September 3, 2025 – September 8, 2025 UTC+0
In October 2023, scientists warned the Earth was on the edge of five “catastrophic climate tipping points”. Once crossed, these tipping points could lead to domino effects including mass displacement, food shortages, and financial collapse, undermining progress across a broad range of social and environmental issues.
The collapse of ice sheets in Greenland is one of the most urgent of the five tipping points. A February 2024 report outlined how this collapse could potentially lead to shifts in ocean currents that for millennia have regulated the climate in the US, UK, and across the world.
Scientists are clear that tipping points can be positive as well as negative. With strategic, coordinated, and urgent investment, philanthropy can play a crucial role in accelerating systemic shifts that make the world a safer place for the generations to come.
Following the success of last year’s Journey, and given the clear urgency, Forward Global has decided to collaborate with Active Philanthropy to run a second Journey to Greenland from September 3-8, 2025. The Journey is designed to help participants see, feel, and understand the significance of this moment in history, discover the most promising systemic solutions, and leave feeling inspired and equipped to make a difference.
Places are limited and members are encouraged to register no later than 1 April. Please register your interest in joining and our team will reach out to you with the full registration link and payment details. More information is included below
What are the goals of this Journey?
By participating in this programme you will:
– Better understand the reality of the climate crisis and the viable paths towards a more safe and sustainable future, including climate mitigation and adaption.
– Better understand how systemic interventions work in practice: including the role of research, community empowerment, policy & advocacy, business engagement and storytelling.
– Better understand the role of philanthropy and social investing in contributing to these interventions.
– Leave feeling more motivated and energised to commit to social and environmental impact.
– Make and deepen strategic connections with peers
– Leave with practical next steps.
Is this Journey for me?
This Journey is for any Forward Global member interested in immersive learning. While the content will focus on solutions to the climate crisis, we will highlight transferable learnings relevant to funders pursuing systemic change in any field.
We are expecting great interest in this Journey, and as such will be prioritising Forward Global members first, before opening up spaces to family members who may wish to accompany.
We ask that all Forward Global members have made their annual contribution in the prior 12 months in order to join this journey. Please talk to your Relationship Manager if you have any questions about your annual contribution.
Who is delivering this Journey?
Forward Global has partnered with Active Philanthropy to co-create this Journey. Active Philanthropy is a Berlin-based social venture that supports philanthropists and philanthropic organisations who wish to engage in climate action.
Since Active Philanthropy was established in 2006, they have carried out 25 expeditions to the Ilulissat Icefjord on Greenland‘s west coast, 250 km north of the Arctic Circle. These expeditions are often co-created with partners, and have proved to be extremely impactful with participants.
What will I spend my time doing?
We will be based in Ilulissat, perched on Greenland’s west coast, about 250 km north of the Arctic Circle. Ilulissat lies at the mouth of the Ilulissat Icefjord – a UNESCO World Heritage protected site. This small town will act as our base.
Around half of the programme will be experiential, including an overnight trip to Eqi Ice Camp to visit an active glacier that calves at regular intervals. We will also meet with Inuit leaders and learn how they are adapting to their radically changing environment.
These excursions will be interspersed with discussions led by a world-leading climate scientist, Dr. Heidi Sevestre, who is resident with us for the duration of the trip. The scientist will provide an update on the status of climate change, unpack the responses we are seeing from philanthropy, civil society and government, as well as explore business threats and opportunities.
We will also run interactive workshops each day, including opportunities for participants to learn from the work of their peers and discover new ideas and opportunities for philanthropic funding and social investment. As with all Forward Global Journeys, we will take time at the end of the programme to synthesise what we have learned, and identify learnings and next steps. A draft day-by-day agenda is available in the FAQs document.
When should I register?
The Journey will have a strict registration cap of 20 people with places given on a first-come first-served basis, so we encourage you to register as soon as possible. The programme fee will be 12,000 EUR and is inclusive of flights from Denmark to Greenland & all accommodation.
Given the limited spaces, we are prioritising Forward Global members. If you would like to bring a peer or family member who is not a Forward Global member, please send the request to marie-louise@forward-global.org. If spaces are still available by 1 April, we will open up places for guests, and will ask them to make a contribution to Forward Global to attend.
Where would I need to fly into and out from, and when?
We ask everyone to arrive into Copenhagen on Wednesday 3rd September. You will need to organise and pay for these international flights, as well as the night’s accommodation in Copenhagen.
We will then fly together to Greenland on the morning of Thursday 4th September, when the programme formally begins. These flights, and the accommodation in Greenland, is covered by your fee.
The flight back from Greenland arrives in Copenhagen at 8pm on Monday September 8th. Given that late arrival, we recommend organising to stay the night of September 8th in Copenhagen, and taking your international flight on Tuesday September 9th.
When does the trip start and end?
The Journey begins and ends in Copenhagen, and the full duration is September 3rd – 8th. We will travel to and from Greenland together on Thursday September 4th, returning on Monday 8th September. Due to flight times, we ask everyone to arrive into Copenhagen on Wednesday 3rd September, before we travel to Greenland as a group on Thursday 4th September.
We will depart on an early flight to Ilulissat via Nuuk on the morning of Thursday 4th September. The group will arrive back in Copenhagen around 8pm on Monday 8th September, so we also recommend staying overnight in Copenhagen. There are some planes that fly on late in the evening and have been reached by participants in the past – but there is always a risk of flight delays from Greenland. Often participants who are still in Copenhagen have an informal farewell dinner on this last evening.
A day-by-day agenda is below:
Wednesday 3rd September: Arrival in Copenhagen & Opening Dinner; recommended accommodation at the Clarion Hotel.
Thursday 4th September: Depart for Ilulissat from Copenhagen Airport; accommodation at the Arctic Hotel in Ilulissat.
Friday 5th September: Arctic Hotel
Saturday 6th September: travel by boat to Eqi Ice Camp; stay overnight.
Sunday 7th September: travel by boat back to Illususat. Accommodation at the Arctic Hotel.
Monday 8th September: Afternoon Departure for Copenhagen Airport from Ilulissat, arriving back around 8pm. Informal dinner in Copenhagen.
Tuesday 9th September: Recommended departure from Copenhagen
What does my programme fee cover?
The price of the journey is € 12,000 per person all-inclusive from Copenhagen. This includes return flights from Copenhagen to Greenland, internal transport, accommodation and all
meals, Eqi Ice Camp, all excursions, as well as covering the costs of our accompanying expert scientist and honoraria to local communities and any other speakers.
Neither Forward Global nor Active Philanthropy make any profit from running this Journey. Our interest and shared purpose is to encourage and activate greater thinking, collaboration and impact on climate risk, mitigation and adaptation. Greenland is an incredibly expensive place to travel to and around given its remote location, limited options for hospitality and a growing interest in the importance of the environment of Greenland.
Staff time is often the biggest cost to hosting these Journeys; the fee is not put towards that at all, and for this reason we ask that anyone joining the Journey has made their annual contribution to Forward Global (i.e in the previous 12 months), and will be prioritising all those who have done so. Please contact your relationship manager if you have not made your contribution and would like to do so, in order to join this journey.
What do I need to book myself?
Participants will need to organise and pay for the following:
- Travel to and from Copenhagen
- Accommodation in Copenhagen before and potentially after the journey (recommended at the Clarion Hotel)
- Travel insurance (including covering for cancellation)
- Visa
You will need to book your flights to Copenhagen arriving on Wednesday 3rd September, and ideally departing on Tuesday 9th September. It may be possible to get a connecting flight on the evening of Monday 8th September, but given the small chance of delays, you may prefer to opt for departing the following morning.
Your flights from Copenhagen to Greenland are included in the cost of the programme and do not need to be booked by you. We will ask for all passport details as part of the process, and you will be given the option of upgrading your flights at that point.
Where should I stay in Copenhagen?
We recommend everyone stays at the Clarion hotel by the airport. This is for ease of getting to the flight on Thursday 4th September and in case of any delays on our return on Monday 8th September. We will also be hosting our Opening Dinner at the Clarion.
When will I meet the group?
We will have an Opening Dinner at the Clarion Hotel on the evening of September 3rd to welcome the group, and to hear from a speaker who will help us set the scene. We encourage everyone to arrive in time for dinner.
Where will we be based in Greenland?
We will be staying at the Arctic Hotel in Ilulissat on the evenings of Thursday 4th, Friday 5th and Sunday 7th September. On Saturday morning we will travel to the Eqi Ice Camp by boat, and will spend the evening there, returning Sunday afternoon.
Will I have mobile phone reception and WiFi?
During our time based at the Arctic Hotel, WiFi and reception will be accessible. When we travel to the Ice Camp, we will not have any WiFi or mobile telephone reception for 24 hours, from Saturday until Sunday. Not only is this unavoidable, but it allows us to really connect with the nature around us, and enhances our experience at the ice camp by giving us this freedom from daily lives and pressures.
How do I make payment?
Once Forward Global have confirmed your place on the programme, we will share a link to the full registration form, including the payment details. Full payment is made directly to the travel agency organising this journey, who are based in Sweden.
Please note that your place is only confirmed once payment has been received by the travel agency.
Why is this different from other journeys? Why am I not paying Forward Global directly?
As we are partnering with Active Philanthropy on this journey, we are able to leverage their partnerships and experience in leading these journeys, including working with their in-country partners.
What is the cancellation policy?
Once you’ve made payment for the journey, your contract is officially with Active Philanthropy, and as such their cancellation policy applies, as follows:
- 80% refund if cancelled by June 5th, 2025
- 50% refund if cancelled by July 31st, 2025
- No refund if cancelled on or after August 1st, 2025
Please note that your place is only confirmed once payment has been received by the travel agency.
Is this payment tax deductible?
As this is a fee for services rendered, the fee for this journey is not tax deductible.
Will you offset emissions caused by the trip?
Yes. While we are aware of the limitations of carbon offsetting, we are confident based on the impact of past Journeys that the overall impact of the programme will be positive.
Who can I contact for further questions?
Please reach out to ML at marie-louise@forward-global.org