Caldera Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Caldera Foundation invests in organizations combating climate disruption and advocating for the sustainable use of the planet’s natural resources.
IP TAKE: This foundation provides seed money and early funding to help organizations attract capital from other like-minded organizations. It likes to take risks and lacks the bureaucracy of larger foundations, allowing it to provide its grantees more support beyond funds. While it doesn’t accept unsolicited proposals, this foundation does consider networking, so contact them to briefly introduce your organization’s work in order to get on its radar. If you’re in the environmental and climate change space, this is a good funder to know, especially if you’re a smaller or mid-range sized organization.
PROFILE: The San Francisco, California-based Caldera Foundation describes itself as a “small family foundation that advances solutions to big global challenges.” The foundation seeks “to contribute, however modestly, to strategies that might help lift the world into a new era—one in which it’s understood that green is good economics and being resource-smart enhances our way of life.” Areas of grantmaking focus include environmental conservation, climate change, marine conservation and clean and sustainable energy solutions. Within it’s spaces of giving, this foundation maintains a broader approach.
Grants for Climate Change
In the climate change space, Caldera supports organizations working within a number of relevant issues such as improving communication regarding climate change, policymaking, promoting clean energy, reversing global warming, knowledge building and climate change activism.
Past climate change grantees include the Environmental Defense Fund, which received support for its Climate Corps Network; and the Union of Concerned Scientists, which received funding for its work advancing solutions to combat climate change and promote clean energy.
Grants for Environmental and Marine Conservation
Caldera’s conservation funding supports organizations that work in fields such as sustainable agriculture, land and forest protections, energy policy and green construction. It also broadly funds marine conservation. In the marine conservation space, Caldera appears to focus its grantmaking on the Pacific Ocean and water issues in Israel and Palestine.
Past conservation grantees include the Pacific Forest Trust, which received funding for its work improving forests and watersheds. The foundation has also funded the Marin Agricultural Land Trust, which received a grant for its conservation easement program.
Past marine conservation grantees include EcoPeace Middle East, which received funding for its water work in Israel and Palestine; and the Pacific Institute, which received a grant for its water, energy and climate project.
Important Grant Details:
Although the foundation awards the occasional grant of over $200,000, grant amounts typically range from $10,000 to $150,000. To learn more about the types of organizations Calder supports, explore its grants database.
The Caldera Foundation notes on its website that it does not “solicit or accept grant proposals” however, it welcomes “the chance to learn about relevant initiatives around the globe.”
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