Finance-focused climate charity Global Returns Project has added former Mayor of London candidate Lord Zac Goldsmith to its board.
The UK charity aims to push people to donate to six of the world’s highest impact climate charities by pushing financial advisers and clients to donate a small sum from their portfolio every month.
It donates 100 per cent of its donations to its charities, and issues impact reports on their progress. It has raised over £800,000 for its charities in total.
As a member of the advisory board, Goldsmith will help shape the charity’s strategy in growing its philanthropic mission, as well as expanding its relationships with wealth managers, investment managers and private donors.
Goldsmith is a current member of the House of Lords, having served as a Foreign Office minister under Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak and environment minister under Theresa May.
He was a Conservative Member of Parliament between 2017 and 2019 for Richmond Park, before losing his seat to the Liberal Democrats.
The Global Returns Project has seen significant growth over the last year, doubling its amount raised for climate charities. Since it was founded in 2019, donations have grown from just under £40,000 to £362,000 a year.
Goldsmith’s role is unpaid and carries no decision-making authority, the group said.
Goldsmith said: “There can be no doubt that to turn the tide on climate change and biodiversity loss, we must scale up our investment in nature. We know we cannot rely on public sector finance alone; it is crucial that we involve philanthropy and mobilise the private sector to help protect and restore our precious natural environment.
“I’m excited to be supporting the Global Returns Project to leverage donations from individuals, financial institutions, and other businesses, so that high-impact charities can continue their fantastic work to mitigate the worst effects of our impact on the climate and environment.”
Jack Chellman, chief project officer of the Global Returns Project, added: “We have seen some exciting momentum demonstrating our model’s potential for huge growth.
“This year we partnered with our first two large financial planning firms and initiated the UK’s first tool for financial advisers to facilitate charitable donations via an investment platform.
“We are very excited to welcome Zac to our advisory board and know that his experience and expertise will play a huge role in opening further avenues for growth through partnerships and future donations.