Since 2016, we have supported some of the world’s most visionary strategists in swiftly and justly closing the gap between the world today and a sustainable future. Climate Breakthrough Awardees know what is required to win. Through the Climate Breakthrough Award program, we have helped reshape the global landscape of climate solutions by backing high-ambition, high-gain initiatives—not incremental ones centered on near-term success. These are initiatives that could significantly reduce global annual greenhouse gas emissions, affect entire industries or regions of the world, and materially change the lives of tens of millions of people within ten years of launch.
Their initiatives span a wide range of efforts, from accelerating clean energy adoption to fostering grassroots activism that mobilizes thousands of communities. They have focused on overcoming entrenched barriers in economic systems and cultural norms, creating new frameworks for international climate policy and collaboration, and supporting decision makers to set ambitious targets. Furthermore, we have helped catalyze the development of emerging and underexplored climate action strategies, such as climate litigation, building electrification, and reimagining the role of insurance. Ambitious concepts, like the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty and capping oil consumption in countries like China, took root within our program.
But beyond choosing who and what we support through our philanthropy, we are aiming to redefine philanthropy itself through how we support. Bold philanthropy thrives on risk and ambition. We have evidence that the structure of our philanthropic program fosters an environment where bold, transformative ideas can take root and grow. We find that this approach not only benefits our grantees to dream big, but also pushes us as a funder to embrace high-ambition, high-gain opportunities with greater confidence. Our grant model has been cited multiple times as an example of an exciting platform to support, such as here and here. Through what we call Philanthropy Forward, we’re sharing these insights to inspire the broader philanthropic sector.