Methodology

The challenges facing our planet are huge, but your giving can go straight to what works. Our methodology does the hard work for you. Finding, testing, and tracking high impact charities so your donations fund the best ways to tackle the nature & climate crisis.

How we choose the best nature and climate charities

Climate change and nature loss are incredibly complicated. Countless organisations work to address these emergencies – but not all deliver high-leverage, evidence-backed impact.

The Global Returns Project (GRP) cuts through this complexity with rigorous, science-based evaluation and ongoing performance monitoring, so your giving goes directly to the solutions that matter most.

Our methodology underpins everything we do. It systematically identifies, assesses, and tracks some of the world’s most effective nature and climate charities, so your support drives real, measurable progress towards planetary recovery.

Experts you can trust

What makes GRP’s methodology different?

Expert oversight: independent climate and environmental scientists guide and review our methodology.
High impact, low risk: we back evidence-based interventions while managing risk through a balanced portfolio.
Global impact: Our portfolio supports solutions that are effective over across over 70 countries , reflecting the global nature of climate and nature loss.
From thousands to six: we narrow thousands of charities down to a small, high-performing portfolio, focusing your donation where it can do the most good.
Strategic diversity: funding spans a wide range of climate and nature solutions, not just carbon.
Measurable progress: impact is tracked using transparent metrics and reported every six months.
Regular reassessment: Charities are continuously reviewed so the portfolio evolves as evidence and performance change.

In short, your donation supports outcomes that are evidence-based, globally relevant, and continuously improved over time. Our methodology ensures your generosity delivers real impact where it matters most.

Our Technical Advisory Board

Some of the world’s top climate thinkers help guide our charity selection and assessment. Their expertise spans everything from forests and oceans to cutting-edge climate science.

They’ve written bestselling books, shaped UN climate reports, and led work at Europe’s largest climate funder. They know what drives real change.

Prof Joanna Haigh CBE

Chair

Prof Yadvinder Malhi CBE

Member

Doree Marentette

Member

Dr Mamta Mehra

Member

Prof Rosalind Rickaby

Member

Stage 1: Screening for high impact and low risk

There are thousands of environmental charities worldwide, but only a small fraction deliver proven, scalable, systemic impact.

GRP uses a structured, multi-stage methodology, developed with and overseen by climate and nature experts, to identify the organisations that truly stand out.

We begin by screening charities against clear baseline criteria, including size, age, income, governance, and operational maturity.

This filters out organisations that fall outside our focus on high-impact, low-risk charities capable of delivering systemic change at scale.

Only a small proportion of organisations progress beyond this stage.

regenerative agriculture to protect the environment

Stage 2: Scoring across four core criteria

Charities that pass screening are then assessed in depth using our proprietary scoring framework. Each organisation is evaluated consistently across four core categories:

Impact –The extent to which the charity delivers meaningful, evidence-based climate and nature outcomes, including both activities and results, from emissions reductions to ecosystems protected or restored.
Scalability –The charity’s ability to grow its impact efficiently, both historically and in the future, without compromising effectiveness.
Networks and Alliances – How effectively the organisation works with governments, communities, research institutions, and peer organisations to amplify and sustain impact.
Co-benefits for people and planet – Social and environmental benefits beyond climate outcomes, assessed in relation to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Selection and ongoing review

Only the highest-scoring charities, those demonstrating strong evidence, strategic clarity, and real potential to scale, are selected for the GRP portfolio.

Charities are reassessed every six months, ensuring the portfolio evolves as performance, evidence, and scientific understanding change.

This rigorous and consistent process ensures every pound you give supports organisations delivering high-impact results.

Experts you can trust

GRP’s methodology is guided and reviewed by an independent Technical Advisory Board of leading climate and nature experts. Board members include academics and practitioners who have shaped major scientific research and environmental institutions.

Their oversight ensures our selection criteria reflect the latest science, our metrics remain robust and relevant, and all evaluations are impartial and evidence-led.

Measuring what matters

To track the effectiveness of the portfolio as a whole, GRP uses two proprietary metrics:

Global Returns Rate (GRR)
A single score that shows how effectively the portfolio is addressing the climate and nature crisis, combining individual charity performance with overall portfolio balance. It is recalculated and published every six months.
Portfolio Diversity
A measure of how well the portfolio covers the full range of climate and nature solutions identified by science. Higher diversity means your donation supports a broader, more resilient mix of interventions.

Together, these metrics provide clear evidence of progress and accountability over time.

Continuous monitoring & impact reporting

Impact is not static, and neither is our portfolio. Every six months, we reassess each charity, review portfolio composition, and share updated impact reports with all donors.

This ongoing process ensures your support remains effective, evidence-based, and aligned with the latest climate science.

Methodology

How we choose the best nature and climate charities

Experts you can trust