DRIFT Fund

 
We are looking for strategic partnerships and financial support to boost our ambitions and work towards our vision. Support DRIFT in generating new knowledge and societal impact to accelerate transitions to a more just and sustainable world.
 
To create a viable and healthy institute aimed at generating new knowledge and societal impact, DRIFT is always looking for ways to push the frontiers of transformative research. We do so by combining academic and action research, consulting, training and education, and public outreach and debate. DRIFT is financially independent and operates as a social science business. Profits generated with commercial activities are fully invested into making our research and social missions possible. Our drive for increasing societal impact and advancing the frontiers of our understanding of sustainability transitions is only limited by our ability to generate additional investment funds. The DRIFT Fund enables us to find new sources of income to make activities possible that would otherwise not be achievable. It thereby supports our mission and helps us to safeguard and nurture our independence, ambitions and radical core.
 
About the DRIFT Fund
Set-up in 2019, the DRIFT Fund is set up as a ‘doelfonds’ under the Erasmus Trust Fund. It is set up specifically to make possible activities that contribute to the DRIFT mission and that would otherwise not be possible due to a lack of resources. These include for example experimental pilot projects, specific types of academic research and public outreach. The DRIFT Fund can accept financial donations by all who see the added value of scientific action research in search of a more sustainable and just world. It can also accept more targeted donations for example designated to support specific types of activities, specific projects or specific researchers at DRIFT. The Fund is – in the spirit of DRIFT – a typical ‘learning by doing’ experiment, meaning it will be developed in an adaptive manner and the governance will be made fully transparent.
 
Why support us?
By supporting the DRIFT Fund, you become active part of our continuous search for understanding and contributing to societal transitions to a more sustainable and just world. Based on your interest, we look forward to engaging you in the projects or activities your donation makes possible. We will do so by sharing updates and outcomes, inviting you to public events and including you in our DRIFT communication and outreach activities, if so desired. Donations will be used for:
 

  • Fundamental research: aimed at developing and cocreating new knowledge to analyze and accelerate sustainability transitions. Untapped, yet promising avenues of academic research topics and fields can be explored as to broaden and deepen our understanding of sustainability transitions.
  • Transition experiments: aimed at societal impact in cities and regions in The Netherlands (or Europe) as to test and/or scale-up certain innovative ideas and practices which try to accelerating sustainability transitions. Projects are carried out via applied action research and/or with other partners in the field (via innovative collaborations).
  • Public arena: aimed at broadening and diffusing insights and knowledge in the field of sustainability transitions. Arena activities are focused on engaging in public debate and creating new networks as to contribute to social movement for a more sustainable and just world. Activities are e.g. lectures, workshops, conferences, network events, etc.

 
How to support us?
For further details please contact Frank van Steenbergen (senior researcher & consultant)