FAQ

Please find below some of the most frequently asked questions about the Foundation.

Why and when did Greta establish a foundation?
The Foundation was founded in 2019 to create a transparent way of distributing funds from awards, royalties or donations linked to the Foundation’s activities and Greta’s activism to organisations and individuals working for a just and sustainable world.

The mission of the Foundation has been shaped to ensure it is aligned with Greta’s values and the goals of her activism. The Foundation donates funds to support projects and organisations in line with it’s mission. It was originally founded by Greta’s parents, Malena Ernman and Svante Thunberg as Greta was a minor at the time.

What is the mission of the Foundation?
As stated in the Deed of the Foundation, it aims to promote ecological, climatic and social sustainability as well as mental health, i.e. the sustainability issue from a holistic perspective. The mission of the Foundation is to work globally for a sustainable climate, a socially sustainable society, a good environment, preservation of biodiversity, human rights and animal rights in the long term, with a special focus on promoting measures, scientific research and initiatives that aim to study, explain, counter or reduce human emissions of greenhouse gases and global heating caused by humans.

Does Greta earn any money from ‘The Climate Book’ (Allen Lane/Penguin, 2022)?
No, she does not. The copyright and earnings belong to the Foundation. In addition, many of the contributors to the book do not earn anything from the book either. Earnings are handled and taxed by the Foundation and will be donated in line with its mission or used to cover essential running costs of the Foundation.

Who decides about the Foundation’s donations?
The decisions about donations are taken by the Foundation’s board.

What is Greta’s role in the Foundation?
Greta is not a member of the Foundation’s board and she does not administer the Foundation, nor does she get paid by the Foundation. However, Greta supports the Foundation’s work by using her platform to spread awareness about the Foundation’s mission and the causes it supports. The mission of the Foundation has been shaped to ensure it is aligned with Greta’s values. For further information about Greta’s activism, please visit her social media accounts Twitter and Instagram.

How is the Foundation funded?
The financial basis of the Foundation stems from awards, royalties and donations. For more information, please visit Where the Money Goes. For full information please read the annual report (Annual report 2019-2020 | Annual report 2021) | Annual report 2022).

How is the Foundation’s money used?
For full information please read the annual report (Annual report 2019-2020 | Annual report 2021) | Annual report 2022).

The Foundation may give grants to organisations and individuals that, through their actions or commitment, work to achieve advances on climate issues, promotion of a good environment, biodiversity, human rights or animal rights as well as mental health and may, under its own auspices or through subsidiaries, carry out activities involving the dissemination of knowledge and information, scientific research and other activities that are in conformity with the object of the Foundation. For more information, please visit Where the Money Goes.

The Foundation pays for essential services such as administration, due diligence, accounting, auditing and legal services.

Can I donate money to the Foundation?
To support the mission of the Foundation, we recommend that you inform yourself about the crisis and get involved in advocating for real climate action and system change. You can also support the mission of the Foundation by donating directly to the organisations and groups working in line with the Foundation’s mission. As an example, here are some of the Foundation’s latest donations.

Please get in touch if you consider donating directly to the Greta Thunberg Foundation. Donations will be screened in advance to ensure compliance with the Foundation’s mission, and with international anti money-laundering standards.

How does the Foundation evaluate the impact of its outgoing donations?
Before any decision is made, grantees are asked to provide an outline for the use of the funds. Based on this outline, and the Foundation’s own due diligence, the board makes a decision about the grant. After a grant has been made, grantees are asked to provide a report about how the funds have been used.

What are the running costs of the Foundation?
The ambition is to minimise administrative costs for the Foundation and rely on pro bono support whenever it’s possible. The main running costs are related to the essential services legally required to run a foundation, ie. administration, due diligence, accounting, auditing and legal services. Detailed information can be found in the annual reports (Annual report 2019-2020 | Annual report 2021) | Annual report 2022).

How much money does the Foundation have?
The amount of available funds varies. Detailed information can be found in the annual reports (Annual report 2019-2020 | Annual report 2021) | Annual report 2022).

Which bank does the Foundation use?
The Foundation uses “Ekobanken” as its house bank. Ekobanken is the highest ranking Swedish bank regarding sustainability, according to the Fair Finance Guide, and a member of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values. International donations are made via Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken SEB, as international payment services are not provided by Ekobanken. The Foundation has no money invested in stocks, bonds, shares or equity funds.

In the foreword of the book, “Our House is on Fire” / “Scener ur hjärtat”, it is stated that all earnings from the book shall be donated to various non-profit organisations. What is the status of these donations?
As of October 2022, the earnings from the book, after tax, have amounted to SEK 3,439,238. This complete amount has been donated in line with the foreword of the book, to six different organisations: Greenpeace, WWF, Lära med Djur, Fältbiologerna, Naturskyddsföreningen, and Djurens Rätt. Two additional organisations mentioned in the foreword are no longer active and could therefore not receive a donation.

Does Greta get paid for taking part in films such as “I am Greta”, “Live to lead“ or “A year to change the world”?
No, she does not, nor does anyone in her family.

Why does the Foundation have a subsidiary company, GT Foundation AB?
Greta does not want to profit financially from her activism. Therefore, all earnings from book projects etc. belong to the Foundation. The company was originally created as a subsidiary function of the Foundation because this was seen as the most convenient solution to manage such earnings. However, over time the board of the Foundation realised that such a function was not needed, and in September 2022 a decision was made to dissolve the company and transfer all funds to the Foundation itself. From this point forward, all earnings will be handled and taxed directly by the Foundation instead of by the subsidiary company, which will make the structure of the Foundation more simple and transparent.