ClimateWorks Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The ClimateWorks Foundation supports climate change efforts through various programs and grantmaking in places all around the world.
IP TAKE: Despite its refusal to accept unsolicited requests for funding, this is a fairly transparent funder that provides clear information on its grantmaking priorities and funding interests. Its website also provides detailed information on past grantees in order to give new grantseekers a better understanding of what it looks for in a partner.
ClimateWorks funds all around the world; however, certain programs prioritize some areas over others and grantseekers will want to keep this in mind when eyeballing specific programs. This is a highly competitive giving space, so plan accordingly. It’s also approachable, but given it’s size, somewhat bureaucratic, so be patient and persistent when contacting them.
While not a traditional grantmaker, it does make grants across the climate change giving landscape. Learn more about ClimateWorks with IP News.
PROFILE: Established in 2008, the ClimateWorks Foundation is a global non-governmental organization based in San Francisco, California. It is involved with collaborative climate action and made up of a team of grantmakers, researchers, strategists and facilitators. The organization aims to “end the climate crisis by amplifying the power of philanthropy.” It has granted over a billion dollars to support hundreds of organizations in dozens of countries. Grantmaking interests all revolve around climate change but extend to giving for science research, community development, the financial system, global intelligence, electric cars and other related topics. Foundation programs address carbon dioxide removal, agriculture, forests, pollutants, transportation and more.
Grants for Climate Change and Clean Energy, and Science Research
According to its website, the foundation “has granted over $1.3 billion to more than 600 grantees in over 40 countries” since 2008. Its grants support projects and organizations that are working to alleviate the climate crisis. It does this through nearly a dozen different climate change related programs.
Its Carbon Dioxide Removal program works to support and advance “a variety of carbon removal approaches to responsibly and readily remove carbon, restore the climate, and protect all living beings for generations to come.” It focuses on three distinct areas of carbon dioxide removal: natural removal, which seeks to utilize the inherent ability of trees and soil to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, technological removal, which strives to mimic the abilities of the natural world through artificial means, and ocean-based removal, which supports research into augmenting the world’s oceans’ ability to absorb carbon dioxide.
The Cooling program operates via the Clean Cooling Collaborative initiative. It focuses on helping to responsibly and sustainably cooling the planet through various processes, including support for super-efficient appliances, passive cooling such as “urban greening, shading, solar-reflective roofs, improved building envelopes, and better urban design,” climate-friendly refrigerants, and integrated solutions, including “building electrification, grid decarbonization, food safety, and access to vaccines and other life-saving medications.”
The Forests & Land Use program seeks to support organizations, projects, and policies that work to “halt and reverse forest loss, advance sustainable land use and development, and secure the rights and livelihoods of indigenous and forest communities.” It does this through several sub-initiatives, including advancing effective land use policies, supporting indigenous and traditional communities’ land rights and management, combating deforestation and land degradation, implementing strong environmental, social, and governance standards, increase the awareness of land and forest as climate solutions, advocate for natural carbon dioxide removal and capture, and advocate for healthy and sustainable protein sources. The Climate and Land Use Alliance oversees the ClimateWorks Forests & Land Use program.
The foundation’s Finance program “aims to catalyze financial and market changes that accelerate climate action” and “works in partnership with the philanthropic community to pursue multi-grant transnational strategies that target specific outcomes in the capital markets and for public finance.”
ClimateWorks also has separate programs that seek to affect changes in sectors that contribute to climate pollution, specifically industry, including cement, steel, and chemicals production, and power, ie. energy production. The Industry program works to decrease pollution from industry, which the ClimateWorks website states is responsible for “about one-third of all climate pollution.” It seeks to create and strengthen markets, increase the efficient use of materials, and advocate for clean industrial processes. The Power program focuses on “key areas that […] can accelerate the transformation of the global power sector.” It supports two distinct initiatives, Global Energy Transition, which works toward the rapid transition to clean energy in Africa, Asia, and South America, and the Clean Power Hub, which “aims to provide cutting-edge, tailored resources and services to power sector practitioners and influencers so they can support the changes necessary to achieve a low-carbon power sector.”
Grants for Community Development
The Transportation program works to generate “a sustainable, affordable, and low-carbon mobility system for people and goods movement.” To do this ClimateWorks partners with NGOs, academia, business, policymakers, consumers, and other stakeholders. The program is subdivided into support for Aviation, Maritime Shipping, and Road Transportation, each of which has its own mission and approach.
Grants for Civic Engagement
The ClimateWorks Governance & Diplomacy program supports organizations and projects that work to “strengthen global climate governance at all levels, while ensuring an equitable zero-carbon transition.” It supports efforts to advance intergovernmental cooperation and develop “socially inclusive measures” that facilitate the shift away from climate polluting forms of energy.
Grants for Sustainable Agriculture
The Food & Agriculture program seeks to support organizations and projects that advance food’s potential as a solution for climate change, particularly groups working in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and South America, and to combat climate polluting food practices. According to the ClimateWorks website, food production is responsible for 34% of greenhouse gas emissions. The program partners with NGOs, researchers, businesses, governments, and other funders.
This ClimateWorks program focuses on two priority areas: the Protein Initiative and the Food Systems Transition Initiative. The Protein Initiative “seeks to improve the greenhouse gas efficiency of conventional protein production systems, scale up the supply of low-emissions alternatives, increase consumers’ choices, and build demand for climate-friendly protein.” The Food Systems Transition Initiative coordinates
between foundations to “learn, coordinate, and act on emergent opportunities.”
Important Grant Details:
ClimateWorks grant amounts range widely from $5,000 to over $12 million; however, the most common grant amount is $100,000. It does not accept unsolicited requests for funding but occasionally announces open calls for letters of inquiry and proposals. The foundation suggests that grantseekers sign up for its newsletter to stay updated on its latest news and announcements.
New grantseekers looking to get a better understanding of the types of organizations this funder supports can check out the foundation’s searchable Grants Database.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
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