Foundation News

From protecting millions of acres of lands to transforming the energy sector, Sierra Club Foundation is investing in communities of leaders who are striving to create a healthy planet for all living beings. While the past year has been both an encouraging and difficult one in the fight against climate change, our 2024 annual report shows some of the foundations we’ve helped to lay to sustain critical progress for years to come.

This work is possible thanks to our partnership with Sierra Club, whose charitable programs are fiscally sponsored and funded by the Foundation, and through collaboration with strategic partner organizations who understand the importance of protecting our planet and portfolios. In the past year alone, Sierra Club Foundation has awarded more than $86 million in grants to 27 different nonprofit organizations. These partnerships are critical to our success, which is why 86% of expenses went directly to programs, grants, and services.

In 2024, Sierra Club Foundation and our partners established new protections for public land, helped advance the clean energy transition, and shifted finance toward sustainable solutions. That includes the designation of the Chuckwalla National Monument, which protected 624,000 acres of public land, completing a wildfire corridor extending across nearly 18 million acres. The Foundation also supported building electrification across the country, helping to secure a first-of-its-kind plan to dial back gas infrastructure in Colorado and implement an electrification plan in Massachusetts that protected the public from any cost hikes associated with scaling back gas.

Meanwhile, the Foundation is also focused on shifting trillions of dollars in the economy toward sustainability to bring down emissions for all. In collaboration with Sierra Club, we released a first-of-its-kind report that evaluated dozens of state and local pension plans, and how much progress the funds need to make to combat climate change and mitigate financial risk. In light of that report, Massachusetts updated their proxy guidelines, New York City’s pension plans became the first to halt new private investments in fossil fuels, and public pension fund beneficiaries in California called on their board of directors to commit to end bond investments in fossil fuel companies.

The coming years will bring new challenges and opportunities to protect our economy and environment. The Foundation is grateful to each and every donor and volunteer whose support allows us to continue advancing environmental solutions that are just, equitable, and inclusive.