The Solutions Project
The Solutions Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit intermediary funder that channels philanthropic capital and narrative amplification to 300+ frontline climate-justice organizations led by Black, Indigenous, immigrant, women, and communities of color across 45 U.S. states and Puerto Rico.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersOakland, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Solutions Project does
The Solutions Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit national intermediary funder that channels philanthropic capital to frontline climate-justice organizations led by Black, Indigenous, immigrant, women, and other communities of color. Founded in 2014 by actor Mark Ruffalo, scientist Mark Jacobson, and businessman Marco Krapels, and led since 2020 by President & CEO Gloria Walton, the organization has invested more than $50M in grants to over 300 grantees across 45 states and Puerto Rico through its core Grantmaking Program, the rapid-response Fighter Fund ($5K–$50K, averaging $20K), and Real-time Grants ($500–$15K, averaging $5K). Its revenue model is philanthropic: it raises capital from foundations and ultra-high-net-worth donors — including a $43M Bezos Earth Fund grant in 2020 and a $140M MacKenzie Scott gift in 2025 (to three collaborative funds, of which TSP is a recipient) — and disburses those funds to grantees and partner programs.
Beyond grantmaking, The Solutions Project operates Grantee Support programs (Build Media Capacity and Community Resilience), Inspiring Action programs (Climate Curious Web Series, 100% Renewable Energy Vision, Black Climate Week, Building Home + Future), and a research/publishing arm that produces Impact Reports (2019–2025), Climate Solutions Narrative Trends Reports, and the Place, Power, and Possibility: Climate & Migrant Justice Series. Its technology footprint is minimal and non-proprietary: the organization's "technology" is its grantmaking infrastructure, content library, narrative strategy, and grantee network rather than software products. The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven, combining direct grantmaking with narrative amplification via owned media, celebrity co-founders (Mark Ruffalo), and board ambassadors (Don Cheadle), and through strategic partnerships with NAACP, Climate Museum, Black Girl Environmentalist, and the Justice40 Accelerator. The combination has produced measurable policy outcomes: TSP's $42M deployed from 2021–2023 contributed to 53 climate policy wins, $367B in unlocked public funding, and 1.25M tons of annual CO2 reduction from New York policy wins.
The Solutions Project firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Solutions Project
- Legal name
- The Solutions Project Inc.
- Website
- https://thesolutionsproject.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Solutions Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit intermediary funder that channels philanthropic capital and narrative amplification to 300+ frontline climate-justice organizations led by Black, Indigenous, immigrant, women, and communities of color across 45 U.S. states and Puerto Rico.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Solutions Project industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Climate Justice Grantmaking Services
- NAICS
- Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), Environmental Education, Capacity Building & Community Engagement (BPADALAO)
Keywords
Where The Solutions Project is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oakland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Solutions Project business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Philanthropic Grants and Donations: The Solutions Project operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that funds climate justice solutions through grants and donations from foundations, individual donors, and corporate philanthropy. The organization has received major grants from entities including the Bezos Earth Fund ($43 million), Democracy Fund, Unbound Philanthropy, and other foundations committed to climate and environmental justice.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
The Solutions Project product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Solutions Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit intermediary that funds and amplifies climate justice solutions created by Black, Indigenous, immigrant, women, and communities of color. It channels philanthropic capital (over $50 million to 300+ groups across 45 states since 2015) through grantmaking programs while providing media training, community resilience support, and narrative/cultural strategy to advance a just transition to a regenerative economy.
Product overview
The Solutions Project is a nonprofit climate justice accelerator that funds and amplifies grassroots climate solutions created by Black, Indigenous, immigrant, women, and communities of color. The organization operates as a unified portfolio of interconnected programs rather than a traditional product platform. Its core offerings consist of a Grantmaking Program (including the Fighter Fund and Real-time Grants) that has distributed over $50M to 300+ groups; Grantee Support services (Build Media Capacity and Community Resilience); and Inspiring Action programs including the Climate Curious Web Series, 100% Renewable Energy Vision, and Black Climate Week Campaign. Research products include the Climate Justice Solutions Storybank, Impact Reports (2019-2025), Climate Solutions Narrative Trends Reports, and the Place, Power, and Possibility: Climate & Migrant Justice Series. The Building Home + Future Campaign represents their most recent program addition. Together, these programs accelerate a just transition to a regenerative economy by providing funding, amplifying frontline voices, driving policy change, and shifting narrative and culture.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Grantmaking Program Core grantmaking program providing funding to grassroots climate justice organizations led by Black, Indigenous, immigrant, women, and communities of color; has invested more than $50M in grants to 300+ groups across 45 states since 2015.
- Fighter Fund Rapid-response capacity-building grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 annually (averaging $20,000) for community-based groups working to strengthen frontline communities' cultural, economic, and political power.
- Real-time Grants Grants ranging from $500 to $15,000 (with $5,000 average) issued to frontline leaders working to change culture and narrative for a just transition to a regenerative economy.
- Grantee Support - Build Media Capacity Program providing media training, storytelling support, and communications tools to frontline leaders to help them tell their own stories for public audiences and reach decision-makers.
- Grantee Support - Community Resilience Support services helping frontline communities build resilience against climate impacts and environmental hazards.
- Climate Curious Web Series Web series providing accessible climate education and climate justice storytelling for public audiences.
- Place, Power, and Possibility: Climate & Migrant Justice Series Three interconnected guides (Narrative Guide, Policy Advocacy Guide, Community Governance Guide) co-created with grassroots organizations to support the intersection of climate change and migrant justice.
- Climate Justice Solutions Storybank Digital hub showcasing how people are building power, creating change, and delivering transformative climate justice results across communities.
- Climate Solutions Narrative Trends Reports Annual research reports analyzing climate solutions coverage in media, examining how communities of color are represented in climate journalism.
- Black Climate Week Campaign Annual week-long campaign (February 21-28) celebrating Black leadership in climate solutions and featuring grassroots organizations across the country.
- Building Home + Future Campaign
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 1 million people received direct climate solutions from grantee partners in 3 years
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use The Solutions Project
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Solutions Project technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Solutions Project partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.
- NAACPcorePartnership for the 6th Annual Black Climate Week (February 21-28), a week-long campaign celebrating Black leadership in climate solutions and featuring grassroots organizations across the country.
- Just Solutions CollectivecoreCo-founded by The Solutions Project in 2015 as a partnership to set equity standards for clean energy campaigns across the climate movement. Collaborated on policy impact analysis and research reports.
- Black Girl EnvironmentalistcorePartnership for Black Climate Week 2024, co-hosting in-person events in New York City at the Climate Museum for intergenerational connection among Black women in climate.
- Climate MuseumsecondaryHost venue for Black Climate Week events in New York City, creating intergenerational space for Black women in the climate community.
- Justice40 AcceleratorcoreThe Solutions Project collaborated with partners to launch this initiative helping frontline community-based organizations access funding from the Biden-Harris administration's Justice40 Initiative. Participants have secured $43 million in federal and state funding.
- Greenbuild International Conference + Expo 2025minorThe Solutions Project participated in the Greenbuild conference in Los Angeles, featuring keynotes from Julia Louis-Dreyfus and discussions on sustainability and community activism.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Solutions Project competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- ClimateWorks Foundation: Large international climate philanthropy intermediary that funds policy, technology, and equitable transition work globally. Comparable to TSP as a major grantmaking intermediary, though with a broader portfolio and significantly larger budget.
- Energy Foundation: National philanthropic collaborative supporting equitable energy policy and clean energy deployment. Shares TSP's clean-energy and equity framing, but operates at much larger scale with a more traditional funder structure.
- Kresge Foundation: Major U.S. foundation with an active Climate Action and Equitable Development portfolio that funds frontline climate solutions. Comparable in mission alignment, but with broader programmatic scope and substantially larger endowment.
- Rockefeller Brothers Fund: Foundation with a longstanding Sustainable Development program addressing climate change through equity-centered grantmaking. Comparable vision, though structured as a traditional private foundation rather than a community-led intermediary.
- Open Society Foundations: Global philanthropic foundation that funds climate justice, racial equity, and democratic participation through multi-issue grantmaking. Comparable in funding frontline climate work, though at a vastly larger scale.
- Hewlett Foundation Environment Program: Major foundation funding climate mitigation and clean energy through a network of grantees. Operates similarly as a climate grantmaking foundation but with a broader science-and-policy orientation.
Direct peers
- Groundswell Fund: Public foundation that pools resources from individual donors to fund grassroots organizing led by women of color, Indigenous communities, and other frontline groups — overlapping significantly with TSP's grantee base and justice-centered grantmaking model.
- Pisces Foundation: Climate-focused philanthropy that funds movement-building and clean energy advocacy, with explicit emphasis on equity and frontline communities. Directly comparable as a mid-sized climate justice funder using narrative and policy strategies.
- Movement Strategy Center: National movement support intermediary that provides infrastructure, resources, and capacity-building to grassroots organizations led by communities of color. Comparable as a peer intermediary in the social-justice ecosystem.
Others
- Bezos Earth Fund: Major climate funder and one of TSP's largest donors ($43M in 2020). Not a peer in the grantmaking-intermediary sense, but a critical funder relationship that shapes TSP's grantmaking capacity and strategic alignment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Solutions Project social profiles
Digital presenceThe Solutions Project financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Solutions Project leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
The Solutions Project funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Solutions Project M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Solutions Project
What does The Solutions Project do?
The Solutions Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit intermediary that funds and amplifies climate justice solutions created by Black, Indigenous, immigrant, women, and communities of color. It channels philanthropic capital (over $50 million to 300+ groups across 45 states since 2015) through grantmaking programs while providing media training, community resilience support, and narrative/cultural strategy to advance a just transition to a regenerative economy.
Is The Solutions Project a public or private company?
The Solutions Project is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Solutions Project founded?
The Solutions Project was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Solutions Project based?
The Solutions Project is headquartered in Oakland, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Solutions Project make money?
One revenue line is on record: philanthropic Grants and Donations.
Who are The Solutions Project's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are ClimateWorks Foundation, Energy Foundation, Kresge Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Open Society Foundations and Hewlett Foundation Environment Program. Direct peers are Groundswell Fund, Pisces Foundation and Movement Strategy Center. Bezos Earth Fund is listed as an others.
Does The Solutions Project have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Solutions Project.
What industry is The Solutions Project in?
The Solutions Project's product category is Climate Justice Grantmaking Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAGAF, Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAM, Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations. Its NAICS code is 8132 and its SIC code is 8300.