OVERVIEW: The IKEA Foundation supports workforce development and 21st-century skills training around the world, as well as efforts to combat climate change, promote renewable energy, and build sustainable agricultural practices around the world. It also provides unrestricted disaster relief funding to select partner organizations working in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and grants for refugees.
IP TAKE: This is not an accessible funder. It does not accept unsolicited proposals. However, it generally seeks to establish long-term partnerships for ongoing support. Grantees are generally large and established rather than servicing grassroots causes. For grantees who do secure funds here, giving can be bureaucratic. While grantmaking is not accessible, one method of standing out here may be to partner with or engage with one of IKEA”‘s partners in the refugee funding space, like the UNHCR.
IKEA has been ramping up giving for refugees in recent years. In this area, the foundation tends to prioritize large, established organizations that are often global in scope and can scale quickly if necessary to meet the harrowing demands refugees face. In order to better qualify for a grant here, your work must intersect with the refugee community and climate change.
Look out for a potential evolution in Ikea’s environmental giving. As one of the largest users of timber in the world, it exploits many of the virgin forests it has purchased in vulnerable places like Romania, among other places. Perhaps it may create funding for environmental concerns related to unsustainable corporate practices, as well as land conservation as it relates to climate change work.
PROFILE: The IKEA Foundation is the main philanthropic arm of the Stichting INGKA Foundation, the holding company that owns IKEA. Established in 1982 by IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad to fund architecture and interior design proposals, the foundation gradually expanded its mission to address the causes of child labor and support children’s rights and education. Today, its two main goals are helping families afford a better life and protecting the planet. In a recent year, it distributed over €175 million through its focus areas in Climate Action, Renewable Energy, Agricultural Livelihoods, Employment & Entrepreneurship and Emergency Response.
Grants for Global Development and Economic Development
IKEA's belief that employment and training lift people out of poverty drives much of its giving. The IKEA Foundation’s Employment & Entrepreneurship grantmaking aims to help youth, women, and refugees in East Africa and South Asia to “develop marketable skills,” “find sustainable jobs,” and “run successful businesses.” It supports programs that attempt to effect systemic change, as well as supporting “existing small and growing businesses with the expertise they need to scale up and create more employment opportunities.” However, the IKEA Foundation makes grants for economic opportunities across various aspects of its funding.
Grants for Refugees
Not only is its corporate sister dedicated to hiring at least 2,500 refugees “through job training and language skills initiatives in 300 IKEA stores in 30 countries by 2022,” but in Canada, IKEA has launched a “national refugee employment initiative […] to hire 250 refugees within three years.” IKEA is also committed to hiring refugees through its supply chains all over the world.
The IKEA Foundation grants for refugees focus on families “living in poverty and families who are particularly vulnerable to a changing climate.” The foundation also invests in “programs and partners aimed at strengthening the resilience of refugee communities and creating livelihood opportunities for refugee and host populations in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Jordan.” The IKEA Foundation is committed to providing another 100 million EUR in grants over the next five years for programs that help refugees to improve their incomes and become more self-reliant. In 2020 the foundation committed to providing an additional 100 million EUR in grants over the next five years.” Indeed, since 2010 the IKEA Foundation has contributed to UNHCR activities in 16 countries and counting. The UNHCR has since received 198 million dollars and counting. Past grantees in this giving space also include 30 million euro to the International Rescue Committee in order to support “livelihoods development for urban refugees in East Africa.” As a result, these grants solidify IKEA as one of the biggest grantmakers in the refugee giving space, a standout amongst corporate foundations.
Grants for Sustainable Agriculture
IKEA’s Agricultural Livelihoods grants aim to help farmers in East Africa and India that are affected by “systems that prevent them from accessing quality seeds, credit, training and markets” and climate change effects that cause droughts and floods, “jeopardising farmers’ incomes.” The foundation takes a “planet-positive approach,” prioritizing agricultural reform that “regenerates resources, protects ecosystems and enhances biodiversity.” Current partners include the Misizi Marshland Project in Rwanda, World Youth Skills Day, and PRADAN. Its corporate sister and foundation do not, at the time of this publication, yet apply sustainable practices in timber harvesting, so this may be another area of development down the road as climate change forces multiply.
Grants for Humanitarian and Disaster Relief
Through its Special Initiatives and Emergency Response grantmaking, the IKEA Foundation provides “unrestricted emergency funding to a select few partner organisations” working primarily in Asia, Africa and parts of the Middle East. These partners provide “life-saving support for families affected by disasters,” including shelter, food, water, medical supplies, and even “livelihood opportunities.” Funding also invests in climate action efforts. Current partners include UNICEF, Center for Global Development and the UNHCR.
Grants for Climate Change and Clean Energy
The IKEA Foundation’s Climate Action grantmaking is “fighting for a planet that can sustain the many people who live on it.” The foundation prioritizes efforts to reduce carbon emissions in areas where “a relatively small amount of money can change large, complex systems that are currently responsible for a lot of greenhouse-gas emissions.” Renewable Energy grants support “partners working on renewable-energy projects in some of the world’s poorest communities,” such as parts of Africa and Asia. It supports organizations that “work closely with the communities they serve” in order to make access to renewable energy “easier, quicker, more affordable, cleaner and more inclusive.” Current partners include Instituto Clima e Sociedade in Brazil, the Misizi Marshland Project in Rwanda, and New Energy Nexus Indonesia.
Important Grant Details
The IKEA Foundation’s grants are substantial, generally ranging from $1 to $10 million. The foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals or requests for funding. Grantseekers may learn more about its philanthropic partnerships by reviewing its Partners page.
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