The Richard Rockefeller Climate Change Initiatives are a 5-year, time-limited set of grant-making initiatives approved by the DR Fund board in November 2018. They were made possible by the estate of the late David Rockefeller at the behest of two grandchildren and in honor of the late Richard Rockefeller, a beloved member of the family and former trustee of the David Rockefeller Fund.
Richard Rockefeller worked on the problem of climate change at three of the Rockefeller foundations benefiting from his service and leadership. He also recognized that one of the particular strengths of a family foundation is the ability to act quickly and to be responsive to opportunities in the field. These initiatives seek to further that legacy and respond quickly and boldly to the climate crisis facing future generations.
At this time, the DR Fund’s small staff is not considering unsolicited letters of inquiry or grant requests. The research, development and exploratory grant-making for two separate initiatives is currently underway, informed by the interests of the board’s trustees. Grant disbursement and additional information will be made available as the initiatives unfold.
The main purpose of the initiatives is to support bold, urgent action to reduce and prevent greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as practitioners and policymakers can achieve such gains at scale.
The impacts of climate change are already being felt by vulnerable communities and ecosystems. Left unchecked, the trajectory of global climate change will have enormous consequences for our children, grandchildren, human civilization and biodiversity.
We invite other donors to think urgently and boldly about what it will take to solve this problem at the scale and pace that the world’s scientists have warned it needs to be solved. We also welcome collaboration with other donors who share our sense of urgency about the problem and we look forward to sharing opportunities and progress reports. The contact for these initiatives is Lukas Haynes, Chief Executive Officer.
