Big Give’s Green Match Fund raises £8.1 million
Howard Lake | 29 April 2025 | News
Big Give’s Green Match Fund, “the UK’s largest environmental match funding campaign”, has raised £8.1 million in 2025. It is rebranding to become Earth Raise next year, “the annual defining moment for environmental fundraising”.
A total of 307 environmental organisations, including Surfers Against Sewage, Rewilding Britain, and Cool Earth Action, received funding through a one-week public donation campaign, announced in November 2024. Individuals donations were, using the Big Give model, boosted by match funding from a coalition of philanthropic partners.
This year’s funding champions included the Reed Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, AKO Foundation, OVO Foundation and individual donors. The campaign’s £3.8 million in match funds generated over 36,000 donations from the public over the seven days.
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It partnered once again with the Environmental Funders Network to ensure that funds “are strategically directed to charities delivering maximum environmental impact – from combating climate change and reducing waste, to protecting wildlife and promoting sustainability”.
Nick Gardner, Executive Director, Environmental Funders Network, said: “Since the launch of the Green Match Fund, we’ve seen the incredible impact of strategic match funding in the environmental sector. It not only boosts income for vital charities, but also builds awareness and community support”.
Since its launch in 2021, the Green Match Fund has now raised over £23 million, growing by, on average, around 50% year on year.
This year’s success was accompanied by an announcement of an ambitious plan to grow the campaign’s impact next year.
Green Match Fund to become Earth Raise
The Green Match Fund campaign launched on 22 April, World Earth Day, with a special event at London’s Wilton’s Music Hall, the oldest music hall in the world, at which Big Give’s plans for the Green Match Fund next year were announced.
From next year, the Green Match Fund will rebrand as Earth Raise, with an April 2026 launch with a major cultural event, combining live music, art, and environmental activism. Earth Raise Live will “unite artists, comedians, musicians, and environmental leaders to inspire millions and raise millions for frontline environmental charities through a turbocharged match funding campaign”.
With a year to go Big Give is inviting brand champions, sponsors and media partners to help bring Earth Raise Live to life.
James Reed CBE, Chair of the Trustees of Big Give and CEO of REED, said:
“Having smashed through the record-breaking £8 million mark, we have bold ambitions to make the campaign, under its new Earth Raise name, the single biggest environmental fundraising campaign on the planet for the planet. Our goal is that Earth Raise Live will become the defining event for environmental fundraising, and we’re looking for partners who want to work with us to make that happen, particularly corporate sponsors”.
Launch partners include WaterBear and Other Voices.
Sam Sutaria, CEO, WaterBear, said:
“WaterBear exists to tell the stories that matter and nothing matters more right now than protecting our planet… Through Earth Raise Live, we have a powerful opportunity to reach new audiences, inspire meaningful change, and celebrate the frontline organisations working for a better future.”
Philip King, Founder, Other Voices, said:
“At Other Voices, we believe in the power of music to move hearts and minds. Earth Raise Live is a rare and brilliant chance to bring artists, audiences and activists together for a shared cause – our planet. We’re proud to support this moment where creativity meets action, and we can’t wait to help turn up the volume on environmental giving.”
WATCH: The Earth Raise Live launch
- Earth Day sees 146 charities unite for launch of Big Green Match Fund (22 April 2022)
- Big Give Green Match Fund raises £2.7 million (12 May 2022)
- Big Give Green Match Fund raises £4.3 million for environmental causes (28 April 2023)
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.