COVID-19 Response: $500,000 General Support Grant to World Resources Institute May 7, 2020 Share The Heising-Simons Foundation has awarded a $500,000 grant to World Resources Institute (WRI) — a global research organization focusing on critical issues at the intersection of environment and development.
COVID-19 Response: Helping Low-Income Households Maintain Access to Essential Utility Services May 6, 2020 Share The Foundation has awarded a $150,000 grant to the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) — a thought leader on consumer protection policies — to help ensure low-income households maintain access to essential utility services like electricity, water, and telecommunications in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.
Hope on the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day April 22, 2020 Share Mark Heising, vice president of the Board of the Heising-Simons Foundation, is optimistic about tackling climate change. In a blog post authored for the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (PACS), he describes why: “We have the technologies needed to cut pollution and continue powering modern society — like electric cars, solar panels, batteries, and LED lighting — we just need to deploy them faster. And in many cases, the clean technology is now the cheapest option available. That means it is incumbent industries, outdated policies, and obsolete infrastructure standing in our way, not economics or technology. These are surmountable challenges.”
COVID-19 Response: $700,000 Grant to the Center for American Progress April 17, 2020 Share As the COVID-19 pandemic deepens the health and financial crisis, the Foundation has made a $700,000 grant to the Center for American Progress (CAP) — an independent nonpartisan policy institute dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans — to continue its ongoing work so that any federal economic stimulus and recovery efforts support the most vulnerable communities, and advance clean energy.
U.S. Cities and States Stepping Up to Lead on Climate Change and Clean Energy August 8, 2019 Share As more Americans become concerned about climate change, cities and states around the country are taking bold actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition to cleaner sources of energy.
Introducing A New Member Of The Heising-Simons Foundation Climate And Clean Energy Team May 29, 2019 Share The Heising-Simons Foundation is delighted to welcome Laura Wisland as a program officer for the Climate and Clean Energy program. Laura led the Union of Concerned Scientists’ work on Western power sector issues for the last decade. Prior to that, she was the director of the California Hydropower Reform Coalition. Laura has a master’s degree from …
Climate Change Stories From Hispanic Communities November 8, 2018 Share In 2017, a national study conducted by grantee the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC) revealed that self-identified Hispanics in the United States are highly engaged with the issue of climate change. Pursuant to this finding, the Foundation’s Climate and Clean Energy program has supported the production of 25 radio episodes of YPCCC’s Climate Connections specifically focused on the Hispanic community, a demographic often overlooked in conversations about climate change.
Green Raiteros: Greening Transportation for Communities that Need It Most October 19, 2018 Share Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation is critical to meet our goal to protect people from the worst impacts of climate change. Transportation is now the leading source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., accounting for 28 percent of emissions in 2016. Growing transportation pollution also contributes to worsening air quality, leading to serious health problems like asthma and heart problems that hit low-income communities hardest.
The Foundation’s Updated Climate and Clean Energy Program Strategy September 14, 2018 Share The devastating impacts of climate change have hit home recently. Powerful hurricanes ravaged Puerto Rico and parts of Texas and Florida last year. Wildfires rage across the Western U.S. And many parts of the world have been hit even harder. The Foundation recently refreshed its Climate and Clean Energy program strategy, recognizing the importance of efforts to prevent even worse climate change impacts in the future, and the urgency of curbing pollution and accelerating the transition to clean energy.