Climate & Energy
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Dollars Per Funder, Other Major Green Prizes Outshoot Prince William’s Earthshot. By a Lot.
The heir to the British throne, seven other billionaires, four centibillionaires and some powerful companies are all but putting pennies in the pot for their moonshot. Meanwhile, the backers of other prizes are far more openhanded.
Tracking Green Regrantors: More Nonprofits Are Getting Into the Regranting Business
Here are three environmental nonprofits that recently started their own grantmaking or investment funds. What does it mean for the field as the line between grantee and grantmaker grows increasingly blurry?
The Prize With More Billionaire Backers Per Dollar Given Than Any Other
Billionaires and royals love Prince William’s Earthshot Prize. IP’s Michael Kavate thinks the emperor has no clothes.
Three Years Since It Went Public, What Should We Make of Lukas Walton’s Philanthropic Project?
Builders Initiative has grown from a green grantmaking heavyweight to a true giant, and will grant $200 million this year. Here’s where its money’s going — and which program it shuttered this summer.
What Indigenous Forest Guardians Need from Funders
Guest contributor Jupta Itoewaki has a call to action for philanthropic funders who want to stop the Amazon from turning into savanna: Engage directly with Indigenous peoples.
Report: Taxpayers Subsidize Billions of Dollars in Funding for Climate Disinformation Groups
An Institute for Policy Studies analysis found that donors gave $5.8 billion to groups trafficking in climate disinformation from 2020 to 2022. A quarter of that sum comes from donor-advised funds and foundations.
Youth Leaders’ Climate Fund Is Growing, But Not Fast Enough to Meet Demand
A year after its launch, the Youth Climate Justice Fund has secured some substantial backers, but its vision is much bigger. It hopes to move $100 million by the end of the decade.
Another Major Science Funder Dives into How Climate Change Affects Animal Brains
The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group’s newest Allen Discovery Center, based at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, will research how climate change is impacting marine animals’ nervous systems and behaviors.
This LA Funder Is Backing Solar Roofs for Synagogues and Jewish Nonprofits
The Jewish Solar Challenge wants all Jewish nonprofits to go solar — from synagogues to schools to Jewish community centers. We talked with its founder Mitchell Schwartz to learn more.
Philanthropy Is Wasting Time and Money on Carbon Capture
Guest opinion authors Robert D. Bullard, Charles F. Harvey and Bakeyah S. Nelson make the case that carbon capture is delaying the transition away from fossil fuels and that funders shouldn’t get on board.
It’s Been a Hot Summer, Especially for Climate Philanthropy News
As heat records topple, funders have committed hundreds of millions to curb methane and back green industrial policies, and the top climate foundation has a new strategy. Here’s what’s going on.
This $50 Million Funding Challenge Seeks Solutions for a Resilient and Sustainable Gulf Coast
The Gulf Futures Challenge — launched by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine through Lever for Change — aims to help the Gulf region thrive through science, engineering and medical knowledge.
Billionaire Climate Donors’ Interest in Food and Agriculture Is Surging. That’s Helped This Fund Soar
The Agroecology Fund awarded just over $10 million in its first decade. Now, with a prescient mission that appeals to many big climate donors, the regrantor’s getting new commitments at $9 million and $10 million a pop.
Summer Reading for Climate Grantmakers — and Other Funders Sweating the Heat
Looking for some summer insight on what funders can do to combat a global crisis? These four new reports offer guidance on some of the major trends within climate philanthropy.
Making the Most of Historic Federal Infrastructure Spending: Seven Funder Efforts to Note
These funds and funder collaboratives have mobilized philanthropic dollars over the past two years to leverage a geyser of federal spending. Approaches vary, but backing them are some of the nation’s biggest grantmakers.
Philanthropy’s Role in Ensuring Renewable Power Creates Good Jobs and Community Benefits
With nearly a half-trillion federal dollars coming down the pike to fund green energy, guest authors Don Howard and Matt Horton lay out three ways philanthropy can help steer that funding in an equitable direction.
Five Takeaways From a Dive Into MacKenzie Scott’s Climate Giving
The groundbreaking philanthropist isn’t particularly known as a climate funder, but she’s still one of the top givers in that space. Here’s what the data shows about what she backs.
This New Fund’s Working at the Intersection of Climate Justice and Digital Rights
Backed by the Ford Foundation and a number of other philanthropies, the Green Screen Catalyst Fund is resourcing global efforts at the intersection of two fields that funders do not often support in tandem.
Almost a Year After Launch, What Has Philanthropy’s Leading Climate Bill Implementation Effort Funded?
Major climate funders formed the now-$240 million Invest in Our Future fund to coordinate support for communities seeking federal climate and infrastructure dollars. How it’s going, and where are grants flowing so far?
Who’s Funding Efforts to Bring Climate Narratives to the Big Screen?
A new report found that fewer than one in 10 top films passes a basic climate content test. But several philanthropic avenues are emerging to challenge that status quo. Here’s a look at three of them.
What Did Philanthropy Do to Set the Stage for $27 Billion in Federal Climate Financing?
The EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund is bringing a torrent of support online for a climate transformation. Here’s how philanthropy is guiding and leveraging that funding, including toward more equitable outcomes.
A Year and a Half After Its Founder’s Passing, Robertson’s Green Program Looks Abroad
Now led by Julian Robertson’s heirs, the foundation has overhauled its environmental strategy to put money directly in the hands of local organizations outside the U.S.
Decades in the Making, a New Alliance Is Bringing Together Funds from the Global South
The funds that make up Alianza Socioambiental Fondos del Sur span the world, and all work to move money to local people. As a new era of climate funding dawns, the aim is to shift the field’s Global North-driven status quo.
Merging Trust-Based Philanthropy and VC-Style Support to Help Communities Bloom
VC investor Peter Levine backs workforce development and climate justice with a blend of trust-based practices and non-monetary support. We take a closer look at Levine Impact Lab and Southside Blooms, a Chicago-based grantee.
Funding for a Better Farm Bill Has Been Sparse and Inconsistent. Is That Changing?
Much of the country’s agriculture policy hinges on the U.S. farm bill, but related funding is limited and overly focused on the reauthorization every five years. There are, however, some major new players entering the space.
How Do Grantmakers Get Started On Climate? Here’s How One Human Rights Funder Began
Humanity United isn’t a climate funder, but it is coming to recognize just how interconnected climate issues are with its global human rights work. It’s one among many grantmakers reckoning with realities that impact every field.
How Many Green Groups Won Support in MacKenzie Scott’s First Open Call?
At least 12% of the donations made under Yield Giving’s first open call for applications went to green groups, with environmental justice a major focus. Here’s where the money went.
The Blank Family Foundation Reflects on the Past, Plans the Next Generation of Giving
The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation recently passed a major milestone — $1 billion in giving since it started in 1995. At 81, Arthur Blank looks back on years of support for democracy, the environment, Atlanta and more.
Six Questions with Ellen Dorsey, Who Helped Convince Philanthropies to Divest
The former head of the Wallace Global Fund has been one of the most successful philanthropic organizers of recent years. Here’s Dorsey on the pace of change in the sector and why “in philanthropy, we’re not just any investor.”
What Happened to Laurene Powell Jobs’ and Leonardo DiCaprio’s Once-Ambitious Green Group?
Launched with fanfare in 2019, Earth Alliance promised to ally billionaire dollars and celebrity clout against the threats of climate change and biodiversity loss. Now, the initiative is virtually defunct. Here’s what we know.
