E145: How Much of the Great Wealth Transfer Could go to Climate?

Jul 30, 2026

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Philanthropic director Abby Axelrod-Wunderman of Fiduciary Trust International joins Molly Wood to talk about the overlooked role of philanthropy in funding climate solutions. Even though only a tiny share of global giving currently goes toward climate, Abby explains why that definition is expanding to include health, resilience, infrastructure, food systems, education, and community well-being—and how younger donors and the great wealth transfer could shift priorities. They dig into donor-advised funds, private foundations, unrestricted giving, climate as a lens across issue areas, and why philanthropy can act as catalytic capital by taking early risks that government and business often can’t.

In this episode, we cover:

Why climate philanthropy still receives only a small fraction of total global giving, even as climate impacts touch nearly every other issue area
How wealth advisors help donors connect their values to climate-related giving through health, education, food, agriculture, resilience, and infrastructure
Abby’s path into climate philanthropy through a family foundation in South Florida, where the conversation has shifted from “is climate change real?” to which solutions can scale
Why philanthropy cannot solve the climate crisis alone, but can act as catalytic capital by piloting ideas, funding advocacy, and taking early risks
How donor values, timelines, resources, and risk tolerance shape philanthropic strategy
Fundable climate strategies Abby sees gaining traction, including clean energy, batteries, methane, food systems, conservation, restoration, resilience, public engagement, and education
Why younger generations are often initiating climate giving conversations—and how those interests can pull older generations into the work
How donor-advised funds work, why they can be simpler than private foundations, and why some donors value the ability to give anonymously
The debate over whether donor-advised funds can become “holding cells” for charitable money—and how education and advising can help move funds out the door
The difference between restricted and unrestricted grants, and why flexibility and long-term support are especially important for climate-vulnerable regions
How modern philanthropy may be moving toward a hybrid model that combines rigorous due diligence and metrics with trust-based, flexible giving
Why the great wealth transfer, AI wealth creation, and a new generation of donors could create a major opportunity to move more money into climate solutions
How to tell the broader climate story: climate is not a niche issue, but a lens through which to understand health, education, infrastructure, migration, air quality, heat, and community resilience

E145: How Much of the Great Wealth Transfer Could go to Climate?

In this episode, we cover:

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