Harnessing the power of the many
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About
Ocean
The Gallifrey Foundation identifies collaborative opportunities to tackle ocean conservation issues by identifying synergies that could be exploited and roadblocks that could be overcome by working together. Our model of engagement is to partner with other organisations.
The Gallifrey Foundation practices “venture philanthropy”
This is characterised by:
• Focusing on measurable results
• Building capacity with a long term view
• Willingness to experiment and “try new approaches”
• Contributing financial, intellectual, and high personal involvement
Mission: Working collaboratively to advance marine protection and social enterprise
Education 
The Gallifrey Foundation supports social enterprise, applying commercial strategies to solve human and environmental problems, rather than simply maximising profits for external shareholders. The Gallifrey Foundation supports several scholarships for a variety of students from primary, university and post-graduate education. In addition, the Gallifrey Foundation supports selected research in social enterprise.
We encourage collaboration between other organisations to:
• Not “reinventing the wheel”
• Identify and fill the gaps where they exist
• Achieve our mutual objectives through collaboration
The Gallifrey Foundation does not solicit funds or grant proposals.
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Key Issues
Arctic
Only the Arctic Ocean, hasn’t been fished, polluted, drilled or polluted. Let’s keep it that way.
Climate Change
At the front line of climate change, the ocean plays a central role in regulating the Earth’s climate.
Deep Sea Mining
There are sources of minerals in the deep sea but we must first understand how to manage and mitigate the risks that come with extracting them.
Plastic Pollution
Our demand for plastic creates an environmental and public health nightmare. The impact affects the creatures of the sea and humans.
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Oceans
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Education
Gallifrey Scholarships
The Gallifrey Foundation provides scholarships to students at the following institutions
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Projects
Research in Social Enterprise
A solution to the financial challenges facing micro-entrepreneurs in Ghana is the objective of a research project from London Business School led by Professor Rajesh Chandy, The Tony & Maureen Wheeler Chair in Entrepreneurship and Academic Director of the Business for Development Institute supported by the Gallifrey Foundation. The research project will identify the effectiveness of different loan products designed to give micro-enterprises the boost they need to become successful small and medium enterprises. Half of the businesses in the study are offered a ‘locked-in’ product, where the loan funds must be invested in business assets focused on enhancing productivity such as new equipment, inventory or vehicles. The other half of the businesses are offered the second ‘unlocked’ product, where the loan funds are unrestricted and the entrepreneur can decide how they would like to spend the money. The researchers will be tracking each of the businesses over time to compare the effects of the two loan types on how the entrepreneurs manage money, how their businesses perform, and how they and their families are affected by this.
The Salient
The Salient is a film about one of the most contested spots of the Great War: the half circle north and east of Ypres that protruded into enemy territory and became known as the Ypres Salient. Less than five miles wide, more than a million people were killed or wounded in this small area during four years of bitter fighting. In due time the Salient came to symbolize every description heard in conjunction with the Great War: sacrifice, courage, honor and duty just as much as chaos, slaughter, calamity and utter senselessness. The Gallifrey Foundation support allows the film to be made available at no cost to schools worldwide. Click here for more information on the film and download links: The Salient
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Team
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News
The latest from the Gallifrey Foundation
Press Release
Appeal to Swiss Parliament to take a leading role in securing a treaty to prevent plastic pollution
Geneva/Wädenswil, 16th September 2020: During the current autumn session, eleven Swiss organisations, representing 350,000 members and supporters, and concerned about the increasing impact of plastics and microplastics on the Swiss environment and human population, have urged members of Swiss Parliament and Government to take a more proactive stance in preventing plastic pollution and the need for assuring an effective global treaty.
During this year two important Swiss reports on microplastics have been released, a scientific study this year concluded that microplastics are present in large quantities in snow in the Swiss Alps and in the Arctic, while another report on plastic in the Swiss environment, demonstrates that up to 14,000 tonnes of plastic end up in our soil and waters every year. It is increasingly clear this is not purely a marine issue and the growing number will have an increased impact on our agriculture, our pristine countryside and our lakes and rivers – as well as on human and animal health.
Antoinette Vermilye, co-founder of the Gallifrey Foundation, says: “I am deeply concerned that the increasing reliance of plastic packaging and single use plastics is exposing citizens to unhealthy chemicals and additives (endocrine disrupters) inherent in plastics and bioplastics. These chemicals affect our hormones and have been scientifically linked to reproductive disorders, particularly infertility, obesity, diabetes and certain cancers. Switzerland has a chance to take the lead in ensuring the safety of its current and future populations and the health of the planet”.
Fabienne McLellan, Co-Director International Relations at OceanCare adds : “There is hardly any place left on the planet where we don’t witness the devastating impacts of our plastic legacy and single-use plastic footprint. The problem is far too big to be resolved by half-hearted, voluntary measures and to leave it up to the private sector to self-regulate. Also, we cannot recycle our way out of this problem. Switzerland has the opportunity to take a leading role in helping build an ambitious, visionary global framework to stop plastic pollution. I hope that the parliamentarians will step forward and request that urgent, ambitious, and global action is taken to address plastic across its lifecycle”.
Andrés Del Castillo, Senior Attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law concludes: “Plastic pollution is one of the greatest human-made threats our planet is currently facing, and it’s crystal (not plastic) clear that it is a growing concern for the Swiss population too, in addition to climate change and the decline of biodiversity. Plastic proliferation heavily contributes to global greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Legal coherence and complementarity at the local, national and global level are necessary because you can’t solve the problem of climate change and biodiversity loss without tackling the problem of the full lifecycle of plastics”.
These groups are calling on the Swiss Parliament and Government to demonstrate its global leadership on this major concern of our time in the run-up to the fifth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA5) scheduled to take place in February 2021 and are encouraging them to pursue a new global legally binding agreement to tackle plastic pollution leveraging their expertise in multilateral cooperation and coordination to a productive outcome on this issue.
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Partners
We work with others to foster collaboration and achieve our mutual goals more effectively
