Sequoia Climate Foundation
ActivePhilanthropy & VoluntarismFunds Individuals
About Sequoia Climate Foundation
Sequoia Climate Foundation is a strategic, policy-oriented climate funder that prioritizes accelerating the clean energy transition through finance, policy, and technical assistance. They favor supporting intermediary organizations, global networks, and advocacy/analysis groups that can shift finance and public policy at scale—often funding collaborative platforms, carbon-reduction technical work, and climate communications. Their grants support both U.S.-focused decarbonization (grid, transport, efficiency) and international climate engagement, especially efforts that mobilize the financial sector and multilateral cooperation.
Focus Areas
Mobilizing the financial sector for climate (climate finance, net-zero finance alliances, and investor engagement)Accelerating power-sector decarbonization and grid innovation (integrated resource planning, IRA implementation, clean electricity policy)Clean transportation and decarbonizing mobility (analysis and policy to shift transport fuels and vehicles)Capacity-building and technical assistance for policy and implementation (technical support to governments, Integrated Resource Planning, standards and efficiency)Support for global climate networks and convening platforms (multilateral partnerships, COP engagement, funder collaboratives)
About Sequoia Climate Foundation
Sequoia Climate Foundation concentrates its largest grants on shifting climate policy, finance, and communications through intermediary organizations and global networks. Recent awards show an emphasis on the energy transition, with repeated multiyear support for groups that translate policy and technical analysis into implementation. The foundation gave $17.9 million to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Inc in New York for educational activities tied to the energy transition, and $15 million to Stichting European Climate Foundation in The Hague for general operating support. Those large awards sit alongside seven-figure grants to Tara Climate Ltd, Climateworks Foundation, and other policy organizations working on clean energy, climate finance, and public communications. The pattern suggests a funder that backs organizations positioned to influence systems rather than isolated projects. Its grants also reach the transport sector, methane reduction, climate diplomacy, and capacity-building efforts linked to training, education, and policy planning. Sequoia Climate Foundation funds both U.S. and international recipients, with recipients spread across the United States, Europe, Australia, and other regions.
What Sequoia Climate Foundation Funds
In climate finance, Sequoia Climate Foundation gave $7.924 million to Climateworks Foundation for research and education to further climate finance efforts, and $7 million to The Sunrise Project Australia Ltd for work on shifting the financial sector toward clean energy and a just transition. For clean power and policy implementation, it awarded $7.5 million to United States Energy Foundation for climate policy planning to advance clean energy and foster public health, plus $6.4 million to the same organization for state clean energy policy implementation. The foundation also supports transport decarbonization: it gave $4.5 million to International Council on Clean Transportation to help decarbonize the transport sector. Communications and education are another recurring thread, including $6 million to Meliore Foundation (fup) for coordination on communications strategies and $5.615 million to Stichting European Climate Foundation for public education about clean energy.
How Sequoia Climate Foundation Gives
Sequoia Climate Foundation’s recent grants are large, with a p25 of $500,000, a median grant of $1,000,000, and a p75 of $1,642,500. The top recent awards are multi-million-dollar commitments, indicating a strong preference for institutional funding rather than small project grants. The foundation is classified as a regular funder and also funds individuals. Recent records show recipients appearing across multiple years, including Stichting European Climate Foundation, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Inc, Tara Climate Ltd, and United States Energy Foundation, which points to recurring support rather than one-off awards. The grant pattern also includes general operating support, research and education funding, technical assistance, and policy planning.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$736.5M
Total Assets
$113.7M
Total Revenue
$367.7M
Total Expenses
$332.3M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $500K and $1.6M, with a median of $1M.
25th Percentile
$500K
Median
$1M
75th Percentile
$1.6M
Geographic Reach
National20 states funded
About 21% of grants go to recipients in MN.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Where Sequoia Climate Foundation Funds
Top 10 recipient countries by grant volume for Sequoia Climate Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 331 | $431.8M | 66.2% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 41 | $45.5M |
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