Author: Danielle Simpson

Deep Sea Mining | Minerals+Materials | Article

Cause for Hope for Moratorium on Deep Sea Mining as International Seabed Authority Elects New Secretary General

Possibility for a moratorium on deep-sea mining and greater protections for the ocean swelled on Augus
t 2, 2024, when members of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) elected Brazilian oceanographer, Leticia Carvalho, as their new Secretary General. Carvalho, a former oil industry regulator, will replace incumbent Michael Lodge, a public international lawyer who has been serving in the role since 2016.

Human Rights | Announcement

Congolese President announces Green Corridor: the world’s largest tropical forest reserve

At the World Economic Forum last week, Congolese President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi announced the creation of a Green Corridor—a new category of protected area designed to reconcile protection of some of the world’s largest remaining expanses of forest with the urgent need for economic development in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Indigenous Communities | Article

Land Return Movement Reclaims Ancestral Land in California

Grantee Three Creeks Collective from the Owens Valley Indian Water Commission received well-deserved recognition in a New York Times article about the growing momentum in California to reclaim ancestral land.

Food & Agriculture | Article

Food & Agriculture Grantees Contribute to Historic Win for Farm Credit Accessibility

USDA’s Farm Service Agency recently announced a suite of administrative reforms to its loan programs that will increase access and reduce risks for farmers taking on debt.

Journalism | Article

Media Impact Funders Highlights Journalism CPI’s Grantmaking Strategy

The Journalism cross-programmatic initiative (CPI) team worked together to give Nina Sachdev, Director of Communications at grantee Media Impact Funders, deep insight into the evolution of the CPI’s grantmaking strategy, the gaps in climate media coverage that they want to address, and what efficacy and meaningful impact can and should look like.

Impact Investing | Article

Mad Capital’s new fund aims to establish resilient food systems and economic sustainability for organic farmers

Investee Mad Capital, a financing company that provides capital “that invigorates the imagination [of farmers], liberates them from the industrial shackles of debt obligations and enables the transition to regenerative organic agriculture,” recently launched the $50mm Perennial Fund II (PFII) with stellar cornerstone investors such as the Rockefeller Foundation, Builders Vision, the Schmidt Family Foundation, and others, bringing $16mm total to the fund.

N2 | Article

New Mexico Nonprofit Reaches Major Milestone on Road to National Transit Equity

N² grantee Together for Brothers (T4B), a BIPOC-youth-led nonprofit that brings community, love and young men of color to demand justice and change in their communities, had a huge win in 2023.

Indigenous Communities | Press Release

Hoopa Valley Tribe Regains Major Tract of Ancestral Land

Return of 10,395-acre Hupa Mountain property to Tribe’s stewardship ‘a day of intense celebration.’

Energy | Article

Redeemer Community Partnership building community atop former oil drilling site

More than 10 years after first organizing against a neighborhood oil drilling site in their South LA neighborhood, Energy Program partners at Redeemer Community Partnership are now deep in the work of ensuring something generative and nurturing is built in its place.

Minerals and Materials | Article | Op-ed | Video

Minerals + Materials grantee leading the charge against vinyl chloride

Minerals and Materials grantee, Beyond Plastics, was featured in the Associated Press’ recent story on the EPA’s announcement that it will prioritize five chemicals for risk evaluation, including vinyl chloride, as part of the response to the East Palestine train derailment.

Human Rights | Article

Human Rights Grantee Honored As Global Anti-Corruption Champion

On December 7, Jean-Claude Mputu, a Congolese activist and 11th Hour Project grantee serving as the Deputy Director of Resource Matters, and spokesperson for the Congo Is Not for Sale Coalition, was honored alongside ten other global leaders, with the State Department Anti-Corruption Champions award.

Impact Investing | Press Release

Intersectional climate justice gains momentum with investee Candide Group’s new fund

Candide Group’s loan fund deploys capital to organizations serving communities living in persistent poverty, facing high energy costs, lacking access to clean transportation, and disproportionately suffering from the effects of extreme weather.

Indigenous Communities | Press Release

The Schmidt Family Foundation’s 11th Hour Project Announces New Indigenous Communities Program

After five years of grantmaking to Indigenous communities, foundation expands work to full program.

Human Rights | Press Release

University of Vermont Receives $1 million from Schmidt Family Foundation to Launch New Institute for Agroecology

Free, searchable, open-source website lifts veil on more than 200,000 projects, human rights and environmental complaints against them. 

Impact Investing | Press Release

Nithio secures $3m investment from Schmidt Family Foundation

AI-enabled solar energy vehicle plans to use the investment to expand access to renewable energy products for over 17,000 households.

Emerging Strategies | Announcement

Climate and Community Project’s latest report explores a more just zero-emissions future

In partnership with the Schmidt Family Foundation, Climateworks, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and University of California, Davis, the Climate and Community Project released a new report that may challenge widely held assumptions about the U.S.’s path to a zero-emissions future.

Impact Investing | Press Release

Climate nonprofit RE-volv secures $3M investment from Kresge and Schmidt Family foundations to bring solar power to communities nationwide

The $3M investment will prioritize financing solar installations for nonprofits and BIPOC-led houses of worship, supporting recent RE-volv funding from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Announcement | Press Release

SPUN receives $3M grant from TSFF to shine spotlight on climate superhero species

The Schmidt Family Foundation is excited to deepen its commitment to restoring balance between people and planet through a $3M grant to the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN).

Emerging Strategies | Article

“Wendy Schmidt gives big to protect oceans, planet’s future,” writes Chronicle of Philanthropy

Wendy Schmidt, President and Founder of the Schmidt Family Foundation, shares about her love of the ocean and how she’s translated it into meaningful conservation efforts in a recent interview with The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Energy | Announcement

Climate Central Tool is First to Measure Real-Time Impact of Climate Change

This week, Climate Central launched the Climate Shift Index (CSI), the world’s first tool to quantify the impact of climate change on local weather in real time.

Energy | Announcement

Nalleli Cobo, Leader in 11th Hour Project Community Energy Efforts, Wins 2022 Goldman Prize

Nalleli Cobo, a fierce young advocate who helped lead a coalition to permanently shut down a toxic oil-drilling site in her Los Angeles community, has been named the 2022 winner of the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize.

Op-ed

“Philanthropy Can Seed Agroecology”, Says Wendy Schmidt

In this Inside Philanthropy op-ed, TSFF President and founder Wendy Schmidt advocates for the importance of agricultural biodiversity in ensuring a resilient food system that can withstand challenges like climate change and plant pathogens.

Energy | Human Rights/Energy | Article

“Frack Off Chaco” Coalition Collects 80,000 Comments Demanding Government “Truly Honor Chaco” and Surrounding Communities

Environmental justice advocates, Indigenous grassroots organizations, tribal community leaders, and members of the public delivered nearly 80,000 comments to the Bureau of Land Management’s proposal to stop new oil and gas leasing for a 20-year period on roughly 350,000 acres of land within a 10-mile radius of Chaco Culture National Historical Park.

Emerging Strategies | Press Release

Online Database Brings Transparency to Financing of Mega-Development Projects

Free, searchable, open-source website lifts veil on more than 200,000 projects, human rights and environmental complaints against them. 

Announcement

Remembering Dr. Paul Farmer, public health pioneer and 11th Hour Project grantee

The 11th Hour Project lost a longtime friend, partner and grantee with the death this week of Dr. Paul Farmer, a world renowned physician and humanitarian. The founder of Partners in Health, who was a friend and inspiration to Wendy Schmidt, Amy Rao, Joe Sciortino and the entire TSFF team, spent his career delivering high-quality […]

Energy | Article

Victories in the Anti-Fossil Fuel Movement for 11th Hour Project Partners

Thanks in part to the tireless work of frontline communities, California is considering a 3,200-foot setback rule on future oil and gas wells in order to protect public health and the environment.

Human Rights/Food | Press Release

Study Funded by 11th Hour Project Reveals Challenges Facing Indigenous Campesines

The COVID-19 Farmworker Study by CA Institute for Rural Studies and partners includes extensive interviews with indigenous campesines and identifies policy changes that could benefit the farmworker population. 

Food & Agriculture | Announcement

Indigenous Chef Group I-Collective’s Narrative Cookbook of Traditional Recipes Featured in New York Times

I-Collective’s new coobook received praise from the New York Times for its collection of traditional recipes and narratives celebrating indigenous food and culture.

Food & Agriculture | Op-ed

“2021 Was Trash. Make 2022 Compost,” Says Wendy Schmidt

You can contribute to a healthier planet by resolving to compost food waste this year, TSFF President Wendy Schmidt writes in the San Diego Union Tribune.

Human Rights/Food | Press Release

Grantees and Allies Challenge the Food Systems Status Quo

11th Hour Project grantees and farmer movements around the world challenged industrial agriculture’s influence on the UN Food Systems Summit.

Diversity and Inclusion | Press Release

The 11th Hour Project Honors Commitment to Fund BIPOC-led Climate Justice Organizations

TSFF has long incorporated racial and economic justice into its philanthropy, providing funding support and guidance to projects that promote human rights in underserved communities.

Food & Agriculture | Article

Years of 11th Hour Grantee Persistence Pays Off With New Pesticide Ban

The 2021 federal ban on chlorpyrifos – a widely-used pesticide with harmful neurotoxic properties – is due in large part to the efforts of nonprofit organizations and community groups over the last 20 years.

Emerging Strategies | Food & Agriculture | Article

Grantees Report on ‘America’s Food Monopolies’

In this interactive report, The Guardian and Food and Water Watch, both 11th Hour grantees, investigate the hyper-corporate consolidation of our food system.

Human Rights | Article

Grantee Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa Takes on the Gates Foundation

In a Scientific American op-ed, ASFA discusses opposition to the spread of corporate agricultural practices in Africa, which they argue are promoted by the world’s largest foundation.

Energy | Announcement

Grantee Announces Equity Internships for the Climate Tech Sector

The EDICT internship program will provide 30 paid, full-time internships to Black, Indigenous, Latinx and other underrepresented students across the United States.

Energy | Announcement

Grantee Sharon Lavigne Awarded the 2021 Goldman Environmental Prize

The founder of RISE St. James won for leading a successful grassroots campaign to stop construction of a toxic plastics plant in Louisiana.

Food & Agriculture | Article

Mother Jones Features Grantee’s Efforts to Boost Black Farm Ownership

The article looks at black agrarian efforts focused on “people pooling resources and buying land for multiple uses.”

Energy | Report

An International Energy Agency Report Says Halt New Fossil Fuel Investments

The IEA’s report calls for governments to immediately stop approving new coal-fired power plants and new oil and gas fields to address climate change, aiding the work of grantees.

Impact Investing | Article

Investee Gia Schneider on ‘Restoration’ Hydropower

In an interview with MIT’s Energy Initiative, Natel Energy founder and CEO Gia Schneider discusses why she became interested in climate change and “transforming our energy landscape.”

Human Rights | Report

Grantee BankTrack Creates Campaign to Address Global Fossil Fuel Investments

The new campaign platform brings together organizations and campaigns from all over the world pressuring commercial banks to stop financing the fossil fuel industry.

Impact Investing | Press Release

Grantee RSF Social Finance Launches Racial Collaborative Fund

The new philanthropic fund provides diverse forms of capital to U.S.-based social enterprises with Black, Indigenous and people of color owners and leaders.

Energy | Article

The Atlantic Features Grantees’ Fight Against a Louisiana Petrochemical Plant

The story looks at efforts to prevent the construction of a facility next to an already overburdened Black community.

Food & Agriculture | Announcement

Grantee Berkeley Journalism Announces 2021 Food and Farming Fellows

Ten journalists from around the country—including two Berkeley Journalism alums—were selected from over 100 entries.

Human Rights | Report

Grantee Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa Challenges the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit

AFSA has stated its willingness to participate in the summit if certain conditions are addressed concerning inclusivity and equity.

Emerging Strategies | Report

Grantee Report on Reducing Mining Needs for Electric Vehicle Batteries

Our grantee Earthworks issued a study on the current status and future potential of strategies to reduce demand for new mining, particularly for lithium-ion battery metals for electric vehicles.

Impact Investing | Article

Investee Davida Herzl Discusses the Importance of Air Quality on the Economy

In Greenbiz, the founder of Aclima argues that “clean air is essential to a healthy, equitable and prosperous future.

Human Rights | Article

Grantees Campaign to Stop an Oil Pipeline in East Africa

Members of the STOPEACOP Alliance call on financiers, companies, governments officials and a range of other actors to not move ahead with the construction of what would be the world’s longest heated pipeline.

Energy | Report

Grantee Greenpeace Issues a Report on ‘Fossil Fuel Racism’

The report examines how to address the disproportionate harm the petrochemical industry has on communities of color.

Diversity and Inclusion | Article

TSFF Joins the Climate Funders Justice Pledge

We have joined a set of funders that plan to shift climate change-related support to environmental and justice-focused organizations led by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) leadership.

Human Rights | Report

Grantee IPES-Food Releases Report on Pathways for the Future of Food

The report looks at scenarios for a food system that is corporate and one that is people centered.

Diversity and Inclusion | Announcement

Statement on the Violence Against AAPI Communities

The foundation offers words in support of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities undergoing targeted violence during the pandemic.

Food & Agriculture | Article

The New York Times Features Two Sustainable Food Grantees

Leaders from our grantees HEAL and National Black Food and Justice Alliance are quoted in a major article about bringing function and equity back to the food system.

Emerging Strategies | Report

Grantee AMBR Launches Report on Plastic Recycling

A January paper argues our current recycling system is limited and we cannot recycle our way out of our plastics problem.

Press Release

TSFF Endows New Indigenous Studies Professorship at Princeton

The position expands interdisciplinary research and teaching focused on Indigenous communities around the world.

Article

Wendy Schmidt: ‘Solutions are always local’

In this Mongabay interview, our president discusses the work of TSFF and the why our philanthropic efforts are built around “systems thinking.”

Emerging Strategies | Article

NPQ Creates Series on Indigenous Communities and Environmental Justice

First Nations Development Institute’s Raymond Foxworth introduces a series of articles to allow Native leaders speak for themselves on how to stop environmental degradation and build more sustainable futures for their communities.

Emerging Strategies | Report

Grantee FNDI Report on Supporting Indigenous Communities as Land Stewards

The First Nations Development Institute report finds that it is important for major organizations to support Indigenous peoples as stewards of biocultural diversity and sustainable land management practices.

Diversity and Inclusion | Press Release

TSFF Joins the Democracy Frontlines Fund

The new initiative will provide sustained support to frontline, Black activists leading the movement to end systemic racism.

Human Rights | Report

A Report Issues Guidelines for Renewable Energy Projects in Africa

Our grantee WoMin released a report outlining ways to prevent renewable energy projects from being extractive and destructive, while also protecting the human rights of communities.

Press Release

TSFF Makes $4.7 Million Grant To NPR Collaborative Journalism Network

The grant will fund regional newsrooms in California and the Midwest to boost local coverage and investigative journalism.

Human Rights | Announcement

Tribute To Ousmane Aminata Bangoura Coordinator Of ADREMGUI

We are devastated by the sudden loss of our dear colleague, partner, and friend.

Announcement

A Message On COVID-19

The TSFF leadership offers words of support to partners during the pandemic.

Article

Inside Philanthropy Profiles The 11th Hour Project

The article discusses the evolution of the foundation’s giving on issues related to climate change.

Press Release

Eric and Wendy Schmidt Announce New $1 Billion Commitment to Support Global Talent Working In Service Of Others

The new Schmidt Futures program will identify and support talent across disciplines and around the world to serve others and help address the world’s most pressing problems.

Energy | Press Release

The 11th Hour Project Announces Eight Innovators To Ignite EV Adoption, $1M Awarded

After receiving over 100 submissions, we have narrowed in on eight projects aimed at increasing the adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs) in the United States.

Energy | Press Release

The 11th Hour Project Announces Winners Of The Just Transit SF Challenge

We are excited to announce the winning transportation solutions for increasing access to reliable, cost-effective, and lower carbon transportation options.

Energy | Press Release

Just Transit Challenge Winners Announced

For the second year in a row, we have teamed up with key stakeholders in California to bring equitable and climate friendly transportation solutions to cities across America through the Just Transit Challenge.

Human Rights | Report

Grantees Help Guinean Villages Lodge Complaint Against Bauxite Mine Lender

Villages accuse the International Finance Corporation of breaching its own standards and international law by financing the mining operations of La Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinée.

Food & Agriculture | Article

The New York Times Features Work on Sequestering Carbon Via Soil

This major feature highlights work by our grantee, Marin Carbon Project.

Human Rights | Report

Virunga National Park

Join us for a beautiful photo tour and explore some inspiring and impactful Congolese entrepreneurship projects.

Food & Agriculture | Announcement

The 11th Hour Project Launches Regenerative Agriculture Foundation

We are excited to announce the launch of a new foundation whose mission is to support farmers and ranchers, the managers of the vast majority of the nation’s land surface, through research, education and advocacy.