The Green Leaf Fund was started as a flow-through Donor Advised Fund in October 2015. On foot of a windfall gain from the sale of a company the donor wanted to give back to their community and in a low-key, private way. The Green Leaf Fund, similar to the majority of funds at The Community Foundation for Ireland is anonymous, by setting up a Donor Advised Fund the donor ensures their privacy remains intact, while also providing grants in certain areas and receiving feedback on the progression and impacts of the projects they have supported.
The Green Leaf Fund follows a welcome trend we have seen over the last number of years in The Community Foundation for Ireland of more female philanthropists setting up funds and leading the way on strategic giving. Ireland has a culture of male-led philanthropy and so, in addition, it is great to see more female-led funds being established within The Community Foundation for Ireland.
To date the Green Leaf Fund has given out €200,000 in grants to charitable organisations in Ireland. The fund has a particular focus on homelessness and the environment and has provided grants to fund innovative pilot programmes that allow non-profit organisations to develop creative solutions to systemic issues. Two such organisations the Green Leaf Fund has been a strong supporter of are GIY and Food Cloud; these organisations are working toward creating more sustainable communities at both a local and national level. The fund has provided significant grants that have allowed both organisations to roll out national programmes to test new solutions to issues such as food waste and social inclusion.
The Green Leaf Fund plans to make a similar level of grants throughout the next few years and is working with The Community Foundation for Ireland to change the social lens on issues that are core to the donor’s beliefs and will have a positive impact on the communities they support.