Photo: ecstaticist
The McKnight Foundation is embarking on a comprehensive, five-year strategy to prevent climate change.
“Decisions we all make in the next 10 years will affect the planet’s climate and its people for generations,” said Kate Wolford, foundation president. “Without immediate action, climate change will put at risk all those served by our programs. As a private foundation, McKnight has the flexibility and the resources to respond strategically to this extraordinary challenge.”
McKnight has long been Minnesota’s biggest giver to the environment. This new $100-million effort is aimed at reducing heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions from key regions and sectors around the world.
One major component of this effort is an initial $16 million for the new ClimateWorks Foundation, an international network of philanthropists, policy and clean technology experts dedicated to achieving low-carbon prosperity. The grant will help promote smart energy policies, ramp up deployment of clean energy technologies in areas where the most carbon pollution is generated, and help prevent deforestation in the world’s largest tropical forests.
Additional McKnight support will go to the Energy Foundation and policy reform for the Midwest. Last June, the foundation awarded nearly $4 million to support regional environmental efforts. Find out more about McKnight’s environment support at mcknight.org.
