Climate Breakthrough Inc. concentrates funding on systemic decarbonization efforts that combine policy advocacy, capacity-building, and applied research. It favors organizations that drive structural change—urban/city-level decarbonization, fossil fuel phaseout advocacy, sustainable economic transitions in the Global South, and research into lower-carbon materials—and tends to fund programmatic scaling and implementation rather than only basic science. Grants skew large and targeted, often awarded as repeat or multi-part awards to the same intermediaries or advocacy groups.
Climate Breakthrough Inc. gives at the high end of the grant spectrum, with a 2025 median grant of $1,466,982 and repeated seven-figure awards to a small set of intermediaries. One of its largest recent grants went to Dalberg Catalyst for sustainable economic solutions in Africa, while another major award supported Emerald Cities Collaborative Inc. for cultural solutions to decarbonization. Those two grants show the foundation’s preference for policy-adjacent and implementation-focused work rather than small project grants. The recent record points to a strategy built around systemic decarbonization: urban and cultural approaches to emissions reduction, fossil-fuel phaseout advocacy, economic transition work in Africa, and research that informs lower-carbon materials decisions. Climate Breakthrough Inc. also backs capacity-building and program scaling, as seen in support for Bold Education Fund and Oil Change International. Grants are concentrated among organizations working on structural change, often with multi-part support across years rather than one-time awards.
In sustainable economic development, Climate Breakthrough Inc. awarded $2,656,648 to Dalberg Catalyst in 2024 and another $43,350 in 2025, both for sustainable economic solutions in Africa. That pairing suggests sustained backing for implementation-oriented transition work. For cultural decarbonization, the foundation gave $2,633,963 to Emerald Cities Collaborative Inc. in 2024 and $66,050 in 2025 to support cultural solutions to decarbonization. It also funded Oil Change International with $300,000 in 2025 to support solutions and practices to reduce oil and gas emissions, plus $32,690 for capacity building of a charitable project. Climate Breakthrough Inc. also funds research and learning infrastructure. NC State Natural Resources Foundation Inc. received $100,000 in 2025 for research assessing the sustainability and carbon footprint of conventional fibers, and Meridian Institute received $50,000 to support impact and learning tools and resources.
Climate Breakthrough Inc. makes large grants: p25 is $250,000, the median is $1,466,982, and p75 is $2,639,634. The recent record shows both very large lead awards and smaller follow-on grants, including repeat support to Dalberg Catalyst, Emerald Cities Collaborative Inc., Bold Education Fund, Oil Change International, and NC State Natural Resources Foundation across 2024 and 2025. The foundation is a public charity, classified as a regular funder, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. The pattern favors programmatic support, capacity-building, and research tied to implementation.
$3.2M
$61.1M
$20.6M
$10.5M
Most grants fall between $250K and $2.6M, with a median of $1.5M.
25th Percentile
$250K
Median
$1.5M
75th Percentile
$2.6M
About 0% of grants go to recipients in DC.
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Highly concentrated, large-dollar grants with repeat funding to a small set of intermediary and advocacy organizations; mixes policy/advocacy grants with targeted research and capacity-building support, including international (Africa) and U.S. city-focused investments.
Notable grantees: BOLD Education Fund, Emerald Cities Collaborative, Dalberg Catalyst, Oil Change International, NC State Natural Resources Foundation
Grant recipients are entirely U.S.-based in the recent sample, with 11 grants and 100% going to U.S. organizations. Washington, DC appears most often among recipients, including Dalberg Catalyst, Emerald Cities Collaborative Inc., and Oil Change International. Other recipient locations include Hastings, Nebraska; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Dillon, Colorado. The foundation’s own headquarters is in Berkeley, California, but recent grants show no recipients in California.
Its grant sizes are large: the 25th percentile is $250,000, the median is $1,466,982, and the 75th percentile is $2,639,634. The recent list also includes awards above $2.6 million, alongside smaller follow-on grants in the tens of thousands.
It funds systemic decarbonization work, including sustainable economic solutions in Africa, cultural solutions to decarbonization, oil and gas emissions reduction, research on the sustainability and carbon footprint of fibers, and impact and learning tools and resources.
Yes. The recent grants show repeat support to Dalberg Catalyst, Emerald Cities Collaborative Inc., Bold Education Fund, Oil Change International, and NC State Natural Resources Foundation across 2024 and 2025, indicating multi-year relationships rather than only one-time awards.
It is a public charity and a regular funder. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments.
In the recent sample, all grants went to U.S. recipients. Washington, DC is the top recipient location by count, with additional grants to organizations in Hastings, Nebraska; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Dillon, Colorado.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOLD EDUCATION FUND | HASTINGS, NE | $2,621,600 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| OIL CHANGE INTERNATIONAL | WASHINGTON, DC | $300,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS AND PRACTICES TO REDUCE OIL AND GAS EMISSIONS. |
| NC STATE NATURAL RESOURCES FOUNDATION INC | RALEIGH, NC | $100,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT RESEARCH ASSESSING THE SUSTAINABILITY AND CARBON FOOTPRINT OF CONVENTIONAL FIBERS. |
| EMERALD CITIES COLLABORATIVE INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $66,050 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT CULTURAL SOLUTIONS TO DE-CARBONIZATION |
| MERIDIAN INSTITUTE | DILLON, CO | $50,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT IMPACT AND LEARNING TOOLS AND RESOURCES. |
| DALBERG CATALYST | WASHINGTON, DC | $43,350 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC SOLUTIONS IN AFRICA |
| OIL CHANGE INTERNATIONAL | WASHINGTON, DC | $32,690 | 2025 | CAPACITY BUILDING OF CHARITABLE PROJECT |
| DALBERG CATALYST | WASHINGTON, DC | $2,656,648 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC SOLUTIONS IN AFRICA. |
| EMERALD CITIES COLLABORATIVE INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $2,633,963 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT CULTURAL SOLUTIONS TO DE-CARBONIZATION. |
| BOLD EDUCATION FUND | HASTINGS, NE | $300,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| NC STATE NATURAL RESOURCES FOUNDATION | RALEIGH, NC | $100,000 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT RESEARCH ASSESSING THE SUSTAINABILITY AND CARBON FOOTPRINT OF CONVENTIONAL AND ALTERNATIVE FIBERS. |
BOLD EDUCATION FUND
$2,621,600GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS AND PRACTICES TO REDUCE OIL AND GAS EMISSIONS.
TO SUPPORT RESEARCH ASSESSING THE SUSTAINABILITY AND CARBON FOOTPRINT OF CONVENTIONAL FIBERS.
TO SUPPORT CULTURAL SOLUTIONS TO DE-CARBONIZATION
TO SUPPORT IMPACT AND LEARNING TOOLS AND RESOURCES.
EMERALD CITIES COLLABORATIVE INC
$2,633,963TO SUPPORT CULTURAL SOLUTIONS TO DE-CARBONIZATION.
BOLD EDUCATION FUND
$300,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
TO SUPPORT RESEARCH ASSESSING THE SUSTAINABILITY AND CARBON FOOTPRINT OF CONVENTIONAL AND ALTERNATIVE FIBERS.