What Climate Imperative does

Climate Imperative Foundation is a 501(c)(3) philanthropic foundation founded in 2020 and headquartered at 98 Battery Street, Suite 202, San Francisco. The foundation provides grant funding, technical support, and policy expertise to inform climate policy decisions in major greenhouse gas-emitting countries, with active initiative coverage spanning United States electricity, US clean heat (buildings and industrial heating), transportation decarbonization, industrial decarbonization, EU policy, Australia, and global electricity transition. Its go-to-market is grantmaking routed through regranting partners and direct grantees rather than any commercial product, and it explicitly does not accept unsolicited proposals. The core operating technology is a grantmaking platform backed by a dedicated business systems manager and a Senior Manager of IT supporting grants management workflows; the foundation does not offer software products, APIs, or commercial services.

The foundation's revenue model is philanthropic rather than commercial. It is governed by a Board of Directors chaired by John Doerr with members Sanjeev Krishnan, Greg Nelson, George Pavlov, and Antha Williams, and supported by an Advisory Council of climate luminaries including former Governor Bill Ritter, former EPA officials Margo Oge and David Turk, and Deloitte's Bernhard Lorentz. Leadership is drawn heavily from the Biden administration's climate policy apparatus (President Sonia Aggarwal was Special Assistant to the President for Climate Policy and helped develop the IRA and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law), the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign, Rocky Mountain Institute, The Nature Conservancy, and major climate philanthropies (Energy Foundation, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Tides). Grantmaking partners include the American Lung Association, European Climate Foundation (which itself works with 700 partner organizations), International Council on Clean Transportation, Citizen Action Coalition, Global Energy Monitor, and Emerald Cities Collaborative.

Name

Climate Imperative

Legal name

Climate Imperative Foundation

Website

https://climateimperative.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Climate Imperative Foundation is a San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) philanthropic foundation, founded in 2020, that funds and supports climate policy advocacy in major-emitting countries through grantmaking to nonprofit partners across the US, EU, Australia, and Southeast Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Grantmaking and Climate Policy Philanthropy

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA), Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation & Resilience Programs (BPAIAMAD)

Keywords

• Climate policy funding
• Environmental grantmaking
• Emissions reduction advocacy
• Clean energy philanthropy
• Climate grant foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grantmaking: As a foundation, Climate Imperative generates value through grantmaking to climate policy organizations rather than commercial revenue. Funding comes from philanthropic sources and is distributed to partner organizations working on climate policy advocacy, research, and implementation in major-emitting countries.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Climate Imperative Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation that provides philanthropic grantmaking, technical support, and policy expertise to climate advocacy and research organizations. It funds partner nonprofits working on policy decisions in major-emitting countries across transportation, electricity, industry, buildings, and global initiatives to accelerate greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

Product overview

Climate Imperative is a philanthropic foundation focused on climate policy funding and grantmaking, not a technology product company. The organization provides funding, technical support, and expertise to inform climate policy decisions in major-emitting countries. Its core activities include grantmaking to climate organizations, supporting policy advocacy, and facilitating knowledge-sharing across the climate sector. The organization does not offer software products, platforms, or technology services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Support for organizations working on renewable energy scaling, building electrification, transportation decarbonization, and industrial emissions reduction

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• American Lung AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClimate Imperative supports the Lung Association's Healthy Air Campaign to mobilize the health community around clean air and climate protections in the U.S., focusing on strengthening air quality health standards, protecting health from emissions from coal and gas power plants, supporting zero-emission vehicles and improving indoor air quality.
• European Climate FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe European Climate Foundation partners with 700 organizations working to tackle the climate crisis by fostering the development of a net-zero emission society. Climate Imperative supports ECF's mission at the national, European, and global level.
• Citizen Action CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndiana's oldest and largest consumer and environmental advocacy organization, saving families more than $10 billion in excess utility charges since its founding. Climate Imperative supports CAC's work in Indiana through efforts to decarbonize facilities and grow sustainable metals manufacturing industry.
• International Council on Clean TransportationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICCT works to improve the environmental performance and energy efficiency of ground, marine, and air transportation to protect public health and mitigate climate change. Climate Imperative supports ICCT's research and policy programs on zero-emission transport technologies.
• Emerald Cities CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA national nonprofit network working to advance a sustainable environment while creating just and inclusive economic opportunities. Climate Imperative supports ECC's building electrification efforts and workforce training for equity in green economy.
• Global Energy MonitorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelops and shares open-source information on the evolving global energy system. Climate Imperative supports GEM's international research on coal-fired power plants and global energy data for governments, media, academics, and public.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tides Foundation: Tides Foundation is a major U.S. philanthropic intermediary that supports climate, social justice, and equity causes. Climate Imperative's Head of Grants April Suwalsky Khan previously served as Senior Philanthropic Advisor at Tides, and both organizations serve as regranting hubs for climate and progressive causes.
• European Climate Foundation: European Climate Foundation partners with 700 organizations to advance a net-zero emission society at national, European, and global levels. It is directly comparable to Climate Imperative as a regranting climate policy foundation, and is explicitly listed as a Climate Imperative grantee/partner.
• Energy Foundation: Energy Foundation runs one of the largest U.S. climate and clean energy grantmaking programs. Climate Imperative's Senior Director Marcus Schneider previously led its climate program, and both organizations focus on policy advocacy, regranting, and convening across U.S. and Asia.
• ClimateWorks Foundation: ClimateWorks Foundation is a global climate philanthropy that funds policy advocacy and regranting across major-emitting countries. Its international grantmaking strategy, sectoral focus, and policy orientation closely parallel Climate Imperative's approach.

Emerging players

• Good Energies Foundation: Good Energies Foundation is an international climate and energy foundation funding clean energy access and policy advocacy. It is comparable as a focused climate grantmaker working internationally, though with a narrower geographic focus than Climate Imperative's six-region footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Rockefeller Brothers Fund: Rockefeller Brothers Fund's Climate Solutions program funds climate policy advocacy and clean energy transition. It is comparable as an established foundation supporting climate policy through regranting — though operating at smaller scale and with a broader thematic portfolio.
• Hewlett Foundation: The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation runs a long-standing climate grantmaking program supporting U.S. and international climate policy. It is comparable as a major general-purpose foundation with significant climate policy regranting activities, but with a much wider overall portfolio.
• Bloomberg Philanthropies: Bloomberg Philanthropies is a major funder of climate policy globally through its Beyond Carbon initiative. It is comparable as a large, broad philanthropic vehicle that funds climate policy advocacy and clean energy transition — but with a much wider portfolio beyond climate.
• Bezos Earth Fund: Bezos Earth Fund is a $10B climate philanthropy focused on climate change and nature. It is comparable as a large-scale climate grantmaker funding policy, technology, and conservation — but operates at a substantially larger scale and broader thematic scope than Climate Imperative.
• Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF): CIFF is a major global climate and child welfare foundation funding climate policy and energy transition in major-emitting economies. It is comparable as a large-scale climate grantmaker with a strong policy and just-transition focus, though broader in mission than Climate Imperative.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/climate-imperative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Climate Imperative