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.

2018 Climate Change Grants

AS YOU SOW

​As You Sow (Oakland, CA) $30,000
To support the Ending Coal in the U.S. corporate engagement campaign, with a focus on coal ash waste issues, discouraging biomass conversions, carbon asset risk, utility business models, and renewable energy. 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) (Sebastapol, CA) $22,500
To support climate and agriculture policy initiatives and strengthen CalCAN's partner network. 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 (CCI) (Petaluma, CA) $22,500
To support scaling carbon farming and regenerative agriculture of working farmlands across California. CCI'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 (West Linn, OR) $25,000
To support the Pacific Northwest Forest Carbon Watch project to monitor harmful impacts of industrial forest practices, engage with policy makers, and develop innovative solutions to expand climate smart alternatives. The Center's mission is to accelerate the transition to a sustainable and just society.

City Forest Credits (previously urban forest carbon registry)

City Forest Credits (Seattle, WA) $22,500
To support 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. City Forest Credits' mission is to bring the wide range of environmental benefits of trees to our cities and towns in America.

EARTHCORPS

EarthCorps (Seattle, WA) $30,000
To support exploratory intertidal planting trials to increase sequestration and storage of atmospheric carbon using nearshore vegetation in the Qwuloot Estuary. EarthCorps' develops leaders to strengthen community and restore the health of our environment.

GEOS INSTITUTE

Geos Institute (Ashland, OR) $25,000
To support regional and national forest carbon research, as well as outreach to private landowners, policy makers, and state agencies across Washington and Oregon. Geos works to create a future where we have successfully and collaboratively addressed the systemic causes of climate change to bring about a healthy and prosperous world for people and wildlife.

Pacific Forest Trust

Pacific Forest Trust (San Francisco, CA) $32,500
To support implementation efforts of climate policies that incorporate sustainable forest management in Oregon and Washington, leveraging 25+ years of experience in California. The Trust sustains America's forests for all their public benefits of wood, water, wildlife, and people's well-being in cooperation with landowners and communities.

SIGHTLINE INSTITUTE

Sightline Institute (Seattle, WA) $40,000
​To support work to prevent new fossil fuel infrastructure in the Pacific Northwest. Sightline's mission is to make the Northwest a global model of sustainability —  strong communities, a green economy, and a healthy environment. 

Power past coal

Power Past Coal  (Seattle, WA) $40,000
To support work to ensure that no coal export terminal is built in Longview, WA. Power Past Coal is an alliance of health, environmental, faith, and community groups, and businesses working to stop coal exports through the West Coast. 

center for sustainable infrastructure (CSI)

Center for Sustainable Infrastructure (CSI) (Portland, OR) $25,000
​To support a toolkit for a bipartisan coalition of Washington State legislators working to redesign infrastructure spending to benefit communities of all sizes and types across the state. CSI champions a new paradigm and practice for sustainable infrastructure in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.