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Foundation for GAIA

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Areas of expertise & Fields of activity:	Financing for Development: Addressing systemic issues Increasing financial and technical cooperation for development Social Development: Indigenous issues Poverty Youth Sustainable Development: Biodiversity Climate change Desertification and Drought Education Poverty Protecting and managing the natural resources Science Sustainable development in a globalizing world Technology Toxic chemicals Trade and environment Waste (hazardous) Waste (radioactive)
Geographic scope:	International
Country of activity:	Colombia France Switzerland Italy Spain United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Canada India
Millennium Development Goals:	Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger Ensure environmental sustainability Develop global partnership for development
Mission statement:	Never before in the evolutionary history of our Earth has the whole ecosystem been so endangered by the actions of the human race as to threaten the life-support system of the planet. It is in response to this realisation that the Foundation for GAIA has been set up. Established in 1988 as a registered charity under the Charity Commission of England and Wales, GAIA is a non-profit-making, non-governmental and non-denominational environmental and educational organisation with headquarters located in the UK. With a view towards an equitable and humane world, the Foundation posits that a fundamental human right is that of living within a balanced biosystem, where the health of that biosystem is seen as integral to the flourishing of human life. The ecological ethic involves identification with the whole of nature, from the smallest life form to the planet itself and the evolutionary forces that prevail at that level. It calls for humankind to act in partnership with nature in protecting the complex life-support system of the planet, to husband resources appropriately, to develop clean energy sciences and to move towards a new ecological economic system that makes a clear distinction between wholesome and cancerous forms of growth. The Foundation believes that every living being is unique, and respect for the diverse cultural, spiritual, social and ethnic values of the human race is paramount to our philosophy. In pursuing these objectives the Foundation aims to formulate small, cost-effective programmes and projects, some of which are designed with the participation of specific target groups. The Foundation works with individuals and organisations who are taking action motivated by true global perspectives in which people, society and nature are given full recognition as part of a larger evolving and fundamentally interconnected whole. Individuals and organisations working as catalysts for the transformation of human consciousness are an important part of this ecological work, because it is from such a shift that a new set of fundamental assumptions about human life will emerge. A natural outcome of the Foundation's work is the identification of existing models - or the creation of new ones - which are pivotal in opening up new directions in ecological and global thinking and action. We aim to make documentation on such models available to others as a source of inspiration and practical assistance. Education is an integral aspect of Foundation for Gaia initiatives. In addition to having practical goals, our projects are also educational in the sense that they aim to bring about a recognition of the ordering intelligence within life and an understanding of how to care wisely for the resources entrusted to humanity. To this end, we undertake educational programmes using film, video, audio-visuals, lectures, think-tanks and conferences. Since 2004, GAIA's Chief Executive has been acting as the main representative at the UN Geneva for the Planetary Association for Clean Energy and she is currently Chair/President of the NGO Committee CSVGC at the UN Geneva. In these capacities she realised that there are few NGOs that focus on the environment and that GAIA's 24 years experience can make a contribution to the work and mandate of the UN. We believe that there is already a variety of very well organised institutions directing aid to counterbalance the effects of famine, disease and disaster. The Foundation for Gaia aims to focus instead on causes and preventive measures. In this way we can contribute to the restoration of balance in natural processes, which in turn will enable the ordering principle within life to function freely.
Year established:	1984
Year of registration:	1988
Organizational structure:	The Foundation is made up of a Board of maximum 12 Trustees of which one is appointed Chair of the Board and another Treasurer. Each member of the Board is chosen because of his/her expertise that relates to the mandate of the organisation, which is environmental in its scope. Most Members on the Board were already active in the environmental movement in the 1980s and have thus many years experience. This is being treasured though there is an awareness of needing to draw in a younger generation to continue the work that has been expanding. The Board meets whenever is necessary. However, as technology has evolved, they might meet through teleconferencing and decisions are also taken through e-mails. The Chair will make an effort to meet up with each member of the Board at least once a year. Decisions are taken democratically either by consensus or by vote with two-thirds being a majority. Most of the decisions are related to the projects the Foundation chooses to support or get involved in. Each Member of the Board can propose one project per year. Projects are evaluated by those with the most expertise on the subject and then proposed to the group. Project evaluation is also based on the fact if a Member of the Board can visit and follow it up over time. The Foundation will therefore often enter into a partnership with another organization known directly by any of the Board Members. This has proven a very successful route and beneficial to all the actors. Over time partnerships have evolved with whom we still collaborate. None of the Board members get paid and all offer their time and advise voluntarily.
Number and type of members:	The Foundation is made up of a Board of maximum 12 Members/Trustees. Each Member/Trustee is Director/Trustee of an NGO (mostly environmental) which gives us much expertise. However, if with members you mean partnership-members then we have 50-60
Affiliation with NGO networks:	Mrs Vita de Waal, the Foundation's chief executive, has been representing the Planetary Association for Clean Energy at the UN since 2004, GCAP, UN MDGs, UNFFD, IUCN (+WCPA, CSVPA, Delos Initiative)
Funding structure:	Donations and grants from domestic sources
Funding structure other:	One big donor allowed us to start and socially responsible investments covered our yearly expenses. Due to the financial crisis this has changde now. All work is done on a volunteer basis and we have strengthened our collaborative partnership base

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