Grantham Foundation

The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment operates through both philanthropic grants and strategic investments to address climate change and environmental degradation. They focus on protecting and improving the health of the global environment through a dual approach of funding environmental advocacy, applied research into climate solutions, and investing in entrepreneurs building green industries and technologies.

Their mission is to protect and conserve the natural environment, with communication and collaboration as top priorities to build widespread public support for preventing catastrophic climate change. The Foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) private foundation with five Grantham family trustees, while also working through The Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham Environmental Trust, a public charity with independent trustees from major environmental organizations including Rare, The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund US, and Rocky Mountain Institute.

Established by Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham, the Foundation plays a significant role in the environmental ecosystem by addressing what they identify as humanity's greatest challenge - climate change and the race against time to avoid existential threats. Their impact matters because they recognize that environmental philanthropic resources are immense compared to available funding, making strategic alliances and targeted investments in both advocacy and technological innovation crucial for preventing catastrophic environmental change.

The Grantham Foundation employs a dual strategy combining philanthropic grants and strategic investments to maximize environmental impact. They make grants to journalists, NGOs, and scientists to drive advocacy and research, while simultaneously investing in entrepreneurs and firms building green industries and sustainable systems. Their approach recognizes that both environmental advocacy and applied research rely mainly on philanthropic and governmental funding, while innovation and commercialization of new technologies require investment capital.

The Foundation focuses on supporting organizations and initiatives that can accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels and toward sustainable practices, with particular emphasis on solutions that can be implemented quickly given the urgency of climate threats. They define impact through their mission to protect and conserve the natural environment, prioritizing projects that can help prevent catastrophic climate change and reverse global environmental degradation through technological breakthroughs and widespread behavioral change.