E131: The Shark Tank-Style Fix for Climate Philanthropy with 1.5°Climate

About this episode

Molly Wood interviews Greg Rock about innovative approaches to climate philanthropy through a Shark Tank-style model.

Less than 2% of all philanthropic giving goes to climate, and a big reason why is something Greg Rock calls "donor paralysis." People care, but the landscape is so complex that many well-meaning donors don’t take action. This week on Everybody in the Pool , Molly sits down with Greg Rock, Executive Director of 1.5°Climate, a free national donor collaborative that's borrowing the energy of VC pitch competitions to make climate philanthropy more accessible, more exciting, and more impactful. With 600+ members and $35 million moved to over 100 organizations, 1.5°Climate is proving that you don’t have to be a billionaire, or an expert in climate tech, to make a real difference. We talk about: Why less than 2% of philanthropic giving goes to climate, and what we can do to change that How 1.5°Climate's Shark Tank-style virtual pitch events connect donors directly with vetted climate organizations The three criteria that define a high-impact climate investment: catalytic potential, leverage, and gap-filling Why 1.5°Climate funds nonprofits that aren’t exclusively climate organizations like cattle trade associations and agricultural projects How the team shifted from federal to state and…

People in this episode

Host: Molly Wood

Guest: Greg Rock

Topics covered

• climate philanthropy
• donor engagement
• impact investing
• nonprofit funding
• climate action
• virtual pitch events

Keywords

• climate philanthropy
• donor paralysis
• 1.5°Climate
• impact investing
• nonprofits
• pitch competitions
• climate organizations

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: 1.5°Climate, cattle trade associations, agricultural projects

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