During a period of accelerated investment, The
Solutions Project provided $42
million in funding to climate justice groups, contributing
to results including 53 climate policy and campaign wins with the
potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions, benefit 106
million people, and unlock over $350
billion in public funding for climate solutions
(2021-2024)
View the fact sheet & the reports
WASHINGTON, May 23, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Frontline climate groups – especially those led by
women and people of color – are securing climate policy wins and
developing clean energy projects that have the potential to
dramatically reduce carbon emissions and benefit millions of
people, according to new analyses from The Solutions
Project (TSP) and external research partners.
Recorded successes of TSP grantees as part of coalitions
include:
- $20 million for a local drainage
program designed to protect residents from industrial waste
exposure during storm events and reduce the threat of mosquito
borne-illness
- A statewide ban on natural gas in all new New York buildings
- The Biden-Harris administration's Justice40 Initiative,
which was inspired by New York's
2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act
"For the first time, we have hard data that shows how
successful frontline climate leaders have been in advancing climate
justice and a Just Transition to clean energy," said
Marcus Littles, Founder and Senior
Partner at Frontline Solutions. "In recent years,
forward-thinking funders and philanthropists have infused historic
levels of funding into a growing network of community-based climate
justice organizations. Now, the results are in. When frontline
leaders are adequately supported and funded, they deliver
significant results – both for the planet and the communities they
serve. These findings are especially timely, as the Biden-Harris
administration makes unprecedented investments in climate and
environmental justice through the Justice40 Initiative."
Since 2021, The Solutions Project has deployed more than
$42 million in funding, the
majority (nearly $30 million in the
time frame analyzed) from a catalytic investment from the Bezos
Earth Fund. This and additional funding from other private
donors has enabled the organization to fund more than 300
frontline climate groups – over 90% of which are led by women
and/or people of color. In 2023 alone, The Solutions Project
provided over $16 million to
grassroots groups through its core grantmaking and the
grassroots-led collaborative funds it administers, such as the
Fund for Frontline Power, Communicating Our Power, and the
Justice40 Accelerator.
"For too long, there's been a 'top down' approach to solving the
climate crisis," said Gloria Walton,
President and CEO of The Solutions Project. "In contrast, when we
resource from the bottom up, transformative change happens. The
research shows that funding local frontline climate groups actually
allows for increased impact, because they design solutions that
simultaneously benefit local people and the planet. These
organizations reduce carbon emissions, create good green jobs,
provide affordable housing, and ensure clean air and safe drinking
water."
The Solutions Project's new reports (listed below) find the
organization's approach to funding has helped frontline climate
groups pass policies, fight polluting industries, and revitalize
their communities in ways that will benefit residents and reduce
carbon emissions.
"This research shows what's possible when philanthropy properly
resources grassroots groups to pursue their communities' vision for
climate solutions," said Walton.
NEW REPORTS:
- Just Solutions Collective Policy Impact Analysis
- Frontline Solutions Survey of Grantees and Impact
Assessment
- Physicians, Scientists, and Engineers for Healthy Energy
CO2 Emissions Impact Analysis
- The Solutions Project 2023 Impact Report
NATIONAL FINDINGS:
(Just Solutions Collective Policy Impact Analysis; Frontline
Solutions Survey of Grantees and Impact Assessment)
Frontline groups funded by The Solutions Project have:
- Secured at least 53 climate policy and campaign wins. Policy
expert analysis found that just 20 of these climate policy wins
have the potential to benefit nearly 106 million people nationally,
including over 43 million people who will also benefit from local
and state policies. Together, these policies unlock
$367.2 billion in current and near-term future
public climate investments (2021-2024).
- Secured additional $53
million in total annual budget growth from private
donors as a result of TSP support (2021-2023).
- Secured $36 million in
new funding through their increased communications capacity
provided by The Solutions Project (2021-2023).
This year, The Solutions Project is celebrating 10 years of
working with community-rooted organizations on the front lines of
the climate crisis.
"The Solutions Project understands the type of support that's
needed for the climate justice movement to be successful," said
Dawn Wells-Clyburn at PUSH Buffalo
"Instead of providing ad-hoc funding for individual projects or
campaigns, The Solutions Project takes a more holistic approach,
providing general operating support, strategic initiative funding,
and communications expertise to help us organize, build political
influence, and develop our climate solutions. The Solution Project
also understands the unique challenges that Femme BIPOC leaders
face who run frontline organizations and often must navigate
through the compounding crises of environmental and structural
racism and community trauma. The Solutions Project is more than a
funder. It is helpful that this doesn't have to be explained; they
get it and have moved in partnership with us over the last 10
years. This has led to many community and policy wins!"
A longtime grantee of The Solutions Project, PUSH Buffalo has
developed a 20-block green development zone, turned an abandoned
school into affordable green housing for low-income seniors, and
helped secure passage of the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community
Protection Act (CLCPA) as a member of the NY Renews coalition.
CLCPA, the strongest climate legislation in the country,
inspired the Biden-Harris administration's Justice40
Initiative.
NEW YORK FINDINGS:
(Just Solutions Collective Policy Impact Analysis; PSE for
Healthy Energy CO2 Emissions Impact Analysis)
The Solutions Project assessed the climate benefits of three TSP
grantee campaign wins in New
York:
- Renewable Ravenswood: A successful community-led
campaign to secure commitments to replace a natural gas
generating station with offshore wind power in Long Island City, Queens will put the power plant on track to
cut nearly 1 million tons of carbon emissions per
year, the equivalent of taking nearly 200,000 cars
off the road. Now community groups are working in collaboration
with corporations and the State Legislature to implement that
commitment. (Led by NYC Environmental Justice Alliance and
allies)
- Green and Healthy Schools: This 2022 campaign resulted
in the largest school electrification initiative in the U.S.
Through New York City's Leading
the Charge initiative, all new school construction will be
all-electric, and 100 existing schools will be converted to
all-electric heating by 2030. In addition to health outcomes, this
has the potential to reduce 91,000 metric tons of CO2
emissions – the equivalent of removing 20,000
combustion-engine vehicles from the road. (Green Healthy
Schools campaign led by ALIGN, and NYC Environmental Justice
Alliance as part of the Climate Works for All coalition)
- No New Gas: Additionally, the successful 2023 campaign
to ban natural gas in all new New York
State buildings is expected to reduce (when combined with a
similar law recently passed in NYC) 160,000 metric tons of
CO2 – the equivalent of removing 35,000
combustion-engine vehicles from the road. (Led by NY
Renews, NYC Environmental Justice Alliance and ALIGN)
"As a frontline leader, I'm grateful to The Solutions Project
for conducting these analyses. The organization has its finger
on the pulse of what the climate justice movement needs to be
successful," said Eddie Bautista,
Executive Director of NYC-EJA. "These analyses dispel the
philanthropic community's misconception that climate justice isn't
achieving substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Now,
I hope funders will follow The Solutions Project's lead in funding
similar analyses about the environmental benefits of our campaigns.
It's important for policymakers, funders, and the communities we
serve to see the power of community-led climate solutions."
"The Renewable Ravenswood campaign is a perfect example of why
we started The Solutions Project. We understand that communities
have the power to shape their own energy futures when philanthropy
shows up in solidarity with their leadership," said award-winning
actor and TSP board member Mark
Ruffalo. "We came up with the idea for The Solutions Project
during the anti-fracking campaign in New
York. While critically important, it wasn't enough to say
'no' to oil and gas. We also focused on what we're fighting for. We
told elected officials that renewable energy is here and frontline
communities have the solution. Our grassroots grantees leading the
Renewable Ravenswood campaign are getting it done on the local
level. They organized the community and are on track to turn a
dirty energy project into one of the strongest examples of a Just
Transition to renewable energy, saving lives and money as a
result."
Key Takeaways: Community-led climate solutions
provide effective multi-solve approaches to climate justice, as
well as other social justice issues. If provided with further
resources, they can provide exponential benefits to society. The
Solutions Project has a philanthropic model that works and should
be replicated. This model provides holistic funding,
communications, and capacity-building support, with grantees
guiding decisions.
The Solutions Project is a national nonprofit organization
that promotes climate justice by funding and amplifying frontline
community climate organizations, especially those led by women of
color.
Media Contact: Carina
Daniels
carina@storyandreach.com
510-847-1617
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SOURCE The Solutions Project