With a lot of the big donors lately, it seems that their children are really pushing them. Stephen Connie Balmer of Microsoft wealth recently started the climate program with their son in the lead. I think the Waltons younger generation has also helped to redirect their environmental program more and more to the world's climate. We're seeing the youngest generation of these billionaire families say hey we can't ignore this you know this is our future.
Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard made headlines recently when he announced that he and his family had transferred their $3 billion stake in the storied outdoor gear company to a special purpose trust and nonprofit that would give away $100 million a year, specifically to environmental causes. Patagonia has a long history of donating at least one percent of its profits – and 100% of profits made on Black Friday – to grassroots environmental non-profits.
Yet even with this massive gift, and Laurene Powell Jobs’ own recent $3.5 billion pledge, climate philanthropy still only accounts for a small fraction of all charitable giving. This Thanksgiving weekend, we look back to our 2016 interview with Yvon Chouinard and bring the story up to date with Inside Philanthropy’s Michael Kavate.
Guests:
Yvon Chouinard, Founder, Patagonia
Michael Kavate, Staff Writer, Inside Philanthropy
For show notes and related links, visit our website.
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