Save the Children has refused a £750,000 donation from a North Sea gas producer for its work in Ukraine as it looks to cut funding links to fossil fuels.
The charity rejected money from Neptune Energy after deciding earlier this month it would stop taking donations from companies whose core business is in fossil fuels.
“We’ve changed our policy following a lead given by children all over the world who have protested about the threat the climate crisis poses to their future,” a spokesperson said.
A letter seen by The Independent from Neptune Energy to Save the Children said the firm’s employees were “shocked” and “dismayed” to find out that their donation had been rejected.
The company sought to make a $1m donation to the charity after consultation with its staff who wanted to ensure the money would benefit children impacted by the war in Ukraine, the letter says.
“To our surprise, our donation was refused on the basis that Save the Children ‘are committed to working on climate change issues for the foreseeable future and therefore, we are unable to accept this donation,’” the letter reads.
Neptune Energy said it had shared the refusal with its employees who were “similarly shocked, dismayed” and were left wondering whether their own personal donations would no longer be welcomed.
Up to six million children are trapped inside Ukraine and in imminent danger, Save the Children said this week, as an increasing number of hospitals and schools come under attack.
A spokesperson for the charity said it had decided earlier this month to stop taking donations from fossil fuel companies as soon as possible. They added the charity would accept large donations to its flexible Children’s Emergency Fund, which is used in a crisis and for which relatively little money is available, during a transitional period as the policy comes into force.
Neptune Energy, a private company headquartered in London, describes itself as an international oil and gas exploration and production company with a focus on the North Sea, North Africa and Asia Pacific. It produced around 130,000 net barrels of oil per day in 2021.
In the letter, the company says it predominantly produces gas, while developing capabilities in hydrogen production, carbon capture and storage, and electrification. It has said it aims to store more carbon than it and its customers emit by 2030. It says it has been recognised for its environmental commitment.
Neptune Energy declined to comment.
