our methods
We partner with individual and institutional donors to align financial resources with strategic, measurable outcomes; provide flexible funding for innovation; build capacity in the environmental movement; and create partnerships with a broad spectrum of allied organizations around shared values and goals. As the fiscal sponsor of the charitable programs of the Sierra Club, we provide resources to it and other nonprofit organizations to support scientific, educational, literary, organizing, advocacy, and legal programs that further our goals.
GRANTS
in 2019 we awarded
grants totalling
$79,693,272
Beyond Coal Campaign
Preventing construction of new coal-fired power plants, retiring existing plants, promoting clean energy alternatives.
$30,635,748
Clean Energy Solutions
Scaling clean, renewable
energy solutions in the power and transportation sectors
and building widespread
public support for a clean
energy economy.
$12,207,171
Our Wild America
Bringing together national and local conservation efforts to end mining and drilling of fossil fuels on public lands, secure land protections, connect communities with nearby nature, and protect and restore wild forests.
$8,812,147
Outdoors for All
Reaching across economic lines, cultures, and communities to engage all Americans—including veterans and youth—to explore, enjoy, and protect the natural world.
$2,074,268
Chapter and Group Education Program
Supporting Sierra Club Chapters and Groups working at the local, state, and regional levels to educate the public about issues relating to protection of the natural and human environment.
$5,996,360
National Education Program
Educating the public about issues relating to protection of the natural and human environment.
$1,450,003
Sierra Student Coalition
Training and empowering students to achieve tangible social and environmental progress by organizing grassroots campaigns that develop the next generation of environmental leaders.
$583,239
Environmental Justice and Community Partnerships; Labor Program
Ensuring communities of color and low-income communities have a voice in decisions that affect their community and bridging the gap between these communities and environmentalists; ensuring that the clean energy economy supports the health and livelihoods of working families.
$2,299,377
Environmental Law Program
Providing legal strategy for Sierra Club’s priority campaigns as well as state—level chapters.
$2,408,512
Democracy Program
Advocating for an equitable and participatory democracy system in the United States to ensure that public policy addresses the linkages between climate change and public health, and social, economic, and environmental justice.
$401,037
Gender, Equity, and Environment Program
Protecting the environment
and preserving natural resources for future generations by advancing reproductive health and sustainable development initiatives.
$1,111,729
International Climate and Energy Campaign
Empowering grassroots activists and organizations in other nations by transferring knowledge and expertise related to coal; reforming international financial institution funding to support clean energy development.
$431,660
Living Economy Program
Building a stronger movement for a just transition to a clean energy economy; paving the way toward enactment of a Green New Deal and transformation of trade policy.
$552,022
Sierra magazine
Supporting the charitable content of Sierra magazine.
$1,315,129
Other Programs
Supporting a variety of environmental programs not otherwise included in categories listed here.
$8,770,127
Grants to Non—Sierra Club Organizations:
Domestic
Supporting partner organizations working to advance clean energy solutions, supporting grassroots wildlife protection efforts.
$639,360
Grants to Non—Sierra Club Organizations:
International
Supporting partner organizations in other countries that confront coal pollution and climate change, supporting efforts to protect wild tiger habitat, including against fossil fuel infrastructure development.
$5,383