May 30, 2023 Universities Get Big Bucks, Climate Does Not. But Recent Gifts Show Growing Crossover May 30, 2023/ Michael Kavate Does a series of recent awards for climate-related university projects suggest a promising fundraising trend amid a planetary crisis, or is this just a case of more of the same?Read More
May 22, 2023 These Five Green Grantmakers May Not Be Massive, But They're Influential May 22, 2023/ Michael Kavate Billionaires may increasingly dominate environmental philanthropy, but small grantmakers still have sway. Here’s a handful whose influence extends beyond what their modest grantmaking might suggest.Read More
April 24, 2023 Spring Reading for a Cleaner Planet: Five New Resources on Climate Philanthropy April 24, 2023/ Michael Kavate With spring in the air, here’s some recently released reading material on climate giving, with an emphasis on how funders can clean up their act when it comes to their investments.Read More
April 18, 2023 A Look at The Russell Family Foundation’s Ongoing Journey to Net Zero April 18, 2023/ Kathleen Simpson, Guest Contributor What does it take for a foundation to commit to net zero? Guest author Kathleen Simpson, CEO of The Russell Family Foundation, walks us through what that process has been like so far.Read More
April 10, 2023 A Conversation with Caitlyn Fox, CZI’s Climate Lead and First-Ever Employee April 10, 2023/ Michael Kavate Caitlyn Fox, who heads the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s nascent climate portfolio, joined us to talk about why CZI’s focusing on carbon dioxide removal, what it’s looking for in grantees, and what lies ahead.Read More
March 30, 2023 Managing the Risks of Climate Tech Moonshots March 30, 2023/ Bruce Boyd and Loren McArthur, Guest Contributors Philanthropists have begun to recognize that tech moonshots may be essential for reckoning with the climate crisis. Guest authors Bruce Boyd and Loren McArthur outline how we can avoid harmful unintended consequences.Read More
March 29, 2023 Looking for Climate Philanthropy Data? Here Are Some Places to Turn March 29, 2023/ Michael Kavate There are several resources out there that track climate grantmaking, from overview reports to decades-old databases. The best are reserved for funders, but there’s a growing number of public sources. Check out our list.Read More
March 21, 2023 For Real Climate Justice, Philanthropy Must Support the Front Lines, Fund Early and Fund Big March 21, 2023/ Supriya Lopez Pillai, Guest Contributor Even as climate justice groups remain underfunded, the restorative work they’re engaged in grows ever more urgent. Guest author Supriya Lopez Pillai says now is the time for funders to commit to more transformative approaches.Read More
January 23, 2023 Regenerative Agriculture Is Having a Moment. Here's How the Rockefeller Foundation's Pitching In January 23, 2023/ Martha Ramirez With a new slate of grants, Rockefeller wants to scale up holistic agriculture practices to improve food production systems, mitigate climate change and help the planet heal — all while empowering Indigenous people.Read More
January 11, 2023 How Philanthropy Might Surprise Us in 2023 January 11, 2023/ Philip Rojc Philanthropy can be a bit stodgy, but especially in recent years, the sector has kept us guessing. Here are a few ways philanthropy might surprise us in 2023 — some good, some not so good.Read More
November 14, 2022 What Have Philanthropies Pledged So Far During the UN Climate Summit? November 14, 2022/ Michael Kavate This year’s United Nations climate summit, known as COP27, has played host to a number of philanthropic announcements, some more substantive than others. Here’s a breakdown.Read More
October 31, 2022 Climate Funding Surged Last Year Thanks to Pledges from Billionaires and Major Foundations October 31, 2022/ Michael Kavate A new report from ClimateWorks Foundation shows a 25% increase in philanthropic support for climate change mitigation between 2020 and 2021. It’s a welcome development, but the momentum must continue.Read More
October 21, 2022 Climate Philanthropy Has a New Power Couple in Steve and Connie Ballmer October 21, 2022/ Michael Kavate A $217 million commitment from the Ballmer Group marks the mega-donors’ first foray into climate giving. With the couple’s son Sam Ballmer taking the lead, big grants are already starting to flow.Read More
October 17, 2022 Electrify Equitably: Philanthropic Partnership Centers Frontline Communities in Decarbonization October 17, 2022/ Laurie Mazur, Guest Contributor There’s a lot to be gained by reducing emissions from buildings. But there’s also a big risk of leaving those most impacted behind. Guest contributor Laurie Mazur profiles a new fund working to make sure that doesn’t happen.Read More
September 19, 2022 The Great Patagonia Giveaway: The Good News and the Bad News September 19, 2022/ Philip Rojc Is Yvon Chouinard’s giveaway of the company he founded something to celebrate or worry about? As is often the case with billionaire mega-giving, maybe it’s a little bit of both.Read More
July 29, 2022 The Rockefeller Foundation Is Going All-In on Climate Change. Could Others Follow? July 29, 2022/ Michael Kavate Coming from one of the nation’s most storied philanthropies, founded on oil wealth, this announcement has symbolic heft. Will Rockefeller’s bolder stance encourage others to take up the mantle of climate funder?Read More
July 18, 2022 Summer Reading for Climate Philanthropists (and Other Earth-Based Funders) July 18, 2022/ Michael Kavate They might not exactly be beach reads, but these five resources on climate philanthropy are worth a look this summer — both for those already focused on climate giving and those just wading in.Read More
July 11, 2022 Eight Things to Know About a Legendary British Investor’s Climate-Focused Philanthropy July 11, 2022/ Michael Kavate Three years ago, Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham committed 98% of their roughly $1 billion investing fortune to climate action. Here’s where the money’s been going so far.Read More
May 23, 2022 Five Things John Doerr’s Book Tells Us About His Climate Philanthropy and Politics May 23, 2022/ Michael Kavate John Doerr’s star is rising as a climate mega-donor after a recent $1.1 billion donation to Stanford. In this review of his latest book, “Speed & Scale,” we look at what’s informing his climate giving — and what he’s leaving out.Read More
May 10, 2022 More Funders Are Digging Agriculture These Days. This New Affinity Group Is Digging Deep May 10, 2022/ Michael Kavate Funders for Regenerative Agriculture, or FORA, has seen membership shoot up over the past two years. Its growth reflects burgeoning interest in agriculture across philanthropy.Read More