Social Investment
TARGETS
Between 2022 and 2026, we will donate a minimum of £300,000 through our key partnership (75%) and our ad-hoc response fund (25%).
SOCIAL INVESTMENT UPDATES
In FY23, we have a budget of £50,000 to split between our brand new charity partner PADI AWARE Foundation (75%) and ad-hoc emergency funds (25%). So far, we have donated £6250 of our emergency response fund to UNICEF’s Syria and Turkey earthquake appeal, as well as £37,500 as part of our partnership with PADI AWARE Foundation™ - further details below.
PADI AWARE FOUNDATION PARTNERSHIP
In February 2023, we signed our first charity partnership with PADI AWARE Foundation™. This was a natural choice for us as we share PADI AWARE’s mission to drive local action for global ocean conservation through a comprehensive, science-backed and results-driven approach. The ocean plays a hugely important role in carbon sequestration and climate regulation, as well as fostering biodiversity and supporting coastal communities. Medik8 is very proud to have partnered with PADI AWARE Foundation to support their amazing work caring for our precious oceans. Read more about PADI AWARE’s work here.
SUPPORTING PADI AWARE’S MISSION
Our ongoing partnership with PADI AWARE Foundation™ will begin with us sponsoring 4 core projects through their Mission Hub Community Grant Programme. This programme is a cornerstone initiative designed to accelerate participation, education and advocacy for ocean protection. It provides direct financial resources to PADI Mission Hubs and community-based, non-profit organisations to address key threats to the ocean such as climate change, marine debris, marine habitat loss and marine species decline.
COMMUNITY GRANT PROJECT #1 - KOSAMARE (GREECE)
This hands-on initiative seeks to engage the local community to monitor and restore seagrass (Posidonia) meadows in the Mediterranean Sea. Now in the second of three phases, the project is taking place in four different bays off the coast of Kefalonia. The ultimate goals for this project are to significantly increase the seagrass meadows (a blue carbon habitat), increase biodiversity through associated species that are reliant on seagrass beds, and to advance protection measures for the wider Ionian sea. Learn more about the project here.
COMMUNITY GRANT PROJECT #2 - Maui (Hawaii)
This collaborative project seeks to unite local non-profit organisations, government and 7 PADI dive centres under a shared mission of mooring maintenance, underwater cleanups and citizen science monitoring - across 50 ocean sites.
The purpose is to track and remove marine debris in order to decrease the risk of entanglement to critically vulnerable species such as sea turtles, while also protecting critical marine habitats, including coral reefs. This initiative will activate citizen participation and all data will be shared with local governments and non-profit organisations to better inform future protection measures surrounding marine animals and their habitats.
Transitioning to Medik8 Social Investment
Since Medik8’s launch, we have donated small monthly amounts to Cancer Research, as well as various smaller donations backing the volunteering/causes of Medik8 staff.
Since 2018, these donations took place under the banner of the Zipper Foundation, centred predominantly around animal welfare, child poverty and social injustices.
The leadership team would work from a fixed annual budget and select causes to support on an ad-hoc basis, as world events developed.
From October 2021, the “Zipper Foundation” was renamed “Medik8 Social Investment”.
With the launch of our new sustainability strategy in October 2022, we wanted to do more with the funds we have available - direct investments to a crusading cause to make a greater difference. We will also reserve ¼ of our funds to be available to respond to emergency situations or topical causes.
