FILE

What FILE does

FILE (Foundation for International Law for the Environment) is a Dutch not-for-profit philanthropic foundation (Stichting, RSIN 859230818) established in 2018 and headquartered at Zuid Hollandlaan 7, The Hague. It operates as a regrantor: it receives grants from philanthropic donors and makes onward grants to partner organizations — law firms, environmental NGOs, and country-based lawyers — that pursue strategic climate litigation and shareholder actions aimed at keeping global warming below 1.5°C. FILE does not bring legal action in its own name and does not seek profit; instead, it provides grants alongside in-house legal expertise, capacity building, research, communications support, and field-building services to a decentralized global community of climate legal practitioners.

The foundation organizes its work across four programmatic pillars — Just Energy Transition; Forests, Food Systems & Biodiversity; Finance, Investment & Trade; and Rights & Justice — and operates through a central Hague office plus regional directorates for Latin America, Africa, and Australia & Asia. As of the source data, FILE has a headcount of approximately 156 employees, including an Executive Director (Carroll Muffett, appointed 2024 from CIEL), a General Counsel, a Director of Program Strategy, a Director of Research, Impact & Learning, regional directors, dedicated Lead Lawyers (including a Climate Finance Lead), and heads of Grants, Field Building & Networks, Financial Planning & Analysis, Impact & Learning, and Philanthropic Partnerships. Governance is provided by a six-member Supervisory Board.

FILE's business model is grant-in, grant-out: philanthropic capital enters from donors and is re-deployed to partners aligned with FILE's charitable aims, with a small share absorbed by operating costs. The organization does not sell products or services, has no technology or AI component, and does not accept unsolicited funding requests. Its competitive positioning is built on being the major philanthropic regrantor dedicated specifically to scaling environmental legal action on climate change globally.

Name

FILE

Legal name

Stichting Foundation for International Law for the Environment

Website

https://filefoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

FILE is a Dutch not-for-profit philanthropic regrantor, founded in 2018, that funds climate legal action globally by making onward grants to lawyers and environmental organizations pursuing strategic climate litigation across energy transition, biodiversity, finance, and rights focus areas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Environmental Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB), Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)

Keywords

• Climate legal regranting
• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Environmental law funding
• Climate justice grants
• Legal action support

Headquarters

HQ city

Den Haag (The Hague)

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Others, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grant Revenue: FILE receives grants from philanthropic donors and makes onward grants to partners who align with FILE's charitable aims. FILE does not seek to make any profit from its activities.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

FILE is a not-for-profit philanthropic regrantor foundation that receives grants from philanthropic donors and makes onwards grants to partner organizations pursuing climate-related legal action. It accelerates strategic environmental legal interventions globally by funding lawyers and partner organizations in their own countries and providing in-house legal expertise, technical support, capacity building and communications resources.

Product overview

FILE (Foundation for International Law for the Environment) is a not-for-profit philanthropic regrantor organization that funds climate legal action globally. It does not offer commercial products or services. FILE provides grant-making to partners pursuing climate and nature justice across four focus areas: Just Energy Transition, Finance/Investment/Trade, Land Use (Forests, Food Systems & Biodiversity), and Rights & Justice. FILE's work encompasses empowering partners through funding, legal capacity building, technical support, knowledge sharing, and field building, rather than delivering a technology product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Climate Legal Action Grants (Regranting Program) Onward grants to partner organizations (law firms, environmental law organizations, NGOs and climate lawyers) to fund strategic, innovative legal interventions and shareholder actions aimed at keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees; covers four workstreams: Just Energy Transition, Forests/Food/Systems/Biodiversity, Finance/Investment/Trade, and Rights & Justice.
• In-House Legal Expertise and Technical Support Direct in-house legal expertise and technical assistance provided by FILE staff (including Lead Lawyers for Climate Finance and other Lead Lawyers) to partners pursuing climate-related legal cases, complementing grant funding.
• Capacity Building and Field Building Programs Programs that build legal capacity in key countries, support training, knowledge sharing and field building for climate lawyers and partner organizations globally.
• Strategic Communications and Research Support for Partners Provision of research, impact measurement (Director of Research, Impact & Learning), and strategic communications support to partner organizations pursuing climate legal action, plus campaign alignment assistance.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Climate Action Litigation Fund: Pooled philanthropic vehicle specifically funding climate change litigation. The most direct thematic overlap with FILE's mission of enabling strategic climate legal action through regranting.

Broad incumbents

• Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF): Large global philanthropic foundation with substantial climate and energy portfolios. Comparable to FILE in regranting capacity and focus on systemic climate outcomes, though operating at much larger scale and broader thematic scope.
• Open Society Foundations (Climate Program): Large philanthropic foundation funding climate justice and environmental initiatives globally. Comparable to FILE in funding strategic climate interventions including litigation, though as part of a much broader social justice portfolio.
• Bloomberg Philanthropies: Large philanthropic vehicle funding climate and energy initiatives globally, including Beyond Carbon. Comparable to FILE in mission and regranting activity, though at vastly larger scale and with broader programmatic scope.
• Bezos Earth Fund: Large philanthropic vehicle focused exclusively on climate and nature. Comparable to FILE in mission alignment on climate, though deploying capital at multibillion-dollar scale across grants, advocacy, and direct programs.
• Hewlett Foundation (Environment Program): Major philanthropic foundation with a long-standing Environment Program funding climate and conservation. Comparable to FILE as a strategic environmental grantmaker, though operating across multiple program areas at substantially larger scale.

Direct peers

• Quadrature Climate Foundation: Climate-focused regrantor deploying philanthropic capital to advance systemic decarbonization. Comparable to FILE in operating as a strategic regrantor rather than direct implementer, and targeting outsized climate impact.
• ClimateWorks Foundation: Major philanthropic regrantor funding systemic climate solutions globally. Closest peer to FILE given its regrantor model, multi-regional structure, and focus on catalytic climate interventions beyond direct service delivery.
• Climate Breakthrough Fund: Philanthropic fund supporting bold climate leadership and movements. Comparable to FILE in deploying catalytic philanthropic capital to climate initiatives, though focused on movement leadership rather than legal action.
• European Climate Foundation: Europe-based philanthropic regrantor funding climate action across the continent and globally. Comparable to FILE in regranting model and European base, though focused on broader climate advocacy and policy rather than legal action specifically.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/file-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about FILE