Climate Defenders Action Fund is an environmentalist activist group based in San Diego, California that advocates for left-of-center policies including a transition to 100 percent weather-dependent electricity by 2035 as well as net-zero carbon emissions by 2045 in order to stop climate change. ¹

Activities

Climate Defenders Action Fund advocates left-of-center environmentalist policies such as a transition to 100 percent weather-dependent electricity by 2035 as well as net-zero carbon emissions by 2045 to stop climate change. ¹

The group has also advocates increasing use of weather-dependent energy sources it claims will provide  “zero emissions” and “carbon footprint reduction benefits.” The group has also stated that some non-fossil-fuel energy sources do have negative effects on the environment, such as “large hydroelectric resources” causing harm to “fisheries and land use.” ² Climate Defenders Action Fund has opposed the use of nuclear energy as a source of power, claiming that while it “emits no greenhouse gases during power generation, it does require mining, extraction, and long-term radioactive waste storage.” ²

In March 2025, independent journalist Asra Nomani posted on her X (formerly Twitter) account a list of organizations which included Climate Defenders Action Fund that she claimed were involved in organizing #TeslaTakedown, a series of national protests against the electric-car manufacturer Tesla due to its CEO Elon Musk and his work with the second Trump administration. ³ According to its Facebook page, Climate Defenders Action Fund has previously supported similar protests and other climate-related protests. ⁴

Financials

While Climate Defenders Action Fund is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a tax-exempt organization, as of 2025 its annual gross receipts had not exceeded $50,000 according to IRS data and therefore there are no tax returns for the group publicly available. ⁵

Funding

In 2022, Climate Defenders Action Fund received a $50,000 grant from the Energy Action Fund to “support clean energy policy advancement in the states.” ⁶

Leadership

As of 2025, Climate Defenders Action Fund’s board of directors was comprised of Cecilia Aguillon, Tara Kelly Hammond, Christine James, Lester Machado, and David Neison. ⁷ Aguillon previously served as director of the Institute of the Americas’ energy transition initiative, and has since founded Aguillon Enterprises, which “provides consultancy services to private, non-profit, and government entities on renewable energy policy.” ⁸

According to its 2023 Form 990-N e-Postcard filed with the IRS, Climate Defenders Action Fund’s principal officer was listed as Cecilia Aguillon, who also works as an energy consultant with her own firm, Aguillon Enterprises LLC. From 2018 to 2022, she was the director of the Energy Transition Initiative at the Institute of the Americas. She previously worked for 18 years at Kyocera International, an electronics manufacturing company, in its solar energy division. ⁹ She previously sat on the board of the California Solar Energy Industries Association (CalSEIA). As of 2021, she was sitting on the board of the Climate Action Campaign. ¹⁰

1. “Home.” Climate Defenders Action Fund. Accessed April 13, 2025. https://sdclimatefund.org/.
2. “Green Energy.” Climate Defenders Action Fund. Accessed April 13, 2025. https://sdclimatefund.org/green-energy/.
3.  Post. Asra Normani – X, March 30, 2025. Accessed April 13, 2025. https://x.com/AsraNomani/status/1906281197430329459.
4. “Climate Defenders Action Fund.” Facebook. Accessed April 13, 2025. https://www.facebook.com/sdclimatefund/.
5. “Climate Defenders Action Fund.” Tax Exempt Organization Search – Internal Revenue Service (IRS). https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/details/.
6. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Energy Action Fund. 2022. Schedule I, Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments.
7. “Our Board.” Climate Defenders Action Fund. Accessed April 13, 2025. https://sdclimatefund.org/our-board/.
8. “Cecilia Aguillon .” LinkedIn . Accessed May 2, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/cecilia-aguillon-66761110/.
9.  “Cecilia Aguillon.” LinkedIn. Accessed April 13, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/cecilia-aguillon-66761110/.
10. ^[1] “Cecilia Aguillon.” New Energy Events – H2LAC 2021. Accessed April 13, 2025. https://newenergyevents.com/h2lac2021/speakers/cecilia-aguillon/.