Regenerative Agriculture Is Having a Moment. Here's How the Rockefeller Foundation's Pitching In

Regenerative Agriculture Is Having a Moment. Here's How the Rockefeller Foundation's Pitching In

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.

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How Philanthropy Might Surprise Us in 2023

How Philanthropy Might Surprise Us in 2023

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.

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What Have Philanthropies Pledged So Far During the UN Climate Summit?

What Have Philanthropies Pledged So Far During the UN Climate Summit?

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.

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Climate Funding Surged Last Year Thanks to Pledges from Billionaires and Major Foundations

Climate Funding Surged Last Year Thanks to Pledges from Billionaires and Major Foundations

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.

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Climate Philanthropy Has a New Power Couple in Steve and Connie Ballmer

Climate Philanthropy Has a New Power Couple in Steve and Connie Ballmer

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.

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Electrify Equitably: Philanthropic Partnership Centers Frontline Communities in Decarbonization

Electrify Equitably: Philanthropic Partnership Centers Frontline Communities in Decarbonization

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.

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The Great Patagonia Giveaway: The Good News and the Bad News

The Great Patagonia Giveaway: The Good News and the Bad News

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.

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The Rockefeller Foundation Is Going All-In on Climate Change. Could Others Follow?

The Rockefeller Foundation Is Going All-In on Climate Change. Could Others Follow?

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?

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Summer Reading for Climate Philanthropists (and Other Earth-Based Funders)

Summer Reading for Climate Philanthropists (and Other Earth-Based Funders)

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.

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Eight Things to Know About a Legendary British Investor’s Climate-Focused Philanthropy

Eight Things to Know About a Legendary British Investor’s Climate-Focused Philanthropy

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.

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Five Things John Doerr’s Book Tells Us About His Climate Philanthropy and Politics

Five Things John Doerr’s Book Tells Us About His Climate Philanthropy and Politics

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.

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More Funders Are Digging Agriculture These Days. This New Affinity Group Is Digging Deep

More Funders Are Digging Agriculture These Days. This New Affinity Group Is Digging Deep

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.

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What Do Gates, Zuckerberg and Company Have in Common? An Obsession with “Breakthroughs”

What Do Gates, Zuckerberg and Company Have in Common? An Obsession with “Breakthroughs”

Billionaire tech donors like chasing “breakthroughs,” especially when it comes to their climate giving. What does this oft-repeated nomenclature say about their mindset—and what’s missing from their philanthropy?

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Here’s the Problem with John and Ann Doerr’s $1.1 Billion Climate Gift to Stanford University

Here’s the Problem with John and Ann Doerr’s $1.1 Billion Climate Gift to Stanford University

Billionaire venture capitalist John Doerr and his wife, Ann, made a record-breaking gift for a new climate school at Stanford. Climate funding on this level is needed, but is an elite institution really the best destination for it?

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Good Reporting on Science and Health Is Becoming Ever More Vital. Who’s Supporting It?

Good Reporting on Science and Health Is Becoming Ever More Vital. Who’s Supporting It?

Threats like pandemics and climate change underscore the crucial importance of accurate science and health reporting. Here are some of the funders supporting journalists in that work.

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How the Billionaire Sobrato Family Got Started in Climate Philanthropy

How the Billionaire Sobrato Family Got Started in Climate Philanthropy

The Silicon Valley real estate clan recently issued a slate of grants to address the climate crisis, joining a growing list of billionaire donors and family philanthropists. We take a look at how they got started and chose their focus.

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Seven Things to Know from a Conversation with John and Timi Sobrato

Seven Things to Know from a Conversation with John and Timi Sobrato

Their family’s fortune is estimated at nearly $6 billion, and their philanthropy is starting to accelerate. Here’s what John and Timi Sobrato have to say about what drives their giving, the Giving Pledge, DAFs, and more.

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Seven Questions with Helen Mountford, President and CEO of ClimateWorks Foundation

Seven Questions with Helen Mountford, President and CEO of ClimateWorks Foundation

The international climate intermediary fund has a new leader who envisions some “shifts and accelerations” for the grantmaker. We spoke with her about those plans and more.

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Nine Questions with Tamara Toles O’Laughlin, CEO of Environmental Grantmakers Association

Nine Questions with Tamara Toles O’Laughlin, CEO of Environmental Grantmakers Association

A former director at 350.org has come back to philanthropy with a mission to reshape relations between philanthropy and the field. Hear how she’s pursuing those goals at the Environmental Grantmakers Association.

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Transit Groups and Allies Ask Philanthropy to Step Up Movement Support at a Critical Moment

Transit Groups and Allies Ask Philanthropy to Step Up Movement Support at a Critical Moment

To make the most of new federal infrastructure funding, urban mobility groups argue that philanthropy needs to back a full spectrum of clean transportation options—not just vehicle electrification.

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