Catalytic Climate Investing and Philanthropy with MacArthur Foundation, Ep #111

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Apr 29, 2025

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It’s not yet clear exactly how devasting the loss of federal funding for climate nonprofits and climate tech companies will be, but we know the toll will be high. Beyond the funding freeze, there have also been rumors of other federal action targeting nonprofits in this space.

No one knows exactly what will happen, but it’s clear that philanthropy is more important than ever. Philanthropy alone can’t fill the gap left by the government, but it can make a real difference.

This episode is the first in a series of conversations we’ll have this year focused on climate philanthropy.

We’re starting with not only one of the biggest climate foundations in the U.S., but also one that combines philanthropy with investments designed to catalyze more capital flows to climate. The MacArthur Foundation has long been a leader in using this impact investing approach to improve the ROI for investors seeking market-rate returns.

In today’s conversation, we’re joined by MacArthur Foundation’s Director of Impact Investments John Balbach and Program Officer Deborah Philbrick. We spoke about the Foundation's holistic, problem-first approach to climate, what that means for both their philanthropic funding and impact investing, how they’re stepping up to what they see as a civil society crisis, and much more.

Lots to learn and think about in this one. Let me know if you have ideas about other foundations to feature in this series. Here we go.

On today’s episode, we cover:

[02:36] Introductions of John and Deborah
[04:21] Overview of MacArthur Foundation's Climate Work
[05:52] Climate Solutions Big Bet Details
[07:02] Philanthropic Strategy and Theory of Change
[08:15] Grantee Examples
[10:37] Impact of Federal Funding Freeze
[12:55] Strategic Shifts and Foundation's Role
[15:57] Climate Philanthropy Landscape
[17:04] Sub-national Climate Priorities
[18:19] MacArthur's Impact Investing History
[20:36] Risk and Return Approach
[22:45] Impact Assessment Methodology
[25:11] Catalytic Capital Strategies
[28:01] Investment Thesis
[31:20] Administration's Impact on Investments
[33:30] Systemic Transformation Discussion

Catalytic Climate Investing and Philanthropy with MacArthur Foundation, Ep #111

On today’s episode, we cover:

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