wales Large (over £60,000) Medium (up to £60,000) Micro (up to £1,000) Small (up to £10,000)

Track grant Notes

Overview

Mission

Their is to help protect the world from climate change, keep global temperatures to 1.5 degrees and restore our relationship with the natural world.

They want to make this difference by using their grants and investments to safeguard our forests, repair damaged soils, connect people with nature, support universal access to clean energy and help make financial investments better benefit nature and our society.

Programme Areas

Since the Trust was founded, tackling climate change has and continues to be the Trust’s primary focus. Trustees chose these distinct and inter-connected programmes as they are key in the fight against climate change and transitioning us towards a fair and just low-carbon society.

They usually only fund registered charities or organisations which align with their charitable purposes. They do not usually make grants to individuals.

The Climate Change Collaboration

The Climate Change Collaboration is an initiative comprised of the Aurora Trust and two other Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts, the Mark Leonard Trust and JJ Charitable Trust. It funds efforts which help move private and public capital away from polluting corporations to companies that will help achieve the Paris Agreement’s goal of keeping temperature rises well below 2 degrees and preferably 1.5 degrees.

Stopping Deforestation

They have funded efforts to stop deforestation across the world since the Trust was set up in 1989; it remains a key target area for the Trust. Their efforts are currently focused on the Amazon and forests within Indonesia and West Papua.

Connecting People with Nature

There is a wealth of evidence which shows that spending time outside in nature has lasting positive effects on our physical and mental health as well as our general well-being. The Trust wants to bring these positive benefits to different types of people and demographics.

Sustainable Farming

With the UK exiting the European Union, there are huge opportunities for the UK to rethink its agricultural processes and land management. Looking forward, they believe their agriculture could provide healthy, affordable food produced in ways that protect soil health, restore biodiversity, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, mitigate climate change and support thriving communities.

Energy Efficiency and Home Retrofitting

Improving the energy efficiency of all our homes is key to mitigating the energy and fuel crisis facing millions of people across the UK. The Trust is beginning to scope the best possible interventions to get new and existing housing fit for purpose.

Ashden – climate solutions in action

Each year, they provide unrestricted funding to Ashden – climate solutions in action. This charity was set up by Sarah Butler-Sloss to reward, support and promote sustainable energy innovations to combat climate change and energy poverty.