What the Moore Foundation plans to do next

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation gives away around $500 million per year, and is one of the world’s largest development funders. The U.S.-based foundation was founded by Gordon Moore, the Silicon Valley pioneer who invented Moore’s Law, and his wife Betty. But what exactly are the foundation’s core areas, how much does it provide, and how is it responding to changes in the philanthropic landscape? To find out, Devex caught up with Aileen Lee, chief of programs at the Moore Foundation, at a recent Devex Pro event. Key priorities Moore has two main priorities — basic science, and the environment — with about half of its funding going to each. Within its environmental work, it has a number of priorities. It funds work on the Amazon and the Arctic Ocean. It has an initiative aimed at tackling market drivers of environmental degradation, which is worldwide. And it also works on wildfire prevention, largely in the United States. Four filters The foundation has four filters it uses to consider whether to fund a project or organization, Lee said. First, is the project important? That is, it is addressing a problem worth solving? Is it a project where Moore can make a difference? Is that difference measurable, so that Moore knows what difference it has made? And finally, does it contribute to a portfolio effect — that is, do the grantees complement and support each other so that together they are more than the sum of their parts? The foundation’s approach is intended to be long-term and supportive, Lee told the audience. “The model of philanthropy the Moore Foundation pursues really reflects the imprint of our founders,” she said. “They felt strongly about taking a scientific approach to understanding the problems that we are wrestling with and being willing to experiment and test solutions as we go. They really believed in being focused. So we are, I would say, built to do a small number of things for a long time and at a large enough scale to hopefully make a meaningful difference.” Engagement tactics Like many foundations, Moore does not accept applications through open calls for proposals, but selects its partners based on its own research. “The way that new organizations enter the fray, really, is a recognition from the existing partners that something new is needed,” Lee said. “And that often is how grantees would come that are new to an ecosystem.” The introductions that grab the most attention are the ones that come from existing partners, she said. “One unusual grant that we made recently, in response to the shifts in the funding environment was basically made because the leads of several of our long term partners all came to me and said, you need to support this organization,” she said. “Nothing gets my attention like a bunch of our grantees saying, you know, we really need this organization in the mix right now.” Funding for the long term The foundation is not making major changes, Lee said, to deal with current pressures on philanthropic funders, but it is able to show flexibility. “For the Moore Foundation, we've always viewed that one of the greatest values we can provide to our partners is really to be there for the long haul,” she said, “even as politics shift and as opportunity windows open and close in those places and on those issues that we've prioritized.” Rather than increase funding in the short term, she said, it was important to stay the course. “What were once niches for philanthropy to fill are now chasms,” she said. “Philanthropy, even if it steps up aggressively, is not going to be able to fill all the gaps.” Want more briefings like this? Let us know — and stay tuned for upcoming live conversations here.