Helen Mountford, the new president and CEO of ClimateWorks Foundation, doesn’t have a typical philanthropy background. Instead of giving grants in previous years, she received them for her climate, policy, economic, and development work. Now in her new role, she sees an opportunity to bring her experience as a grantee to the other side of the table to help improve the process for organizations working on climate initiatives.
Devex recently sat down with Mountford, who is just a few weeks into her tenure at ClimateWorks, which is a nonprofit organization with a team of researchers, strategists, and grant-makers. Mountford is stepping into the role after most recently serving as vice president of climate and economics at World Resources Institute. She also spent nearly two decades at Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
In a wide-ranging interview, she discussed her vision for the organization and where she sees opportunities for more collaborations and partnerships.