Our Genesis
In the summer of 2015, the increasing urgency and complexities of climate change prompted the David and Lucile Packard Foundation to commission a report to identify gaps in climate philanthropy efforts. The report found two major challenges.
Firstly, the incentives for funders and grantees heavily favored incremental work over transformative work. Not enough funders took leaps of faith with social innovators who proposed ideas with ambitious targets or unconventional approaches because those might be harder to measure, were outside the funder’s area of expertise, or were more likely to be met with skepticism by a board of trustees. In turn, grantees would propose and pursue only ideas they thought would align with what donors wanted. Secondly, only a small number of large funders accounted for a disproportionate share of climate philanthropy. And most of them were based in North America and Europe. This limited the diversity of people and ideas receiving philanthropic investment.
In response to these findings, we turned our attention to fields where institutions had long been systematically designed to foster large-scale ambition and transformation. We examined US government agencies such as DARPA and ARPA-E, known for their pursuit of breakthrough technologies. We also looked at the private sector’s ecosystem of angel investors, venture capital firms, incubators, and accelerators that existed to spur new business models.
Drawing inspiration from these fields and more, Packard partnered with the Oak Foundation and the Good Energies Foundation to launch the “Climate Strategies Accelerator.” The goal was to create a philanthropic support system that provides leaders with both the resources and the freedom to take risks and explore innovative strategies in their pursuit of bold, transformative climate goals.
In 2016, we began selecting individuals for the program. Two years later, we rebranded as “the Climate Breakthrough Project” with the program renamed the “Climate Breakthrough Award.” In 2023, we became “Climate Breakthrough.”
our values and commitments
Our mission is rooted in recognizing the complex and intersectional nature of climate change and the necessary need to champion efforts that not only confront environmental challenges but also root causes of injustice. Impactful climate endeavors must be intertwined with the values of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in order to forge a lasting positive impact on the planet and humanity.
We center our philanthropic program, the Climate Breakthrough Award, on redefining the power dynamic between funders and grantees and fostering more equitable relationships. We build trust and provide those we support with the agency to achieve a breakthrough mindset and bring their own expertise to the collective effort of creating a sustainable future. We provide large, flexible, multiyear grants. We are not directive about strategy. We have minimal reporting requirements. We provide tailored capacity-building support. Our selection process ensures that we support grantees of varying experiences and backgrounds, pursuing a broad array of strategies to address the climate crisis to the benefit of people across classes and borders. Internally, we work to build an equitable workplace and an inclusive culture for our staff.
We continue to evolve on this long journey with an earnest understanding that the path to betterment is infinite. Through strategic partnerships, collaborative initiatives, and a dedication to learning and growth, we are committed to living our values to create a more intersectional, compassionate, and effective response to the climate crisis.