Aspen Global Change Institute (AGCI)

Founded with support from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1998, ³ AGCI has worked has worked in conjunction with the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), ⁴ believes an “all hands on deck” approach is needed to address climate-related issues in the 2020s, ⁵ and advised the state of California on climate-related issues. ³

AGCI supports the far-left Black Lives Matter movement ⁶ and pledged its commitment to the critical race theory-influenced concept of anti-racism in 2020. ⁶ AGCI encourages all of its peers and partners to take critical race theory-influenced “anti-racist actions” in their personal and professional lives; ⁶ has said the critical race theory-influenced concept of white privilege shapes science, technology, education, and math (STEM) careers; ⁷ and expressed the view that there is a “mental health burden” associated with a changing climate. ⁸

In 2019, AGCI received $6,225,000 from the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston ⁹ and $2,500,000 from the Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund. ¹⁰

History and Leadership

Aspen Global Change Institute (AGCI) was co-founded in 1989  by John Katzenberger ¹¹ and Charles “Rick” Chappell with the support from the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). ³ Until the AGCI received tax-exempt status in 1995, it was operated under the umbrella of the left-of-center environmentalist Windstar Foundation. ^{3 12}

James C. Arnott is the executive director of AGCI. ¹³ He has worked in various roles with AGCI since 2008. Arnott is also a co-founder of Science of Actionable Knowledge and the Mountain West Climate Services Partnership. ¹³

Activities and Funding

Aspen Global Change Institute (AGCI) is a left-of-center organization that researches what it identifies as “global change” that impacts all aspects of life. ¹⁴ AGCI views a changing climate as one of the key factors of global change, and climate change is one of the main focus areas of its research. ² AGCI’s program areas include the critical race theory-influenced concept of environmental justice, energy transitions, sustainable food, and sea level rise. ¹⁴

AGCI has worked in conjunction with the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) ⁴ and held its first workshop in 1990. AGCI began researching climate-related issues in the 2000s and has advised the state of California on various climate-related issues. ³

Since its founding, AGCI has worked to integrate natural and social science to drive climate-related activism. AGCI has run “science sessions” to build scope and community building and policy-related research. In 1998, AGCI was involved with workshops that projected changes to the climate as a part of the development of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP). ¹⁵

AGCI’s “2020 to 2025” strategic plan claims the 2020s is the decade where an “all hands on deck” approach is needed to address climate-related issues. The report also identifies the critical race theory-influenced concept of equity as a key implication of its findings. ⁵

AGCI also supports the far-left Black Lives Matter movement ⁶ and pledged its commitment to the critical race theory-influenced concept of anti-racism in 2020. ⁶ The organization has claimed the critical race theory-influenced concept of white privilege shapes science, technology, education, and math (STEM) careers; ⁷ supports the critical race theory-influenced concept of equitable science; ¹⁶ and further claimed there is a “mental health burden” associated with a changing climate. ⁸

In its guide for what it identifies as “Inclusive Science Meetings,” AGCI says that “all-male panels” are not productive ¹⁷ and promotes the critical race theory-influenced concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). ¹⁷ AGCI has hosted climate-related workshops with a focus on making the critical race theory-influenced concepts of racial equity and health equity the “foundation” of policies to promote heat resilience and other environmentalist policy objectives. ¹⁸ It also believes that hybrid energy systems can advance the critical race theory-influenced concepts of energy justice and climate justice. ¹⁹

AGCI encourages all of its peers and partners to take critical race theory-influenced “anti-racist actions” in their personal and professional lives. As a part of its messaging, AGCI encouraged support of the left-of-center organizations 500 Women Scientists and the Paleontological Society. ⁶

AGCI convenes the Crux Alliance, a global group of NGOs working to reduce carbon emissions, to provide information about AGCI’s findings’ outcomes, ²⁰ operates the Energy Project at AGCI to promote the use of weather-dependent energy, ²¹ and is a member of the left-of-center Science for Climate Action Network (SCAN). ^{22 23}

In 2019, AGCI spent $11,234,420 on Crux Alliance in an attempt to reduce worldwide carbon emissions. That same year, AGCI also spent $3,753,264 on energy technology and policy efforts to improve climate and $739,081 on workshops, data analysis, education, and outreach. ²⁴

Grantmaking

Aspen Global Change Initiative (AGCI) makes grants to projects working on projects it identifies as low-carbon energy transitions, sustainability and community resilience, and actionable and community-based science. ²⁵

In 2019, ACGI issued grants of $2,620,000 to the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy; $2,050,000 to the International Council on Clean Transportation; $1,840,000 to the Collaborative Labeling and Appliance Standards Program (CLASP); $100,000 to the Natural Resources Council; and $60,000 to the Economist Group. ²⁶

In 2018, ACGI contributed $1.5 million to the Collaborative Labeling and Appliance Standards Program, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, and International Council on Clean Transportation. ACGI also made a $110,000 grant to the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies in 2018. ²⁷

Funding

Aspen Global Change Institute was founded with an initial grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1989. Since its founding, AGCI has received additional funding from other U.S. government agencies including the National Science Foundation (NSF), ²⁸ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and U.S. Geological Survey. ²⁹

AGCI also receives funding from individual contributions and foundation grants. ³⁰ In 2020, ACGI reported revenue of $111,012,017 and expenses of $597,432. ³¹ In 2019, ACGI reported revenue of $10,942,995 and expenses of $16,126,304. ³² This was a decrease from 2018, where AGCI reported revenue of $62,558,695. ³³

AGCI’s funding partners include the left-of-center World Climate Research Programme, Heising-Simons Foundation, and William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. ²⁹ AGCI has also received grants from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ⁴

In 2019, AGCI received $6,225,000 from the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston; ⁹ $2,500,000 from the Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund; ³⁴ and $500,000 from the Catena Foundation. ³⁵

In 2018, AGCI received $2,500,000 from Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund; $1,255,000 from the Combined Jewish Philanthropes of Greater Boston; 650,000 from the Heising-Simons Foundation; ³⁶ $500,000 from the Catena Foundation; $150,000 grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; ³⁷ $32,940 from the Kresge Foundation; $25,000 from the Bobolink Foundation; and others. ³⁸

In 2012, AGCI received $250,000 from left-wing billionaire Tom Steyer’s personal philanthropic vehicle, TomKat Charitable Trust. ³⁹