What Sequoia Climate Foundation does

Sequoia Climate Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation established in 2020 and headquartered in Irvine, California. The foundation exists to address the climate crisis through targeted grantmaking, supporting ambitious organizations and coalitions that catalyze rapid emissions reductions, transform global markets, and accelerate the transition to clean energy worldwide. It does not develop commercial products or technology; its operating model is direct grantmaking to nonprofits, universities, research institutions, and international climate organizations. As of May 2024, the foundation has deployed over $200 million in cumulative grants across more than 100 organizations in a single year of activity, with major commitments routed through intermediaries including Stichting European Climate Foundation, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Windward Fund, and Energy Foundation.

The foundation's grantmaking framework is built on four principles: speed, scale, cost, and probability of success. Funding decisions are data-driven and informed by the best available climate science and the expertise of partners and grantees, with the foundation explicitly taking calculated risks based on emerging evidence to advance solutions at speed and scale. Operationally, the foundation operates with a lean executive team led by President Christie Ulman (formerly Climate Director at CIFF), Chief Operating Officer James Jenkin, Chief Evidence and Learning Officer Louise Glew, and General Counsel Michelle Moersfelder, with program leadership across energy transition and decarbonization portfolios. The foundation does not have a commercial revenue model and is funded by an undisclosed endowment.

Sequoia Climate Foundation operates globally, with active grantmaking across the United States, Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines), South Asia (India), and East Asia (China). Its marketing and outreach channels are limited to its website, LinkedIn presence, press releases, and earned media coverage in outlets including The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Inside Philanthropy, Reuters, and Associated Press. In October 2025, the foundation launched the Asia Climate Philanthropy Advisory in Singapore as a flagship strategic partnership to mobilize philanthropic capital and address Asia's USD 815 billion annual climate finance gap, signaling continued geographic and ecosystem expansion.

Name

Sequoia Climate Foundation

Legal name

Sequoia Climate Foundation

Website

https://sequoiaclimate.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Sequoia Climate Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation established in 2020 that funds climate-focused nonprofits, research institutions, and coalitions working to accelerate emissions reductions and the global transition to clean energy through data-driven grantmaking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Philanthropy and Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH), Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

Keywords

• Climate philanthropy grants
• Clean energy funding
• Emissions reduction grants
• Climate policy advocacy
• Energy transition support

Headquarters

HQ city

Irvine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Others, Technology or R&D

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sequoia Climate Foundation is a private climate philanthropy foundation that makes grants to ambitious nonprofits, research institutions, coalitions, and international organizations catalyzing rapid emissions reductions, transforming global markets, and accelerating the transition to clean energy. Its grantmaking is data-driven, informed by climate science, and structured around four principles: speed, scale, cost, and probability of success. The foundation has disbursed over $200 million in grants as of May 2024 to more than 100 organizations working on climate policy, energy transition, decarbonization, and environmental protection.

Product overview

Sequoia Climate Foundation is a private climate philanthropy organization that operates as a grantmaking foundation rather than a traditional product or technology company. The foundation supports climate change mitigation efforts through strategic grantmaking to organizations working on energy transition, decarbonization, and climate policy. The foundation's work is organized around a grantmaking framework focused on speed, scale, cost, and probability of success in achieving near-term impact and long-term climate goals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Climate Grantmaking Program Sequoia Climate Foundation's core program under which it provides grant funding to ambitious nonprofits, research institutions, coalitions, and international organizations working to catalyze rapid emissions reductions, transform global markets, and accelerate the transition to clean energy. Grants are awarded based on strategic alignment with the foundation's grantmaking framework focused on speed, scale, cost, and probability of success.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports organizations working to avoid dangerous climate tipping points and irreversible damage
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Asia Climate Philanthropy AdvisoryflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 October 2025The Asia Climate Philanthropy Advisory is a non-profit platform founded and led from Asia, launched in Singapore to help close the region's USD 815 billion annual climate finance gap. The initiative aims to mobilize philanthropic capital and unlock larger public and private finance flows into climate solutions in Asia.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors: Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors is an intermediary that designs and manages philanthropic funds, including climate initiatives; Sequoia channels significant funding through RPA ($15.85M disclosed) indicating peer-adjacent structuring roles in climate philanthropy.
• Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI): RMI is a major clean-energy think tank and program implementer; it operates programs Sequoia funds (Energy Transition Academy, China, India) and Sequoia's VP Programs Clay Stranger is a former RMI Managing Director, making it an ecosystem counterpart rather than direct grantee.

Broad incumbents

• Hewlett Foundation (Climate Program): The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation operates a major climate-and-energy grantmaking program; it is an established foundation with overlapping grant recipients and a similar data-driven approach to philanthropic deployment.
• Bezos Earth Fund: Bezos Earth Fund is a large climate-focused philanthropic vehicle funding systemic decarbonization, nature, and energy-transition work; it competes with Sequoia for high-impact climate grantees and shares the same model of deploying private-foundation capital to climate.
• Bloomberg Philanthropies: Bloomberg Philanthropies funds Beyond Carbon and other climate initiatives aimed at coal phase-out and clean energy deployment, comparable in mission scope (rapid emissions reductions, energy transition) and grantmaking scale.
• ClimateWorks Foundation: ClimateWorks Foundation is a large established climate grantmaker that funds global decarbonization and energy-transition programs, broadly comparable to Sequoia's mandate but with a longer operating history and broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• European Climate Foundation: European Climate Foundation is a dedicated climate grantmaker supporting European and global decarbonization policy and markets; it is one of Sequoia's largest disclosed grantees (>$30M) and represents the same narrow climate-philanthropy niche.
• Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF): CIFF is a major international climate-and-energy philanthropic foundation that deploys hundreds of millions in grants toward rapid emissions reduction; Sequoia's president Christie Ulman came directly from CIFF, indicating close mission and operating-model alignment.
• Energy Foundation: Energy Foundation is a key U.S. and China-focused climate philanthropy that funds clean energy policy and deployment; Sequoia is a disclosed major funder of Energy Foundation ($7.72M) and partners with it on shared objectives.
• Windward Fund: Windward Fund is a climate-and-environment intermediary funder that regrants philanthropic capital to advocacy and policy groups; Sequoia is a disclosed major funder ($7.02M), positioning it as a closely aligned climate-pass-through partner.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-sequoia-climate-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sequoia Climate Foundation