Sustainability awareness – how?
Nordea-fonden will assist applicants on working methodically with sustainability. That is why all applicants must explain how they incorporate sustainability into their project.
The consideration of environmental, social and economic sustainability will already be a key aspect of many applicants’ project development. Many applicants and organisations use the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals as guiding principles for their conduct as an organisation and which criteria their projects should meet in relation to, for example, carbon neutral transportation, sustainable materials, inclusion and local cohesion.
A guide to sustainability
Sustainability can refer to many things, from choice of transport to social inclusion. No project is the same, and there isn’t one model alone that will improve a project’s sustainability.
Nordea-fonden has developed a guide with specific steps that can contribute to sustainability in the foundation’s support areas. This guide has been developed with the greatest respect for differences between projects and an understanding that there often isn’t one right answer to the challenges you face.
Our expectations
Applicants’ methodical work on sustainability is a part of our overall assessment. In other words, making relevant considerations about your project’s footprint it is one of the criteria for receiving support from the foundation.
Our expectations will depend on the nature of the application, such as how much funding is being sought and the type of project (e.g. are you seeking support for facilities or activities?)
Applications over DKK 200,000
Examples of projects in this category: Activities that welcome new/other target groups; sustainable merchandise production, for example printing/reusing clothes or other materials.
When applying for support of over DKK 200,000, you need to describe what consideration has been given to sustainability in your project, including cohesion and/or diversity, and how your project works methodically towards sustainability.
Applications for facilities and construction projects over DKK 5 million
Examples of projects in this category: exhibitions, footpaths and nature guides, indoor and outdoor meeting places, for example cultural and activity venues in towns or by docks.
When applying for support for projects involving facilities costing over DKK 5 million, you need to address three issues:
- How sustainability, including consideration for cohesion and/or diversity, has been incorporated and applied methodically.
- Attach a plan for how you will work methodically with the expected carbon footprint of the facilities or construction project, using, for example, a lifecycle analysis or similar.
- The foundation has no general recommendations as to the type of documentation that should be used since this depends on the individual project, however taking steps to reduce the facility’s carbon footprint is one criteria. We recommend that you contact us about your project idea so we can identify how sustainability can be integrated into your project.
Applications under DKK 200,000
Describe how sustainability, including cohesion and diversity, is incorporated into your project. This constitutes a smaller part of the overall assessment of your application. For some projects, such as purchasing schoolbooks, it will be difficult to document the sustainability of such a project. If it is obvious to incorporate sustainability in your project, it will be viewed as positive that you have done so.