Latest news with #LeverforChange
26-06-2025
- Business
Young leaders advancing potential climate solutions could win $1 million grants
NEW YORK -- Youth-led climate groups are getting a $25 million injection from a philanthropic collaborative that hopes other funders will follow their lead in supporting solutions created by younger generations grappling with a future marked by increasing temperatures and rising sea levels. Despite recent upticks in donations to nonprofits combatting climate change, Enlight Foundation President Xin Liu said emerging leaders on the front lines of the crisis are not getting enough of that money. So, she and The Patchwork Collective are offering $1 million multi-year grants to 25 community organizations led by 15- to 35-year-olds. 'There's a little funder stigma of trusting youth, trusting young funders, trusting their capacity, their ability to lead," Liu said. 'They're really quite often very innovative and creative. And very much close to the problem, which drives them to come up with really impactful solutions," she added. "As an older generation, we have a responsibility in helping them, empowering them, to scale their work, too.' The award is open to anyone globally who is tackling a broad range of climate issues including education, justice, resilience, conservation, sustainable agriculture and disaster preparedness. Applicants have until Sept. 22 to enter the open call run by Lever for Change, a nonprofit affiliate of the MacArthur Foundation. The competition is part of Enlight Foundation's spenddown strategy. The nonprofit — created by Liu and Chinese tech billionaire Duan Yongping to fund education equality and youth empowerment — plans to give away all its resources in the next eight years. Liu said the foundation won't be able to sunset without collaborations like this one. Lever for Change, which has rallied its donor network to unlock $2.5 billion across 16 open calls, made for a perfect partner. The Patchwork Collective — a family philanthropy founded by Marie and Benoit Dageville that funds grassroots programs developed by communities to address their own issues — voluntarily contributed $5 million after learning about the competition. Lever for Change President Kristen Molyneaux said everyone has a role to play. More than a dozen young advisors gave feedback on the open call's design and will help with peer review, according to Liu. Youth-led organizations and climate experts are welcome to participate in the external evaluation panel. Liu is inviting more funders to join because she said each additional $1 million will allow them to benefit another awardee. 'The people who are most invested in this are the people who are going to be bearing the burden of climate change in their future,' Molyneaux said. 'So, they understand the importance of this issue and how to mobilize their communities.' The length of the multi-year grants will be tailored to the recipients' needs. Recognizing that some organizations might not have the capacity to accept all that money at once, Liu said 2- to 5-year periods are 'fine.' Enlight Foundation will also do more than just write a check. Liu promised to provide mentorship and connections 'to really watch them flourish.' 'I am very excited, especially during this very uncertain time for young people around the world,' Liu said. 'They are going to build a much better and brighter future when they are engaged.' ___
Winnipeg Free Press
26-06-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Young leaders advancing potential climate solutions could win $1 million grants
NEW YORK (AP) — Youth-led climate groups are getting a $25 million injection from a philanthropic collaborative that hopes other funders will follow their lead in supporting solutions created by younger generations grappling with a future marked by increasing temperatures and rising sea levels. Despite recent upticks in donations to nonprofits combatting climate change, Enlight Foundation President Xin Liu said emerging leaders on the front lines of the crisis are not getting enough of that money. So, she and The Patchwork Collective are offering $1 million multi-year grants to 25 community organizations led by 15- to 35-year-olds. 'There's a little funder stigma of trusting youth, trusting young funders, trusting their capacity, their ability to lead,' Liu said. 'They're really quite often very innovative and creative. And very much close to the problem, which drives them to come up with really impactful solutions,' she added. 'As an older generation, we have a responsibility in helping them, empowering them, to scale their work, too.' The award is open to anyone globally who is tackling a broad range of climate issues including education, justice, resilience, conservation, sustainable agriculture and disaster preparedness. Applicants have until Sept. 22 to enter the open call run by Lever for Change, a nonprofit affiliate of the MacArthur Foundation. The competition is part of Enlight Foundation's spenddown strategy. The nonprofit — created by Liu and Chinese tech billionaire Duan Yongping to fund education equality and youth empowerment — plans to give away all its resources in the next eight years. Liu said the foundation won't be able to sunset without collaborations like this one. Lever for Change, which has rallied its donor network to unlock $2.5 billion across 16 open calls, made for a perfect partner. The Patchwork Collective — a family philanthropy founded by Marie and Benoit Dageville that funds grassroots programs developed by communities to address their own issues — voluntarily contributed $5 million after learning about the competition. Lever for Change President Kristen Molyneaux said everyone has a role to play. More than a dozen young advisors gave feedback on the open call's design and will help with peer review, according to Liu. Youth-led organizations and climate experts are welcome to participate in the external evaluation panel. Liu is inviting more funders to join because she said each additional $1 million will allow them to benefit another awardee. 'The people who are most invested in this are the people who are going to be bearing the burden of climate change in their future,' Molyneaux said. 'So, they understand the importance of this issue and how to mobilize their communities.' Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. The length of the multi-year grants will be tailored to the recipients' needs. Recognizing that some organizations might not have the capacity to accept all that money at once, Liu said 2- to 5-year periods are 'fine.' Enlight Foundation will also do more than just write a check. Liu promised to provide mentorship and connections 'to really watch them flourish.' 'I am very excited, especially during this very uncertain time for young people around the world,' Liu said. 'They are going to build a much better and brighter future when they are engaged.' ___ Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP's philanthropy coverage, visit
San Francisco Chronicle
26-06-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Young leaders advancing potential climate solutions could win $1 million grants
NEW YORK (AP) — Youth-led climate groups are getting a $25 million injection from a philanthropic collaborative that hopes other funders will follow their lead in supporting solutions created by younger generations grappling with a future marked by increasing temperatures and rising sea levels. Despite recent upticks in donations to nonprofits combatting climate change, Enlight Foundation President Xin Liu said emerging leaders on the front lines of the crisis are not getting enough of that money. So, she and The Patchwork Collective are offering $1 million multi-year grants to 25 community organizations led by 15- to 35-year-olds. 'There's a little funder stigma of trusting youth, trusting young funders, trusting their capacity, their ability to lead," Liu said. 'They're really quite often very innovative and creative. And very much close to the problem, which drives them to come up with really impactful solutions," she added. "As an older generation, we have a responsibility in helping them, empowering them, to scale their work, too.' The award is open to anyone globally who is tackling a broad range of climate issues including education, justice, resilience, conservation, sustainable agriculture and disaster preparedness. Applicants have until Sept. 22 to enter the open call run by Lever for Change, a nonprofit affiliate of the MacArthur Foundation. The competition is part of Enlight Foundation's spenddown strategy. The nonprofit — created by Liu and Chinese tech billionaire Duan Yongping to fund education equality and youth empowerment — plans to give away all its resources in the next eight years. Liu said the foundation won't be able to sunset without collaborations like this one. Lever for Change, which has rallied its donor network to unlock $2.5 billion across 16 open calls, made for a perfect partner. The Patchwork Collective — a family philanthropy founded by Marie and Benoit Dageville that funds grassroots programs developed by communities to address their own issues — voluntarily contributed $5 million after learning about the competition. Lever for Change President Kristen Molyneaux said everyone has a role to play. More than a dozen young advisors gave feedback on the open call's design and will help with peer review, according to Liu. Youth-led organizations and climate experts are welcome to participate in the external evaluation panel. Liu is inviting more funders to join because she said each additional $1 million will allow them to benefit another awardee. 'The people who are most invested in this are the people who are going to be bearing the burden of climate change in their future,' Molyneaux said. 'So, they understand the importance of this issue and how to mobilize their communities.' The length of the multi-year grants will be tailored to the recipients' needs. Recognizing that some organizations might not have the capacity to accept all that money at once, Liu said 2- to 5-year periods are 'fine.' Enlight Foundation will also do more than just write a check. Liu promised to provide mentorship and connections 'to really watch them flourish.' 'I am very excited, especially during this very uncertain time for young people around the world,' Liu said. 'They are going to build a much better and brighter future when they are engaged.' ___
Time Magazine
20-05-2025
- Business
- Time Magazine
Cecilia Conrad
In 2023, when Yield Giving founder MacKenzie Scott wanted to give $250 million to 250 charities serving low-income households and people facing discrimination, she turned to Cecilia Conrad for help choosing which groups most deserved the grants. Conrad runs Lever for Change, a nonprofit that connects donors with organizations through 'open calls,' or competitions for funding, then brings in experts to evaluate applicants for financial soundness, impact, and effectiveness. It's a reversal of the typical invitation-only system most foundations use for grants, and gave, on the one hand, little-known nonprofits a shot at significant funding and, on the other, donors a chance to discover compelling new groups to support. The upshot for Scott? Lever for Change identified so many promising organizations that last year she ended up more than doubling her initial pledge, giving away $640 million to 361 groups, chosen from more than 6,000 applicants. Such is the transformative power of Conrad, a Stanford-trained economics professor-turned philanthropy executive who previously led the MacArthur Foundation's Fellows program, aka its 'Genius' grants. She founded Lever for Change in 2019 to dismantle barriers in philanthropy. 'There are donors who want to fund creative, effective organizations and creative, effective organizations who need funding but they have trouble finding each other,' Conrad says. To date, Lever for Change, which has also advised LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, has influenced $2.5 billion in donations to more than 500 charities. And more is coming: The organization is now vetting hundreds more charities to help Melinda French Gates decide how to allocate $250 million to improve women's health. 'We exist to help donors discover new ideas, new potential," Conrad says.
