H&M Foundation to support crisis anticipation and early action across eight countries

H&M Foundation has announced a significant investment of €660,000 to support Start Network’s flagship disaster risk financing programme, Start Ready. This three-year commitment aims to strengthen the capacity of eight countries to anticipate, respond to, and recover from crises.

H&M Foundation is privately funded by the Stefan Persson family, founders and main owners of the H&M Group. They use philanthropic resources to find, fund, and facilitate disruptive innovations, initiatives, and research that enable a socially inclusive and planet positive textile industry, and to provide emergency relief. 

Committed to creating a more equitable and planet-friendly textile industry, the H&M Foundation has partnered with Start Network to promote socially inclusive and innovative humanitarian aid. This partnership will enhance the capacity and coverage of current hazard preparedness systems in Philippines, Bangladesh, Madagascar, Senegal, Somalia, Zimbabwe, DRC, and Pakistan to anticipate and respond to predictable crises.

Start Network is a global network of more than 100 organisations working together to shift from reactive crisis response to proactive early action. Through Start Ready, funds are prepositioned for crises that happen with regular and predictable patterns of recurrence, like floods, droughts, and heatwaves. Start Ready protects an average of 700,000 people across eight countries annually. With the additional funding from the H&M Foundation, annual cover will be extended to between 20-80,000 more individuals.

Anna Gedda, CEO of H&M Foundation, hopes that this partnership can inspire other funders to invest more in anticipation work: 

“We are proud to support Start Network in their vital efforts to prevent and mitigate the negative effects of disasters. Proactive measures are essential to prepare for, respond to, and recover from catastrophic events. We believe preventive funding can make a significant difference and ensure a safer future for all."

Christina Bennett, CEO of Start Network emphasises the need to partner with like-minded organisations: 

“We are thrilled to take the partnership with H&M Foundation forward. The support they have given will assist communities and help us to reach nearly a million people over three years to prepare to or respond to climate-related crises. Start Ready currently protects people from 13 risks across eight countries, and this support from the H&M Foundation will allow us to grow to cover further risks in further geographies. As Start Network moves toward locally led action, forging relations with innovative organisations such as H&M Foundation encourages us to take bigger steps as we try to bring systems change within the humanitarian sector.”

###

Notes to editors

For further information, contact:

Matthew Stickland, Head of Communications and Digital, Start Network 

communications@startnetwork.org