Why your support matters
The linear, 'take-make-waste' economy is the root cause of today's global crises — from climate change and biodiversity loss to waste and pollution.The Ellen MacArthur Foundation works to accelerate the transition to a circular economycircular economyA systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution. It is based on three principles, driven by design: eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials (at their highest value), and regenerate nature.: an economic system that works better for people and the environment.
Philanthropy is essential to our mission. As a systems change organisation, philanthropic funding and donations allow us to act with speed and independence - going beyond individual action to transform entire markets, delivering for climate, nature, economies, and society together.
Together, we work on the issues you care about — whether that’s protecting oceans, reducing unnecessary extraction and harmful mining, or fostering innovation and jobs that support a just transition.
How your giving creates impact
Shared belief from our philanthropic community allows us to act as a first mover, convenor, and field builder.
With dedicated regional teams in Europe, Latin America, China, and North America, and a circular economy network – spanning leading businesses, policymakers, financial institutions, academia, innovators, and peer NGOs – our established credibility and platform allows your giving to go further, where change is needed most.
Your support keeps us an independent, trusted voice. It lets us coordinate pre-competitive collaboration between organisations who wouldn’t act together otherwise. And it mobilises bold business and policy action that no single actor could achieve on its own.
How we work together
We work closely with philanthropic foundations, corporate foundations, trusts, donor-advised funds, family offices and individual donors. Whether you are an established grantmaking foundation or an individual considering your legacy, we can align your giving goals with our solution areas: our missions and expertise.
Our ‘Missions’:
Plastics: transforming the plastics system by addressing the barriers that prevent circular solutions from scaling – focusing on enabling reusereuseThe repeated use of a product or component for its intended purpose without significant modification., addressing flexible plastic waste, and strengthening collection and recycling infrastructure - creating a circular economy for plastics that works in practice.
Fashion and Textiles: driving solutions focused on circular design and materials, circular business models (resale, rental, repairrepairOperation by which a faulty or broken product or component is returned back to a usable state to fulfil its intended use. and remaking) at scale, and unlocking collection, sorting and recycling infrastructure – shifting the industry from a linear system of overproduction and waste into a circular system of value and resilience
Critical Minerals: we’re building a circular economy for critical mineral value chains that power the energy and digital transitions - starting with high-impact entry points like electric vehicle (EV) batteries, consumer electronics, and making deep-sea mining unnecessary.
Other areas to give:
Place-Based Projects: Mobilising teams to deliver implementation projects, from Brazil to Indonesia, creating proof points for scale.
Policy & Advocacy: Funding independent analysis and evidence, and a business-policy interface to accelerate more ambitious policy, from Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) to UN Treaty negotiations.
Making investment flow: Backing tools, insights, and methodologies that re-orient global capital flows, helping financial institutions and asset managers identify and invest in circular economy solutions.
Shifting Narratives: Supporting solutions-oriented storytelling, content, and major public-facing campaigns that shift the economic narrative and inspire widespread action.
Ways to support
We're grateful to our community of philanthropic partners. Many of our partnerships go beyond a one-off financial contribution — extending into long-term relationships involving thought leadership, shared communications, and opportunities to learn together to maximise our collective impact.
Join us as a philanthropic partner. Talk to us today about how your giving can power real-world solutions.
One-off or monthly tax-deductible donations can also be made directly here.
We are grateful to our current philanthropic partners for their generous support.
Waves of impact
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Annual Impact Report and Consolidated Accounts: September 2024 to August 2025
15 years ago we set out to prove that a circular economy could work at scale.
