Sea Change Foundation
5 Things to Know About Brian Eule, the Heising-Simons Foundation’s Incoming President
Meet the Head of the New Ballmer Outfit Set to “Become the World’s Largest Climate Funder”
Green 990s: What Are Four Major Donor Couples Funding?
Philanthropy’s 30 Most Powerful Couples
Legacy Foundations Love Listing Out Their Grants. Billionaire Givers? Not So Much
Visit the website of a major legacy foundation and almost without exception you will find one of the hallmarks of philanthropic transparency: a grants database. But if you’re hoping for the same from America’s biggest individual donors, you’re often … [Read more...] about Legacy Foundations Love Listing Out Their Grants. Billionaire Givers? Not So Much
Why Don’t the Wealthy Give More? This Philanthropy Advisor Has Some Ideas
At Inside Philanthropy, we often point out that many of the nation’s wealthiest individuals and institutions give away just a tiny fraction of their vast wealth. We’ve looked at some of the structural factors that make it easier to hold onto … [Read more...] about Why Don’t the Wealthy Give More? This Philanthropy Advisor Has Some Ideas
Jim Simons Gave Billions for Basic Science in an Era of Short-Term Thinking
What Exactly Is a Philanthropic LLC? Here Are Five Types, Ranked By Transparency
Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan famously started one to channel their giving. So did Laura and John Arnold. MacKenzie Scott and Laurene Powell Jobs each operate their own. And younger billionaires, like Lukas Walton, continue to embrace them. I’m … [Read more...] about What Exactly Is a Philanthropic LLC? Here Are Five Types, Ranked By Transparency
The Top 10 Hedge Fund Philanthropists
This article was originally published on March 14, 2023. Late last summer, a hedge fund legend passed away and a new era dawned for the philanthropies created by the industry’s billionaire winners. Julian Robertson, who was 90, was called by some the … [Read more...] about The Top 10 Hedge Fund Philanthropists
Who are the 25 Largest Environmental Grantmakers in the U.S.?
It’s official: Billionaires have taken over environmental philanthropy. Over the past few weeks, I’ve assembled a list of the top U.S. green grantmakers based on 2021 numbers, the most recent full year we have to go on. Take a look and you’ll see … [Read more...] about Who are the 25 Largest Environmental Grantmakers in the U.S.?
Inside a Campaign to Move $1 Billion Toward Electrifying Global Transportation
Transportation — from daily commutes to cross-country trucking — is responsible for roughly 60% of global oil demand and is the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. And yet, even compared to other segments of funding for … [Read more...] about Inside a Campaign to Move $1 Billion Toward Electrifying Global Transportation
Five Things John Doerr’s Book Tells Us About His Climate Philanthropy and Politics
Last November, billionaire venture capitalist John Doerr published a book on the climate crisis titled “Speed & Scale.”Released six months before he and his wife, Ann, grabbed headlines with a $1.1 billion donation to Stanford University for a new … [Read more...] about Five Things John Doerr’s Book Tells Us About His Climate Philanthropy and Politics
Renaissance Philanthropy: The Many Major Donors to Emerge From a Single Hedge Fund
There are few contemporary Wall Street institutions more legendary than Renaissance Technologies, the famously profitable hedge fund founded in 1982 by mathematician Jim Simons. The firm has achieved peerless investing track records, including … [Read more...] about Renaissance Philanthropy: The Many Major Donors to Emerge From a Single Hedge Fund
The American Billionaires Most Engaged in the Climate Fight
A figure often cited as the necessary domestic investment in decarbonization is about $1 trillion per year, or around 4 to 5% of U.S. GDP. If you’ve been paying attention to D.C. lately, you’re aware that the federal government has nowhere near the … [Read more...] about The American Billionaires Most Engaged in the Climate Fight
Prompted by the Biden Administration, Funders Come Together to Curb Methane Emissions
Five years ago, Larry Kramer heard the White House was looking for some help from philanthropy.A team there was hoping foundations could put together at least $30 million to help implement the Kigali Amendment, the landmark international agreement … [Read more...] about Prompted by the Biden Administration, Funders Come Together to Curb Methane Emissions
Why Are So Many Major Green Funders Still Not Sharing Their Diversity Data?
Each year, a small nonprofit asks the nation’s 40 largest environmental groups and 40 largest funders for demographic data on their organizations. And each year, the response from most foundations is silence.Just 11 out of 40 foundations submitted … [Read more...] about Why Are So Many Major Green Funders Still Not Sharing Their Diversity Data?
Future of Big Philanthropy: 15 Heirs of Top Mega-Givers to Watch Closely
The world can change in a heartbeat, as we’ve all come to find out. And the philanthropic world is no exception. When top donors pass away, their children often step into their shoes to continue or expand their giving. We’ve reported previously on … [Read more...] about Future of Big Philanthropy: 15 Heirs of Top Mega-Givers to Watch Closely
A Growing Climate Funder Works to Change the “Rules of the Road” Through Energy Policy
Most of us have, in recent months, focused our available supplies of existential dread on the coronavirus pandemic, but potentially catastrophic changes to the planet’s climate continue. Fossil fuels are still being extracted and burned, carbon … [Read more...] about A Growing Climate Funder Works to Change the “Rules of the Road” Through Energy Policy
Once the “800-Pound Gorilla,” ClimateWorks Charts a New Course in a Changing Field
In 2008, three U.S. foundations set out to save the world from climate catastrophe.They pledged more than $1 billion over five years—in one stroke, roughly doubling the amount going to climate mitigation annually—and formed a new entity to try to … [Read more...] about Once the “800-Pound Gorilla,” ClimateWorks Charts a New Course in a Changing Field
The Fight of a Lifetime: 30 Key Players in Progressive Philanthropy
Philanthropy is famous (or notorious) for avoiding the appearance of political involvement, even when there are plenty of fully legal means for 501(c)(3) funders to take a side. But in this era of stark polarization, more funders and … [Read more...] about The Fight of a Lifetime: 30 Key Players in Progressive Philanthropy
Wall Street Greens: The Top Givers to Environmental Causes from Finance
A striking number of leaders from the financial sector have become big players in environmental philanthropy. While we write all the time about these funders, I can’t say we yet have a grand theory of “why Wall Streeters care about nature.” And maybe … [Read more...] about Wall Street Greens: The Top Givers to Environmental Causes from Finance
Philanthropy Awards, 2018
The world of giving has been changing fast in recent years—so fast that it can be hard to keep up with all that’s going on. Nearly every week seems to bring news of a huge gift or funding initiative, often from deep-pocketed donors who only recently … [Read more...] about Philanthropy Awards, 2018
Rising Seas, Bigger Pledges: Are We Entering a New Era of Climate Philanthropy?
As the Global Climate Action Summit came to a close, and extreme storms were about to hammer the East Coast, the Philippines and China, a group of 29 funders on Friday announced more than $3 billion in new pledges for climate action. It’s a statement … [Read more...] about Rising Seas, Bigger Pledges: Are We Entering a New Era of Climate Philanthropy?
Top Climate Change Donors Pull Back the Curtain on Their Past and Future Giving
Nat Simons and Laura Baxter-Simons have run the Sea Change Foundation, one of the biggest funders of climate and clean energy work, for over a decade with almost no public profile. The foundation has been a powerful, low-key friend to green groups, … [Read more...] about Top Climate Change Donors Pull Back the Curtain on Their Past and Future Giving
The 9 Top Finance Guys in Environmental Philanthropy
Editor's Note: This article was originally published in 2014. Details of individual philanthropy have since changed for some of the donors discussed. A striking number of leaders from the financial sector have become big players in environmental … [Read more...] about The 9 Top Finance Guys in Environmental Philanthropy
How the Heirs to a Vast Hedge Fund Fortune Are Giving Big on Climate Change
The patriarch of the Simons clan is best known for his math chops and science philanthropy. But heirs Nat and Liz Simons are taking the family’s hedge fund fortune a different direction with some serious climate giving. Around these parts, … [Read more...] about How the Heirs to a Vast Hedge Fund Fortune Are Giving Big on Climate Change
The Billionaires vs. Donald J. Trump
As a billionaire president-elect stocks his cabinet with wealthy people, or those friendly to the rich, there’s another slice of the far upper class that is boiling with anger at the once unfathomable prospect of a Trump administration. These wealthy … [Read more...] about The Billionaires vs. Donald J. Trump
How This Foundation is Looking to Make Surgery Safer in Developing Countries
The Nick Simons Foundation was quietly established in 2005 in honor of Nick Simons, who sadly drowned in 2003. One year later, in 2006, Nick’s parents, Jim and Marilyn Simons, established the Nick Simons Institute in Kathmandu, Nepal to honor their … [Read more...] about How This Foundation is Looking to Make Surgery Safer in Developing Countries
Philanthropy Awards, 2014
After a year of writing about all sorts of interesting funders and trends, we thought it would be fun to spotlight the things that have really jumped out at us. So we're thrilled to present our first annual IP Philanthropy Awards, or IPPYs. (Next … [Read more...] about Philanthropy Awards, 2014
