Supporting highly-impactful, evidence-based solutions to the triple challenge of climate change, air pollution and energy poverty.

The Founders Pledge Climate Change Fund exists to leverage each dollar and fund the most effective, neglected climate solutions.
 
Climate change is an incredibly complex problem borne out of how we produce and consume energy; it's intertwined with challenges of economic development, energy poverty, and emissions-fueled air pollution. It is an environmental and humanitarian crisis we must urgently address. 

We aim to take a holistic approach that recognizes the global nature of this challenge and the fact that, despite its urgency, we are still in the early days of climate action. We address the worst-case scenarios of climate damage, and look for solutions that can reduce current carbon emissions and accelerate the transition to clean energy to meet global demand, especially in developing countries. Through the Fund, we:

- Accelerate innovation in neglected technologies
- Catalytically grow the most effective climate organizations
- Promote policy leadership and paradigm shaping

### Our Approach to Grantmaking
When evaluating potential grants, we consider several key points:

- **Counterfactual impact.** Our grants are designed to create a meaningful outcome that would not otherwise have happened. This means that you can rely on the Funds to create meaningful, real change, rather than just maintaining the status quo.
- **Impact-driven philanthropy.** This fund prioritizes the highest-impact solutions to challenges. We assess where the gaps are, which opportunities may be neglected by other funders, and where the biggest wins are in terms of making the biggest difference.
- **The organization’s funding gap.** Not all organizations are set up to scale up their programming and many can’t productively absorb large amounts of unsolicited funding. We evaluate all potential grantees’ capacity for growth and consider how much money they could put to good use.
- **Organizational strength.** Particularly with unrestricted funding, it’s important to have trust in the leadership and capacity of the organizations we support. We look at their track record of success and their transparency about failures as well as successes, and we only support those organizations which are exceptionally well run.
- **Time-critical opportunities and funding certainty.** While Founders Pledge members give to our top climate charities regularly, sometimes there are time-critical opportunities which require fast decisions. We will use the Fund to make grants that enable such short-term opportunities and stability for high-impact funding opportunities thereby increasing the impact compared to individual giving to specific organizations.
- **Portfolio approach.** Because most climate damage comes from particular severe outcomes – with a world of 4 degrees of warming being much worse than twice as bad as a world with 2 degrees – and because every particular strategy – such as energy innovation – might underdeliver, we pursue a portfolio approach to maximize positive impact. This means we will diversify our bets in ways that, when one approach fails (such as energy innovation), the others we promote (such as carbon removal) can be expected to be particularly important and still available.

### Frequently-Asked Questions

**Can charities apply for money from the Fund?**
The Funds do not generally accept applications from charities, and we request that charities do not send unsolicited applications for funding. If the Fund Managers choose to open up an application round, this will be publicized. 

**How frequently will you make grants from the Fund?**
In general, Fund Managers will review grantmaking decisions on a quarterly basis. Decisions will be made based on the value of Funds and the available options for high-impact grantmaking. We may disburse funds outside of quarterly review dates if we become aware of a particularly promising and time-sensitive funding.

**How will my contribution be used?**
All funds are granted out. The Fund is not an investment vehicle. The Fund does not use any percentage of contributions to cover staff time or other overhead costs. Every dollar contributed to the Fund will be used to make grants directly to end-user organizations creating a real difference.

### More Questions?

To learn more about the Founders Pledge Climate Change Fund, please visit [founderspledge.com](https://founderspledge.com/funds/climate-change-fund) or email the Fund Managers at [funds@founderspledge.com](mailto:funds@founderspledge.com).

Founders Pledge: Climate Change Fund

ADI is an independent, non-partisan organization that conducts global investigations to promote accountability and good governance

Advance Democracy Inc

Be Chaikuni, Protect the Amazon. Empowering a life affirming movement.

“Our name invokes the Amazonian legend that tells of invisible protector spirits of the forest, called the Chaikuni by the indigenous Shipibo-Conibo people.”

The name of The Chaikuni Institute has its origin in the tradition of the Shipibo-Conibo indigenous people, and honours indigenous traditions and promotes mechanisms to protect cultures, cosmovisions and indigenous territories in the Peruvian Amazon.

Shipibo-Conibo mythology tells of the Chaikuni, beings who committed themselves to the protection of the rainforest and to life itself as they transitioned into the spirit realms. According to ancient knowledge, these Rainforest guardians live in invisible communities and can appear and disappear at will. The modern-day Shipibo still see the Chaikuni, feel their presence and hear them passing by at certain times of the day.

For indigenous peoples, their territory is their world and their way of life is intimately connected with other beings in the forest. Through mythology, ancestral teachings and knowledge are transmitted. Indigenous peoples’ cosmovisions – a particular way of seeing the world and of being connected with other beings, are key to understanding the present and formulating a common future.

“It is with deep respect for the Shipibo people that we have named our organisation The Chaikuni Institute. The Chaikuni, ancestors of the indigenous Shipibo people and spiritual guardians of the Peruvian Amazon, actively serve the well-being of this great rainforest on energetic and spiritual levels that are not recognized by the modern world. In community with the spirits of the plants, trees, and, animals, they provide a priceless repository of spiritual, medicinal, and ecological services not only for local tribes but for the rest of the world. We are honored to be aligned with and guided by the Chaikuni in our service to the source of creation.”

– Matthew Watherston, Founder of Chaikuni Institute & Temple of The Way Of Light

Chaikuni Institute

Bringing music across the planet to those who need it most. Can music change the world? We believe it can.

Keys of Change is a charity formed by individuals who deeply believe that playing music can make this world a better place. Keys of Change aims to advance the lives of children and young people around the world through musical education and access to live classical music performances. The charity was set up in early 2011 by the international concert pianist Panos Karan, who works with three other trustees, all involved in music and/or education, and a growing number of committed volunteers in many countries.  ​ Over the past years, Keys of Change has brought classical music, often for the first time, to deprived or suffering audiences, in remote areas of the Amazon basin, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Kolkata and the tsunami-ravaged Fukushima area in Japan, as well as in Greece, Russia and London. Our music has brought alive emotions - fascination, happiness, tears of sadness – and generated hope and encouragement.  Wherever we go to perform, we also set up and fund musical education projects, working in conjunction with local music teachers. In Ecuador, we organise weekly guitar lessons for young people from deprived backgrounds. In Uganda and Sierra Leone, we have provided instruments and music lessons. In Fukushima and India, we have made regular visits to work with young musicians to improve their playing, and give them the opportunity to perform in joint concerts with Keys of Change musicians. In the case of Fukushima this culminated in the founding of the Fukushima Youth Sinfonietta, and organising for up to 50 young Japanese musicians to travel to London, to give a concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in April 2014, to Tokyo, performing at Tokyo Opera City in August 2015, and Symphony Hall, Boston, in April 2016.

Keys of Change

A volunteer-driven charity committed to empowering those in our community who are affected by cancer.

SOUL RYEDERS is a volunteer-driven charitable organization, based in Westchester County, NY, committed to empowering those in our community who are affected by cancer.  From diagnosis through treatment, recovery and survivorship, we offer practical resources and nurturing support services that provide dignity, confidence, hope, and compassion.

Soul Ryeders

Supports highly-impactful, evidence-based solutions to the challenges of global poverty and inequality.

The Global Health & Development Fund addresses the vast inequalities in health, wealth, and opportunity.

While many people alive today can expect to have greater wealth than generations before us, millions of people live in poverty, and billions more struggle to get by. They may lack access to basic healthcare and vaccinations, making them far more vulnerable to deadly diseases, or to quality education, which strengthens their economic future. These are complex, but not unsolvable, problems. Researchers, advocates, and organizations around the world are working to scale up solutions to these problems. By taking a thoughtful, evidence-based approach to philanthropy that accelerates the best of these solutions, we can do immense good.

The Founders Pledge Global Health and Development Fund identifies and supports highly-impactful and neglected development initiatives. By pooling donations and collaborating with other funding and research organizations, this Fund allows individuals to make contributions when and where they will have the largest impact. We aim to:

- Significantly improve the lives of the world's most vulnerable people;
- Eliminate deaths from easily preventable disease;
- Support sustainable, systemic change.

### Our Approach to Grantmaking

When evaluating potential grants, we consider several key points:

- **Counterfactual impact**. Our grants are designed to create a meaningful outcome that would not otherwise have happened. This means that you can rely on the Funds to create meaningful, real change, rather than just maintaining the status quo.
- **Impact-driven philanthropy**. This fund prioritizes the highest-impact solutions to challenges. We assess where the gaps are, which opportunities may be neglected by other funders, and where the biggest wins are in terms of making the biggest difference.
-  **The organization’s funding gap**. Not all organizations are set up to scale up their programming and some may not be able to productively absorb large amounts of unsolicited funding at any given point. We evaluate all potential grantees’ capacity for growth and consider how much money they could put to good use.
-  **Organizational strength**. Particularly with unrestricted funding, it’s important to have trust in the leadership and capacity of the organizations we support. We look at their track record of success and their transparency about failures as well as successes, and we only support those organizations which are exceptionally well run.
- **Time-critical opportunities and funding certainty**. While Founders Pledge members give to our top climate charities regularly, sometimes there are time-critical opportunities which require fast decisions. We will use the Fund to make grants that enable such short-term opportunities and stability for high-impact funding opportunities thereby increasing the impact compared to individual giving to specific organizations.

### Frequently-Asked Questions

**Can charities apply for money from the Fund?**

The Funds do not generally accept applications from charities, and we request that charities do not send unsolicited applications for funding. If the Fund Managers choose to open up an application round, this will be publicized. 

**How frequently will you make grants from the Fund?**

In general, Fund Managers will review grantmaking decisions on a quarterly basis. Decisions will be made based on the value of Funds and the available options for high-impact grantmaking. We may disburse funds outside of quarterly review dates if we become aware of a particularly promising and time-sensitive funding.

**How will my contribution be used?**

All funds are granted out. The Fund is not an investment vehicle. The Fund does not use any percentage of contributions to cover staff time or other overhead costs. Every dollar contributed to the Fund will be used to make grants directly to end-user organizations creating a real difference.

### More Questions?

To learn more about the Founders Pledge Global Health and Development Fund, please visit [founderspledge.com](https://founderspledge.com/funds/global-health-and-development-fund) or email the Fund Managers at [funds@founderspledge.com](mailto:funds@founderspledge.com).

Founders Pledge: Global Health & Development Fund

Advance civil and human rights for Asian Americans and to build and promote a fair and equitable society for all.

We fight for civil and human rights and work to empower Asian Americans to participate in our democracy. The mission of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC is to advance civil and human rights for Asian Americans and to build and promote a fair and equitable society for all.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice - AAJC

Working to make a free, world-class education available for anyone, anywhere with remote learning resources.

For every student,
every classroom.
Real results.
We’re a nonprofit with the mission to provide a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere.

Personalized learning -  Students practice at their own pace, first filling in gaps in their understanding and then accelerating their learning.
Trusted content - Created by experts, Khan Academy’s library of trusted, standards-aligned practice and lessons covers math K-12 through early college, grammar, science, history, AP®, SAT®, and more. It’s all free for learners and teachers.
Tools to empower teachers - With Khan Academy, teachers can identify gaps in their students’ understanding, tailor instruction, and meet the needs of every student.


Khan Academy

Delivering unconditional cash directly to the world's poorest households via secure mobile transfers. 

Since 2009, GiveDirectly has delivered more than $580 million in unconditional cash transfers to families in need. These one-time cash transfers allow recipients to invest in what they need most and have been shown to improve their earnings, children’s school attendance, health, nutrition, and mental well-being.
 
GiveDirectly uses government data to target villages where most or all residents are living in extreme poverty, defined by the World Bank as earning under $2.15/day. In-country GiveDirectly staff enroll one member of each household in the entire village to receive a one-time transfer of about $1,000 USD sent in two installments using mobile money. Recipients can then withdraw the mobile funds as cash with local agents and use the funds to invest in what they need – whether it’s on starting a business, education, making their home safer/sturdier, healthcare, or livestock.
 
GiveDirectly uses rigorous experimental research (randomized controlled trials) to measure the impact of their unconditional cash programs and answer public policy questions, generating evidence on key design and implementation questions across varied contexts. You can find over 300 studies on the positive impacts of cash transfers in GiveDirectly’s Cash Research Explorer.

GiveDirectly

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Mainly focused on climate change at present. 8/8/21

founder @ camp.org, expa.com, uber.com & mix.com

Indigenous Woman. Aspiring Regenerative Human. Actor. Activist 

Engineering @ Every.org. I believe we can all do good together.

Co-founder & CTO @ Every.org. Especially excited by small nonprofits doing big things for underprivileged people and our planet.

Advisor, co-founder & ex-COO of Every.org. We're all connected in this world and nonprofits help with healing.

I'm "Offsetting" all past carbon emissions by supporting the most impactful environmental charities. Thanks @Founders

Regenerative farming is the answer to so many of our problems and the problems faced by Original People’s. It can provide food sovereignty and economic security while healing the soil! Love the work of Chaikuni Institute, please support!

It definitely does not feel like politicians, especially at the national level, reflect the people they are supposedly representing.

My heart breaks for the violence against Asian elders these days. I hope we find room in our hearts to promote racial justice for all. 

My kid benefits a lot from Khan Kids education materials. 

Giving directly is a surest way to ensure that the most vulnerable members of our society are receiving the help they need during these challenging times.