IKEA Foundation

We know more than ever about when and where climate-related crises are likely to hit. But too often, funding arrives after lives and livelihoods have already been lost. Acting earlier gives communities time and resources to prepare. It can also help stretched humanitarian funds go further. Writing for Philea - Philanthropy Europe Association, our CEO Jessica Anderen and Programme Manager Hayley Kornblum discuss why philanthropy should act before a crisis unfolds, drawing on the work of IKEA Foundation partners Start Network and the Danish Refugee Council / Dansk Flygtningehjælp. We hope more funders will embrace this approach. We won’t know exactly how every crisis will unfold, but we can know enough to act. Read the article below. 👇

Why is the IKEA Foundation talking about food systems? 🍅 Our strategy is to fight global warming with and for the many people. That means helping transform the systems that contribute most to global greenhouse gas emissions, in ways that also support better everyday lives. Food systems are an important part of that work. We’re exploring why change is needed, what it can look like and how our partners are helping make it happen. Swipe to learn more ➡️ Play Save the Tomato and discover more at https://lnkd.in/expsx2Fj CLASP, World Resources Institute #IFW2026 Figures cited in UNEP’s Food Waste Index Report 2024 (pp. 2 and 70), drawing on FAO’s Food Wastage Footprint (2013) and Crippa et al., Nature Food (2021).

📢 It’s IKEA Foundation Week, the time each year when we shine an extra spotlight on some of our incredible partners and their work to fight climate change. This year, we're focusing on food. 🍅 Dr Susan Chomba from the World Resources Institute explains how the way we produce, distribute and consume food contributes to climate change, and why transforming our food systems is so important. Solutions such as renewable energy-powered cooling can help farmers store and transport food sustainably. That means less waste, lower emissions, more nourishment and better incomes for smallholder farmers. Want to explore the challenge for yourself? Play Save the Tomato and discover what it takes to get food from farm to table with less waste and a lower climate impact 👉 https://lnkd.in/expsx2Fj #IFW26 Figures cited in UNEP’s Food Waste Index Report 2024 (pp. 2 and 70), drawing on FAO’s Food Wastage Footprint (2013) and Crippa et al., Nature Food (2021).

Did you know how we grow, store and transport food has a major impact on our climate? 🌍 The IKEA Foundation is dedicated to fighting climate change with and for the many people — and one of the ways we do that is by supporting more sustainable food systems. The scale of the challenge is clear: 🍅 Around one-third of food is lost or wasted 🌱 Food systems are responsible for roughly one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions But change is possible. Through new ideas, collective action, and greater awareness, we can help create food systems that are better for people and planet. Next week is IKEA Foundation Week, when we invite IKEA co-workers around the world to explore our work and the partners we support. Follow along for stories, facts, and interactive content exploring the connection between food and climate — and the actions that can help drive change. CLASP, SokoFresh™, Denis K. #IFW26 Figures cited in UNEP’s Food Waste Index Report 2024 (pp. 2 and 70), drawing on FAO’s Food Wastage Footprint (2013) and Crippa et al., Nature Food (2021).

📢 Would you like to join the IKEA Foundation team? We’re looking for a Regional Coordinator. In this role, you’ll help keep programme delivery on track across two regions. You’ll coordinate grant-making processes, support regional planning and reporting, and keep budgets, data and deadlines organised. Working closely with the Regional Director and colleagues across teams, you’ll help information flow and collaboration run smoothly. If you have experience in programme coordination or project management, strong organisational skills and a commitment to improving lives for people and the planet, we’d love to hear from you. This full-time position is based in Leiden, the Netherlands. Please apply by Monday, 26 October 2026. View the role and apply 👇 https://lnkd.in/eSkFD8_t

We have an opportunity to get ahead of the expected super El Niño, but only if we act together now. Irahyma Paredes from Start Network shares three ways to strengthen that response: 1. Plan and act early  2. Trust local experts to lead the response.  3. Use innovative financing to make funding go further. The IKEA Foundation is providing a total of €15 million in funding to Start Network, the Danish Refugee Council / Dansk Flygtningehjælp and GiveDirectly to support anticipatory action and crisis response. For communities facing climate change in its most destructive forms, how and when support arrives matters. Acting now can help people prepare and ensure they receive dignified support before the worst impacts are felt. This is the moment for funders to come together and act. 

Up to three million people across Somalia, Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda could be displaced by the expected super El Niño. The time to act is now. Filip L. from the Danish Refugee Council / Dansk Flygtningehjælp explains why early funding matters. It gives people time to prepare, protect their livelihoods and reduce the impact before this becomes a major humanitarian crisis. The IKEA Foundation is providing a total of €15 million in funding to the Danish Refugee Council / Dansk Flygtningehjælp, GiveDirectly and Start Network to support anticipatory action and crisis response. The Danish Refugee Council will use its funding to help prepare for and respond to the severe impacts expected across several countries. But the scale of the threat demands collective action. We’re calling on other funders to act now. If we wait for the crisis to unfold, we’ve waited too long. 

A major El Niño weather event is expected to bring severe flooding, food insecurity and displacement to communities already facing the effects of a warmer climate. IKEA Foundation is committing €15 million to the Danish Refugee Council / Dansk Flygtningehjælp, GiveDirectly and Start Network. The funding will help communities prepare before the most severe impacts hit and support faster crisis response where it’s needed. We're calling on fellow philanthropic funders to act alongside us. Because if we wait for the crisis to unfold, we’ve waited too long. 

Four visionaries are setting out to pursue bold new ideas in systems critical to tackling the climate crisis.   Climate Breakthrough has announced Delphine Lévi Alvarès, Josimara Baré, Nyasha Mpahlo and Valmir Gabriel Ortega as the 2026 cohort of its Climate Breakthrough Award programme.   Across the cohort, their work will focus on petrochemicals, Indigenous climate finance, energy innovation in Africa and regenerative agriculture, respectively, where transformative potential for climate impact remains untapped, underfunded, or constrained by existing approaches.   Climate Breakthrough identifies people with ambitious ideas and gives them the space, flexibility and resources to develop, launch and grow their work. Learn more about their exciting new initiatives here: https://lnkd.in/eXetEm3V

What happens when a used glass bottle gets another chance? ♻️ Since 2018, Bottle Logistics East Africa Limited has been collecting, sorting and processing used glass in Kenya, turning what others throw away into valuable resources and new opportunities for local communities. Its mission is simple: transform waste into resources, one bottle at a time. Swipe to see the impact behind every bottle ➡️ Bottle Logistics is supported by our partner, the Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC), through its SWIFT programme, with funding from the IKEA Foundation. 📷 credit: Dunja Vasiljević