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F U N D I N G Environmental Non-Governmental Irish Environmental Network (IEN) FUNDING ENVIRONMENTAL NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS IN IRELAND by Brian Harvey December 2015 Irish Environmental Network (IEN) FUNDING ENVIRONMENTAL NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS IN IRELAND by Brian Harvey Brian Harvey Social Research 2 Rathdown crescent Terenure Dublin 6W, Ireland Tel 00 353 1 4903039 e-mail: [email protected] December 2015 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This is a study of the organizational situation of members of the Irish Environmental Network (IEN) over 2011-2015, set in an international context. Funding for Irish environmental Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) fell from €8.2m to €5.5m, down -32.3%. Full-time staff fell from 86 to 41, down -52.3%, while part-time staff rose +39%, scheme staff +129% and interns +38%, with the addition of new unpaid full and part-time staff as well as volunteers. There is a high level of voluntary contribution: the annual value of volunteer staff was €899,392 and full-time volunteers over €2.6m. The loss of 45 full-time posts is valued at €1.575m, with a Revenue loss of €312,075. This is an alarming process not only of defunding, but deprofessionalization, with the exit of skilled personnel, weakening environmental NGOs and making them less and less able to make a meaningful, expert contribution to environmental policy and practice. Overall, membership has fallen -6%. Members report that they find themselves in a vicious circle of declining funding, staffing and capacity, bringing them below a critical mass for effectiveness. Despite this, 85% of IEN members expect to expand their activities, 15% to stay the same. They outlined a range of policy, research, demonstration, educational and practical activities in which they would like to engage and which would bring the country important environmental gains. To do so requires new skills, especially in fundraising and related marketing and communications skills. The creation of 22 new posts was sketched at an average salary of €35,000, which would cost €770,000, of which €152,570 would return to Revenue. Studies show that the Irish environmental subsector is quite small both within the Irish voluntary sector as a whole and compared to environmental NGOs in Europe. Government funding in Ireland, now €3.1m, is remarkably low compared to Northern Ireland (band of €12.27m to €21.1m) to the UK (band of €240m to €368m, depending on the system of assessment). For Ireland to match per capita levels of support in Northern Ireland and the UK, Irish government funding should rise by between 5.5 and 17.3 times. Ireland lacks important features of other countries, such as lottery and philanthropic funding. The case for funding environmental NGOs lies in the broader post-enlightenment narrative of civil society and voluntary organizations working for the good of society. There are nine specific reasons why governments should support NGOs: their contribution to participation, improved policies, expertise, long-term perspective, watchdog role, minority views, ground truth and new issues, communications and buy-in, implementation. Environmental NGOs in Europe and Ireland have a long record of contributing to improved policies and practices. In Britain, well-funded NGOs with mass memberships bring technical expertise into the heart of policy-making, suggesting the gains that could accrue to government from rebuilding their capacity in Ireland to a meaningful level. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Terms of reference ..........................................................................................................6 Method ...........................................................................................................................6 Acknowledgements .........................................................................................................7 1 Situation........................................................................................................................8 1.1 Overall situation ................................................................................................9 1.2 Individual situation of members ......................................................................13 1.3 Conclusions .....................................................................................................19 2 Ireland in comparative international perspective .....................................................21 2.1 Evolution of the environmental sector ...........................................................22 2.2 Ireland in comparative international perspective ...........................................23 2.3 Comparisons with Britain, Northern Ireland ...................................................24 2.4 Conclusions .....................................................................................................25 3 The case ......................................................................................................................27 3.1 Backdrop ........................................................................................................28 3.2 Role of NGOs ..................................................................................................28 3.3 Role of environmental NGOs ...........................................................................27 3.4 Conclusions .....................................................................................................34 4 Summarizing the case .................................................................................................36 Tables 1.1 Change in funding, 2011-2015 ..........................................................................9 1.2 Government funding for IEN, 2011-2015 ........................................................10 1.3 Staffing changes, 2011-2015 ..........................................................................11 1.4 Changes in volunteering, membership, 2011-2015 .........................................13 1.5 Expectation of expansion, contraction or stability ..........................................14 1.6 Summary of issues on policy, research agenda ...............................................16 1.7 Summary of areas of practical engagement ....................................................17 1.8 Salary range of projected posts .......................................................................18 1.9 Key findings .....................................................................................................19 2.1 Funding of environmental NGOs in EU (selected states) .................................24 2.2 Funding of environmental NGOs in British Isles ..............................................26 Annexes 1 Questionnaire to IEN members ..................................................................................38 2 Environmental Pillar representation ...........................................................................40 3 List of activities in which members are engaged .........................................................41 TERMS OF REFERENCE The Irish Environmental Network (IEN) has asked for a report that will enable the network to inform the government (and other authorities) of the following: - The level of funding for environmental NGOs in Ireland over the last five years 2010-15; any job losses; and consequent exchequer loss in taxation (chapter 1); - The level of funding for environmental NGOs in Ireland in comparison to our British and continental European neighbours, using funding per head as at least one comparator; the reasons for such differences; and an estimate of what would be a comparable level of funding in Ireland (chapter 2); - The benefits to (1) the environment in both practice and policy (2) environmental NGOs of improved levels of government funding in Ireland, a level which should be indicated, including the extra jobs to be created and their value for leverage; the broader range of benefits to government of funding environmental NGOs, such as assisting the government’s agenda for the environment and sustainable development, especially the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government; benefits that would assist other departments and the social partners; and other arguments which can be marshalled that may be persuasive (chapter 3). METHOD This was done by: - Examination of documentation provided by IEN, especially the annual core funding documentation; - Questionnaire to and enquiry with 31 IEN members (annex) (27 replies were filed)1; - Enquiry to the European Environmental Bureau and other organizations so as to make it possible to build a profile of funding for environmental NGOs by Britain and other European countries; with search for related European information and documentation2. 1. IEN has 34 members, but the survey was limited to those funded both in 2011 and 2015. 2. The EEB declined to cooperate with the research, so its 111 individual members in the EU members states were individually requested to provide this information. 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I acknowledge the assistance of the following and thank them for their assistance, but first in the IEN office, Michael Ewing, Justin Byrne, IEN and Ian Carey. IEN members who kindly returned questionnaires Oisin Coghlan, Friends of the Earth Siobhan Egan, Birdwatch Ireland Liam Reamonn, Na Comhluadair Bheo Teo Tom Roche, Just Forests Vanessa Moore, Global Action Plan Mark Boyden, Coomhola Marguerite Arbuthnot O’Brien, Crann Johnny Woodlock, Irish Seal Sanctunary Ronan Hannigan, Curlew Trust Andy Hallewell,
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