OVERVIEW: The Sequoia Climate Foundation supports climate change and clean energy, sustainable agriculture, and environmental justice.
IP TAKE: Sequoia Climate Foundation is one of the heavyweight players in climate philanthropy. Its first grants in 2020 immediately put it among the world’s top climate funders, and its giving has only accelerated since. In a statement to Inside Philanthropy, Sequoia president Christie Ulman wrote, “We have a lot of ambition as an organization and our portfolio, as you have seen, is growing, and we hope it continues to grow. It’s not a spend-down institution.”
So far, its biggest bets have gone largely to major intermediaries and regrantors, including the European Climate Foundation. As IP climate reporter Michael Kavate has noted, some in the field worry that Sequoia has favored “the field’s longtime favorites” rather than moving large sums directly to frontline groups. Still, the foundation’s strategy continues to evolve. Sequoia president Christie Ulman has emphasized that the foundation is ambitious, growing and “not a spend-down institution.”
For grantseekers, Sequoia is a tough door to open. It does not accept unsolicited proposals, and its website offers only selected grantee examples, not a full grants database. The strongest prospects are organizations and coalitions that can show fast, measurable emissions reductions; policy or market leverage; cost-effectiveness; and the ability to operate at scale. Warm pathways through trusted climate intermediaries, regrantors and coalitions are likely the best route in for the most patient and ready to act.
PROFILE: Established in 2020 and based in Irvine, CA, the Sequoia Climate Foundation “believes in a world powered by clean energy, where all people are protected by policies that have averted the worst effects of climate change.” An offshoot of Wellspring Philanthropic Fund, it is one of the largest organizations working in climate change philanthropy. While Sequoia’s funding source has not been formally confirmed, it’s widely believed that Sequoia’s benefactor is C. Frederick Taylor, a low-profile hedge fund billionaire who is also the main funder behind the Wellspring Philanthropic Fund. All contributions to Sequoia come from an anonymous LLC, Twenty-One Holdings, that also regularly contributes to Wellspring.
The foundation seeks to support “ambitious organizations and coalitions catalyzing rapid emissions reductions, transforming global markets, and accelerating the transition to clean energy around the world.”
Grants for Climate Mitigation, Clean Energy and a Just Transition
The Sequoia Climate Foundation describes one overarching climate grantmaking approach, not separate public programs. It says its grantmaking framework considers speed, scale, cost and probability of success. It supports representative grants across clean energy, climate policy, super pollutants, climate finance, energy efficiency, transition planning, environmental justice and movement/intermediary infrastructure.
Sequoia says it supports grantees working across key regions and sectors to achieve near-term climate mitigation impact and long-term success. It focuses on strategies, tactics and geographies where grantees can catalyze rapid emissions reductions and accelerate the clean-energy transition globally.
Clean Energy Transition / Energy Efficiency
Grants include the Southeast Asia Energy Transition Partnership, which supports Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines through technical advice, renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable infrastructure; the International Energy Agency’s energy efficiency work; and the Energy Systems Integration Group’s work on grid transformation and energy systems integration.
Climate finance, markets and private-sector transition planning
Sequoia self-description includes “transforming global markets.” Representative grants include support for the Transition Plan Taskforce, whose mission is to establish best-practice guidance for private-sector climate transition plans and support international norms; Sequoia says it supports organizations that transform markets, identify evidence-based private-sector emissions solutions and advance policies for a just clean-energy transition.
Environmental justice and equitable clean energy
Sequoia’s guiding principles state that underserved and marginalized communities globally have been hit hardest by climate change and that belonging and people are central to its work. A representative grant to the Climate and Clean Energy Equity Fund supported leadership, organizing, policy, communications capacity and power-building among communities of color through policy and communications accelerators.
Super climate pollutants
Sequoia’s representative grant to the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development supports work on non-CO2 greenhouse gases, including methane, hydrofluorocarbons and perfluorocarbons. Sequoia also joined a philanthropic commitment of $450 million announced at COP28 to deepen investment in super climate pollutants, with most funding designated for methane abatement and the rest for fluorinated gases, nitrous oxide, black carbon and ground-level ozone.
Equitable energy transition & collaborative
In 2022, Sequoia was listed among philanthropies committing $500 million over three years to accelerate a just and equitable energy transition in low- and middle-income countries, with support for government, civil society and multi-donor efforts; the announcement emphasized technical assistance, renewable energy scale-up, fossil fuel transition, capacity building, and civil society participation. This area does not have an open grant application pathway. Rather, Sequoia participates in major collaborative commitments in this vein.
Sequoia emphasizes that it supports groups and projects that address climate change’s disproportionate impact on “underserved communities and at-risk global populations, including communities of color.”
It has supported organizations around the world, including $39 million in 2023 and $15 million in 2024 to the European Climate Foundation, where Sequoia’s president, Christie Ulman, serves on the supervisory board, $19 million to Energy Transition Fund, and $13 million to Meliore Foundation, the Belgium-based group for climate education.
Additional grantees include ClimateWorks, Tara Climate, Energy Transition Fund, Instituto Clima e Sociedade, and the Energy Foundation. Climate justice grantees included Climate Justice Alliance, Green New Deal Network, and Climate and Clean Energy Equity Fund. Policy recipients included the Center for American Progress and CLASP.
Important Grant Details:
Sequoia’s giving continues to grow each year. In 2022, it gave out $180 million in grants, $257 million in 2023, and $305 million in 2024. Grants can range from $20,000 to tens of millions; however, most awards typically range between $100,000 and $1 million.
It had FY2024 revenue of $367.7 million, expenses of $332.3 million, charitable disbursements of $331.8 million, and assets of $113.7 million.
- The most realistic way onto Sequoia’s radar is not a cold proposal. It is a warm path through organizations and networks Sequoia already funds: European Climate Foundation, Tara Climate, ClimateWorks Foundation, U.S. Energy Foundation, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors / Energy Transition Fund, The Sunrise Project, NRDC, World Resources Institute, Climate and Clean Energy Equity Fund, and other policy/technical/regranting platforms documented in Sequoia’s representative grants and IP reporting.
- New grantseekers can see a select list of “representative” past grantees here.
- It does not accept unsolicited proposals or requests for funding; however, it does invite grantseekers to reach out through its website with general questions only.
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