Other Group

ISEAL Innovations Fund

Website:

www.isealalliance.org/innovations-standards/iseal-innovations-fund

Type:

Climate Grantmaking Organization

Location:

London, England

Formation:

2016

Founders:

ISEAL Alliance
Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO)

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ISEAL Innovations Fund is a grantmaking organization for environmentalist organizations and climate-activist groups. It is the fundraising arm of ISEAL Alliance, an environmentalist non-governmental organization (NGO) based in the United Kingdom. 1

The Innovations Fund was established in 2016 by the ISEAL Alliance and the Swiss government. 2

Background

ISEAL Innovations Fund is a grantmaking organization for environmentalist organizations and climate activist groups. It is the fundraising arm of ISEAL Alliance, an environmentalist non-governmental organization (NGO) based in London, England. 1

ISEAL Innovations Fund was established in 2016 by the ISEAL Alliance and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), a bureau for economics expertise and research under Switzerland’s national federal government. At the time of creation, SECO was scheduled to support the Innovations Fund until 2027. 3

Funding

ISEAL Innovations Fund receives funding from Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) as well as UK International Development under the government of the United Kingdom. 4

Grantmaking

In 2024, ISEAL contributed funds to support the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), an advocacy group that aims to regulate the mining industry along environmentalist and left-of-center social guidelines. 5 6

In 2023, ISEAL Innovations Fund splits its funding into four areas: “Innovation,” “Due Diligence,” “Climate Change,” and “Social Issues.” 7

For “Innovation,” ISEAL claims to have financed several development initiatives including a Marin Trust project to improve the environmental quality of factories. Other such projects include a Copper Mark research project to improve standards of the copper mining industry in Peru, a Better Cotton project to study the greenhouse gas emissions involved in the clothing industry, a Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) study on sustainable supply chains with a focus on “stakeholder” capitalism advocated by the ESG movement, and a study on greenhouse gases by the Climate Neutral Group. 7

For “Due Diligence,” ISEAL claims to have provided fund to programs that support human rights within labor industries including “worker-led” approaches towards human rights diligence for the Rainforest Alliance. Other examples include researching solutions to child labor in the textile industry with GoodWeave, creating an alliance of environmental organizations to share “risk information” with the Sustainable Biomass Program, and including independent smallholders within palm-oil supply chains. 8

For “Climate Change,” ISEAL claims to have funded several environmental projects such as a study on the ecological effects of registry devised by Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB). Other projects funded under this category include a program from Sustainable Rice Platform to “decarbonize” rice supply chains, a project to promote climate action among cotton producers by Bonscuro, a project to promote regenerative practices among soy producers by the Round Table on Responsible Soy Association, and efforts to advance “net zero” emissions-control regulations in the jewelry and watch industries by the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC). 7

For “Social Issues,” ISEAL claims to have provided funds to community organizations including 4C Services GmbH to investigate human rights abuses in coffee supply chains. Other examples include a project by Aluminium Stewardship Initiative to involve “Indigenous People and Local Communities” in the mine closure practice, a project by Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance to advocate for the mining industry to meet “climate goals” and to respect “indigenous rights,” and a project by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council to “empower local communities” to monitor the environmental effects of aquaculture companies. 7

From 2016 to 2022, ISEAL Innovations Fund made grants to 49 different projects related to sustainability. A partial portfolio of these projects is available to view on its website. 9

References

  1. “ISEAL.” ISEAL. Accessed October 20, 2024. https://www.isealalliance.org/.
  2. “ISEAL Innovations Fund.” ISEAL. Accessed October 20, 2024. https://www.isealalliance.org/innovations-standards/iseal-innovations-fund.
  3. “SECO – A portrait of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs.” SECO. Accessed October 20, 2024. https://www.seco.admin.ch/seco/en/home/seco/seco_portraet.html.
  4. “ISEAL Innovations Fund.” ISEAL Alliance. Accessed October 20, 2024. https://www.isealalliance.org/innovations-standards/iseal-innovations-fund.
  5. “Funding and Finances.” Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance. Accessed October 20, 2024. https://responsiblemining.net/about/funding/.
  6. “Standards.” Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance. Accessed October 20, 2024. https://responsiblemining.net/what-we-do/standard/.
  7. “Innovations Fund projects portfolio (from 2023).” ISEAL Alliance. Accessed October 20, 2024. https://www.isealalliance.org/node/4916.
  8. “Innovations Fund projects portfolio (from 2023).” ISEAL Alliance. Accessed October 28, 2024. https://www.isealalliance.org/node/4916.
  9. “Innovations Fund project portfolio (2016-2022). ISEAL Alliance. Accessed October 20, 2024. https://www.isealalliance.org/innovations-standards/innovations-projects.
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