SAN FRANCISCO — Even before the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were calls for philanthropy to go beyond funding interventions at the program level to match the urgency, scale, and complexity of climate change.
This year, the Global Philanthropy Forum focused on the role of philanthropy in combating climate change, and several participants noted how the West Coast’s hazy skies — a result of the dozens of destructive wildfires across the region — were a preview of how the world might look if temperatures continue to rise and extreme weather events become more frequent.
Grant-making collaboratives can help funders identify the opportunities for greatest impact, wrote Larry Kramer, president of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, in a January article titled “Philanthropy Must Stop Fiddling While the World Burns.” At GPF, speakers said that collaboration among climate funders is as critical as ever to ensure that, as governments spend trillions to stop the spread of COVID-19 and stabilize the global economy, they also support a low-carbon recovery.
About the author
Catherine Cheneycatherinecheney
Catherine Cheney is the Senior Editor for Special Coverage at Devex. She leads the editorial vision of Devex’s news events and editorial coverage of key moments on the global development calendar. Catherine joined Devex as a reporter, focusing on technology and innovation in making progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. Prior to joining Devex, Catherine earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Yale University, and worked as a web producer for POLITICO, a reporter for World Politics Review, and special projects editor at NationSwell. She has reported domestically and internationally for outlets including The Atlantic and the Washington Post. Catherine also works for the Solutions Journalism Network, a non profit organization that supports journalists and news organizations to report on responses to problems.
