Greta Thunberg to donate humanitarian prize money worth $1.14 million

Greta Thunberg announced Monday that she would be donating her humanitarian prize money worth $1.14 million to different charitable projects that are fighting the climate and ecological crisis. The 17-year-old environmental campaigner and the founder of School Strike for Climate was awarded the prize money after winning the inaugural Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity.

The humanitarian prize is awarded each year to laud and recognise individuals or groups and organisations the world over who advocate, innovate and impact the fight for climate change. It is part of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, a Portuguese philanthropic institute "dedicated to the promotion of arts, charity, science and education."

Jorge Sampaio, Chairman of the Gulbenkian Prize grand jury proudly highlighted the teenager's effect in mobilising the younger generation to wake up to a persisting issue of environmental struggle.

In her tweet last Monday, the young climate activist said that she will donate $100,000 (£79,600) to SOS Amazonia, a movement spearheaded by Fridays for Future Brazil who are helping to fight the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in afflicted indigenous territories of the Brazilian Amazon.

She also adds another $100,000 (£79,600) donation to Stop Ecocide Foundation as her means to support their advocacy to make ecocide an international crime.

Thunberg said she will donate the entirety of her prize money through her foundation and will be distributed to "different organisations and projects who are working to help people on the front lines, affected by the climate crisis and ecological crisis, especially in the Global South."

According to CNN, the Swedish activist posted a video on Twitter saying she is intent on donating the money. In her video she says, "The Prize money, which is one million euros, is more money than I can even begin to imagine."

Although she has not yet announced the recipients of her donations, Thunberg says the money is meant to help and support "organisations and projects who are fighting for a sustainable world and who are fighting to defend nature and the natural world."

The teenage climate defender has been declared Person of the Year in 2019 by Time Magazine and has also been a recipient of two nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize.