Generation Foundation

What Generation Foundation does

Generation Foundation is a UK-registered charitable foundation (Charity No. 1113061, Company No. 05536312) established in 2004 alongside Generation Investment Management LLP. The Foundation operates as a strategic, proactive grant-maker and research body whose stated mission is to mobilize capital markets to address climate change, inequality and the drivers of nature loss, with a vision shared with Generation Investment Management and Just Climate of a sustainable world delivering broad prosperity within planetary boundaries. It does not conduct investment activity, has no commercial product, and does not accept unsolicited grant applications; instead, it identifies potential partners through in-house research and engages them directly.

The Foundation's core 'products' are grant capital and research outputs rather than technology. Its flagship is 'A Legal Framework for Impact', a multi-jurisdiction legal analysis authored by Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in collaboration with PRI and UNEP FI, which has been implemented across the UK, Europe, Australia, Canada and Japan. The Foundation manages a portfolio of approximately £21m and a 2024 grant-making budget of approximately £11m, distributed across 60+ partner organizations spanning sustainable-finance standards-setters (ISSB, ICVCM), investor coalitions (IIGCC, IGCC, Climate Governance Initiative), data infrastructure (Climate TRACE, Soil Inventory Project), and grassroots climate-justice movements (Climate Justice Alliance, Greyston Center for Open Hiring).

The Foundation is headquartered in London at 20 Air Street, with a small full-time team of 1-10 led by Director Alison Paton (since 2018). It is governed by a Board of Trustees chaired by Audrey Choi (joined 2025), with trustees drawn from Generation Investment Management and external sustainable-finance leadership. Its sole funder is Generation Investment Management LLP, making it financially dependent on that firm's continued philanthropic commitment despite formal operational independence.

Name

Generation Foundation

Legal name

Generation Foundation

Website

https://genfound.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Generation Foundation is a UK charitable foundation (established 2004) that proactively grants £11m annually to 60+ partner organizations advancing sustainable finance, climate action, and inequality reduction, funded by Generation Investment Management LLP.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Foundation

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH), Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI), Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

Keywords

• Sustainable finance grants
• Climate philanthropy
• Impact investing research
• Nonprofit grant-making
• Sustainable capital markets

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Foundation Funding: Generation Foundation is funded by Generation Investment Management LLP. The Foundation does not carry on any form of investment business. It operates as a philanthropic organization making grants to partners working on sustainable finance, climate action, and reducing inequality.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Generation Foundation is a UK-registered charitable foundation that executes its mission through strategic, proactive grant-making, research, and programmes. It funds and partners with non-profits and standards bodies working on sustainable finance, climate action, nature protection, and reducing inequality, and produces research such as the flagship 'A Legal Framework for Impact' project. The Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications and is funded by Generation Investment Management LLP but operates independently.

Product overview

Generation Foundation is a charitable foundation focused on grant-making, research, and programs to mobilize investors and businesses to take action on climate change, inequality, and nature loss. The Foundation does not offer commercial products; its primary activities are strategic grant-making to partner organizations and producing research publications such as the 'A Legal Framework for Impact' report. Its work focuses on spreading sustainable investment practices beyond Generation Investment Management to help mainstream capital allocators to invest sustainably.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• A Legal Framework for Impact A flagship research publication developed in collaboration with PRI and UNEP FI, providing the first comprehensive legal analysis demonstrating that investors are required or permitted to consider sustainability factors and take action on climate, nature and inequality across 11 jurisdictions. Targeted at institutional investors, asset owners, regulators and policymakers involved in sustainable finance.

Quantifiable outcome

• The Greyston Center for Open Hiring has supported 1,500 people in finding jobs and worked with 81 companies across the US to implement open and inclusive hiring practices
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered secondary and core.

• Investor Group on Climate Change (IGCC)secondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2026Leading network of institutional investors in Australia and New Zealand. Partnership aims to help investors develop sustainability advocacy and communication strategies in key markets, with a focus on Asia.
• Commonwealth Climate and Law Initiative (CCLI)secondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 September 2025Independent non-profit focused on legal education and stakeholder engagement. Partnership clarifies legal basis for US investors to consider sustainability factors in investment decision-making.
• WattTime / Climate TRACEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 August 2025Environmental tech non-profit serving as secretariat of Climate TRACE. Grant supports development of independent greenhouse gas emissions data inventory covering 660+ million assets across 60 sectors, plus case studies and tools to accelerate decarbonisation.
• IFRS FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 July 2025Not-for-profit developing global accounting and sustainability disclosure standards. Funding supports ISSB's work including regulatory adoption efforts, research on human capital risks, and enhancement of SASB Standards.
• Soil Inventory ProjectsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 July 2025Science-led non-profit developing soil data repository, multi-model ensemble, and digital tools for regenerative agriculture and nature-based carbon credit standard-setting.
• World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2025Global organization of 225+ leading businesses driving systems transformation. Grant supports strengthening Guidance on Avoided Emissions and integration into GHG Protocol.
• Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 April 2025Independent global governance body for voluntary carbon market. Grant supports establishment of global quality threshold through Core Carbon Principles (CCPs) and Continuous Improvement Work Programs.
• InfluenceMapsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 February 2025Independent think tank producing data-driven analysis on climate and sustainability. Funding supports creation of scores on companies' nature-related lobbying through LobbyMap platform.
• Taskforce on Inequality and Social-related Financial Disclosures (TISFD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Global initiative hosted by UNDP to develop disclosure recommendations for businesses and financial institutions on inequality and social-related issues. Will build evidence on social-related impacts and system-level risks of inequality.
• The Shift ProjectsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Leading centre of expertise on UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Grant improves investors' capacity to identify system-level social risks through Social Sustainability Clinics, training, research and tools.
• Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Brings investment community together for net zero and nature-positive future. Grant supports Nature Action 100 and Finance Sector Deforestation Action initiatives for investor collaborative engagement.
• The Shareholder CommonscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 February 2024Independent non-profit helping diversified shareholders reprioritize activism to put social and environmental systems first. Grant supports continuation of work on systems stewardship and shareholder-created guardrails.
• Data2XsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 November 2023Civil society organization and gender data alliance working to improve production and use of gender data. Funding supports countries to collect high-quality gender data on women's labour force participation and time use to inform improved care policies.
• Ada Lovelace InstitutesecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 November 2021Independent research institute and deliberative body funded by Nuffield Foundation. The partnership will help develop a new programme of work on gender inequality and support the institute to embed findings into industry practice and policy-making.
• Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 July 2021Co-development partner for 'A Legal Framework for Impact' flagship project. The Foundation works with PRI and UNEP FI to put the report's findings into practice in five key jurisdictions: UK, Europe, Australia, Canada and Japan. PRI is a United Nations-supported international network of investors working to implement six aspirational principles for responsible investment.
• UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 July 2021Co-development partner for 'A Legal Framework for Impact' flagship project. UNEP FI is a global partnership between UNEP and the financial sector consisting of 215 member financial institutions and 41 supporting institutions including banks, investors and insurance companies.
• Freshfields Bruckhaus DeringercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 July 2021Global law firm that authored the pioneering 'A Legal Framework for Impact' report - the first comprehensive analysis of how far the law requires or permits investors to take deliberate steps to tackle sustainability challenges.
• Climate Justice AlliancesecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Non-governmental collective of over 70 rural and urban community-based organizations focused on sustainability and climate justice. Grant supports 'Reinvest in Our Power' initiative and 'Our Power' campaign for grassroots climate action.
• Greyston FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018US charitable organization using the power of employment to break the cycle of poverty. Since 2018, the Foundation funded the creation of the Greyston Center for Open Hiring which supports companies to implement Open Hiring. The Center has supported 1,500 people in finding jobs and worked with 81 companies.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF): Major UK-based climate-focused philanthropic foundation making grants across climate, sustainability and inequality. Direct peer in both funding scale and thematic focus; its former portfolio manager (Sophie Millot) now leads the Generation Foundation grants team.
• Laudes Foundation: Foundation focused on climate action and inclusive economies, providing grants to transform finance and industry. Operates in a directly comparable space addressing capital markets as a lever for sustainability transitions.
• MacArthur Foundation: Major US foundation with substantial climate solutions grantmaking targeting the alignment of capital markets and policy. Directly comparable on the sustainable finance and systems-change thematic axis.
• IKEA Foundation: Large philanthropic foundation focused on climate action, sustainable livelihoods and inequality. Comparable in funding climate, nature, and inequality programs globally, with a similarly systems-change orientation.
• Oak Foundation: International foundation funding climate, environment and social justice programs globally. Comparable in grantmaking scope, geographic reach, and thematic focus on climate and inequality.
• ClimateWorks Foundation: Global philanthropy supporting climate mitigation at scale through grants to research, advocacy, and policy organizations. Highly comparable grantmaking model and mission, operating in the same climate-finance ecosystem (e.g., co-funding IIGCC).
• William and Flora Hewlett Foundation: Major US foundation with a substantial Environment Program funding climate, clean energy, and conservation efforts. Operates in overlapping grantmaking spaces including sustainability standards, carbon markets, and climate finance.
• Rockefeller Brothers Fund: Philanthropy with deep focus on sustainable development, climate change, and inequality. Shares Generation Foundation's mission structure and has overlapping trustee networks (Valerie Rockefeller chairs both the Fund's advisor and sits on Generation's Board).

Broad incumbents

• Open Society Foundations: Very large global philanthropy with programs on climate, inequality and governance. Overlaps with Generation Foundation on climate justice (e.g., Climate Justice Alliance-type grants) but operates across a vastly broader portfolio of causes.
• Bloomberg Philanthropies: Large global philanthropy with significant climate and sustainable finance programs (Beyond Carbon, Climate Finance Leadership Initiative). Overlaps with Generation Foundation on driving capital markets action on climate but operates at much larger scale and broader scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/generationfndt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-generation-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Generation Foundation