Climate Change

Goals and Strategies

Climate change poses a significant global threat, one which we are addressing by striving to ensure an equitable, resilient, habitable, and enjoyable world for current and future generations. While our work is focused on climate change, we believe in the value of ecosystems services and in the stability and resiliency of healthy natural systems. We also believe it is essential that the cost of externalities be incorporated into lifestyle, policy, and business considerations.

Approach

As a small funder addressing an enormous issue, we aim to make grants that offer potential for leverage and scalability — as well as “opportunistic” grants where our ability to move quickly may positively impact a project’s outcome. We are particularly interested in policy and research work, demonstration projects, and finding ways to address critical gaps. We are also interested in expanding our own learning (we are not experts, nor do we aspire to be).

Why Take This Approach?

We believe in persistence and prefer to invest in ongoing work with a long-term focus. Although our grants operate on a one-year cycle, we take a partnership approach to our grantmaking and prefer to support organizations and projects that take a long-term view and can demonstrate progress toward goals each year. We are also interested in projects that have the potential to be self-sustaining in the long run.

Guidelines

Currently, our grantmaking is focused on efforts to hasten the demise of coal, and on work that increases the abilities of the forests, agricultural lands, and estuaries of the Pacific Northwest to sequester carbon. We are looking to support leverageable, measurable work focused on:

• Regenerative biological systems that influence the carbon cycle (“biocarbon”)
• ​Reducing dependency on fossil fuels, and promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency.  

Priority Will Be Given To:

• Programs in Washington and Oregon. Although we may occasionally fund projects outside of the Pacific Northwest at the family’s discretion, we will not actively seek partnerships outside of the region.
• Work that engages diverse stakeholders and builds strong strategic coalitions of historically uncommon partners.
• Work that has the potential to leverage our relatively small contributions into outsized impact through policy change, market forces, or other mechanisms.
• Work that has a demonstrated need for our support and can use our dollars as leverage.
• Work that is measurable, has a demonstrable impact, and results in tangible outcomes.
• Proven ideas and programs well-grounded in widely accepted science.

The Climate Change Program Will Not Fund:

• Organizations that lack strong leadership, are inefficient, fail to partner with others where appropriate, or have a poor reputation among peers.
•  Projects without a demonstrated need for our support: e.g. projects that could easily get the same funding from larger funders, the market, or government.
• Work that runs contrary to widely accepted science or ignores science entirely.
• Unleveraged/unscalable/one-off projects that don’t include plans for expansion, education, or other leverage. We don’t want to subsidize short-term thinking.

We will occasionally make grants for work falling outside of these stated guidelines at the family’s request.

2017 Climate Change Grants

AS YOU SOW

​As You Sow (CA) $30,000
To support the Ending Coal in the U.S. corporate engagement campaign focused on moving coal-fired electric utilities to business models that embrace large-scale uptake of renewable energy and energy efficiency. As You Sow's mission is to promote environmental and social corporate responsibility through shareholder advocacy, coalition building, and innovative legal strategies.

CALIFORNIA CLIMATE AND AGRICULTURE NETWORK (CALCAN)

California Climate and Agriculture Network (CalCAN) (CA) $15,000
To support scaling up of agriculture's climate solutions. CalCAN is is a statewide coalition that advances state and federal policy to realize the powerful climate solutions offered by sustainable and organic agriculture.

CARBON CYCLE INSTITUTE

Carbon Cycle Institute (CA) $15,000
To scale carbon farming and regenerative agriculture. The Institute's mission is to stop and reverse climate global change by advancing science-based solutions that reduce atmospheric carbon while promoting environmental stewardship, social equity and economic sustainability. ​

CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY

Center for Sustainable Economy (OR) $20,000
General operating support. The Center's mission is to speed the transition to a sustainable society.

EARTHCORPS

EarthCorps (WA) $30,000
To support exploratory intertidal planting trials to increase sequestration and storage of atmospheric carbon using nearshore vegetation.. EarthCorps' mission is to build a global community of leaders through local environmental service.

GEOS INSTITUTE

Geos Institute (OR) $20,000
To support work on increasing the capacity of Oregon and Washington forests to sequester carbon by completing forest carbon inventories. Geos’ mission is to use science to help people predict, reduce, and prepare for climate change.

Pacific Forest Trust

Pacific Forest Trust (CA) $30,000
General operating support. PFT’s mission is to conserve and sustain America’s forest landscapes using incentive-based strategies to safeguard privately owned forests. ​

Power Past Coal

Power Past Coal (WA) $40,000
​To support efforts to end coal exports through the Pacific Northwest.

SIGHTLINE INSTITUTE

Sightline Institute (WA) $40,000
​To support research into the economics of coal exports and the environmental implications of the international coal trade. Sightline's mission is to make the Northwest a global model of sustainability—strong communities, a green economy, and a healthy environment.

URBAN FOREST CARBON REGISTRY

Urban Forest Carbon Registry (WA) $20,000
To support the development of an urban forest carbon registry so that urban forests can sequester more carbon and deliver more of their documented ecosystem services to the increasing numbers of people who live in cities and towns.

WASHINGTON ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL

Washington Environmental Council  (WA) $10,000
To support to support the Growing Our Future campaign that aims to move at least one million acres of private forestland into a more sustainable model of forest management. WEC's mission is to protect, restore, and sustain Washington's environment.