Climate Emergency Fund is an environmentalist grantmaking organization. It has drawn controversy for providing funds to a number of disruptive activist groups including Just Stop Oil, a group responsible for viral stunts to protest climate change such as an incident at London’s National Gallery in October 2022 when two members threw soup on the glass display of Vincent van Gogh’s 1888 painting Sunflowers while also gluing themselves to the wall adjacent to the painting. ¹

Background

Climate Emergency Fund was founded in 2019 ² by investor Trevor Neilson and Rory Kennedy, a daughter of former U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy (D-NY). It received a $500,000 seed grant from oil heiress Aileen Getty. ³

Funding

In 2019, Climate Emergency Fund had total revenue of $2,383,778, total expenses of $840,423, and net assets of $1,543,355. ⁴

In 2022, the fund claimed to have disbursed $4 million, but its tax returns for 2020, 2021, and 2022 were available as of October 2022. ⁵

The fund gave $15,000 to support Art Not War’s “climate emergency social network,” $50,000 to Climate Mobilization Project for “general support,” $75,000 to support March on Maryland’s “future coalition operation,” $25,000 to National Institute 4 Peer Support’s “Extinction Rebellion project funds,” and $20,000 to the River Project to support the “growth of XRLA.” ⁶

Additionally, Climate Emergency Fund gave small contributions to activist groups and activist training groups. It gave $15,000 to Alliance of Community Trainers for “training,” $7,500 to Social Good Fund for its support of “climate justice activists,” $35,000 to Sustainable Markets Foundation for “climate activists training,” $10,000 to XR Southwest Michigan for its support of “climate activism,” and $10,000 to Youth Climate Action Team for “climate justice.” ⁷

In September 2022, liberal Hollywood film director Adam McKay pledged a $4 million donation to Climate Emergency Fund. McKay also became a member of the fund’s board. ⁸

Abigail Disney, an heiress of the Disney fortune, donated $200,000 to Climate Emergency Fund, saying, “Past generations have failed us, and now it’s up to us to take swift action to avert climate disaster.” ⁹

Just Stop Oil

In October 2022, climate activist group Just Stop Oil created controversy at the National Gallery in London, England when two of its members threw soup at the glass display containing the painting Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh. The two activists, claiming the act was to raise awareness about climate change, also glued their hands to the wall adjacent to the painting. According to a statement released by the Trafalgar Square venue, “There is some minor damage to the frame but the painting is unharmed.”  ¹⁰ The statement also notes that the two activists were removed from the wall and arrested for, “criminal damage and aggravated trespass.”  ¹¹

Aileen Getty, daughter of late businessman John Paul Getty II, weighed in on the stunt in an op-ed for the Guardian, confirming that Climate Emergency Fund provided the activist group with funding and declaring that she was “proud of the bigger conversation they started.” ¹²

Leadership

Aileen Getty is the founding donor of Climate Emergency Fund. She is an heiress to the Getty family fortune established by oil magnate J. Paul Getty, who created the J. Paul Getty Trust before he passed away. Aileen has her own foundation, the Aileen Getty Foundation, which gives grants to LGBT and environmentalist groups. She founded Gettlove, a philanthropy for the Los Angeles homeless population, co-founded Strike With Us, is a trustee for the amfAR AIDS research foundation, an ambassador to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, and an advisory board member of the YaLa Academy. ¹³

Getty sits on the board of Climate Emergency Fund along with Geralyn Dreyfous, an art-world philanthropist; Rory Kennedy, daughter of former U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy (D-NY) and co-president of Moxie Firecracker Films; Sarah Ezzy, manager of the Aileen Getty Foundation; and Shannon O’Leary Joy, an environmentalist. ¹⁴ Film director Adam McKay became a member of the fund’s board of directors in September 2022. ¹⁵

Climate Emergency Fund’s advisory board is comprised of environmentalist Bill McKibben, marketing executive Bich Ngoc Cao, investor and philanthropist Carol Cheng-Mayer, environmentalist Stephen M. Kretzmann, co-founder of MoveOn.org Laura Dawn, and New York Magazine deputy editor David Wallace-Wells. ¹⁶

1. Young, Ian. “Van Gogh’s Sunflowers back on display after oil protesters threw soup on it.” BBC News, October 4, 2022. https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-63254878
2. Climate Emergency Fund. Determination Letter from the Internal Revenue Service. 2019.
3. Julian Wyllie, “Aileen Getty and Rory Kennedy Lead New Climate Fund to Support Activists and Protesters.” Climate Emergency Fund via the Chronicle of Philanthropy, July 12, 2022. Accessed October 24, 2022. https://www.climateemergencyfund.org/press/chronicle-of-philanthropy/2019-07-12.
4. Climate Emergency Fund. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). 2019. Part I, Lines 12, 18, 22.
5. ^[1] “Home.” Climate Emergency Fund. October 24, 2022. Accessed October 24, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221024131428/https://www.climateemergencyfund.org/.
6. Climate Emergency Fund. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). 2019. Schedule I, Part II.
7. Climate Emergency Fund. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). 2019. Schedule I, Part II.
8. Chuba, Kirsten. “Adam McKay Pledges $4M Donation to Climate Emergency Fund.” Hollywood Reporter, September 20, 2022. Accessed October 24, 2022. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/adam-mckay-pledges-4-million-climate-emergency-fund-1235223711/.
9. Chuba, Kirsten. “Adam McKay Pledges $4M Donation to Climate Emergency Fund.” Hollywood Reporter, September 20, 2022. Accessed October 24, 2022. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/adam-mckay-pledges-4-million-climate-emergency-fund-1235223711/.
10. Young, Ian. “Van Gogh’s Sunflowers back on display after oil protesters threw soup on it.” BBC News, October 4, 2022. https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-63254878
11. Young, Ian. “Van Gogh’s Sunflowers back on display after oil protesters threw soup on it.” BBC News, October 4, 2022. https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-63254878
12. ^[1] Getty, Aileen. “I fund climate activism – and I applaud the Van Gogh protest.” The Guardian, October 22, 2022. Accessed October 24, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/oct/22/just-stop-oil-van-gogh-national-gallery-aileen-getty.
13. “Aileen Getty.” Climate Emergency Fund. Accessed October 24, 2022. https://www.climateemergencyfund.org/aileen-getty.
14. “About.” Climate Emergency Fund. Accessed October 24, 2022. https://www.climateemergencyfund.org/about.
15. Chuba, Kirsten. “Adam McKay Pledges $4M Donation to Climate Emergency Fund.” Hollywood Reporter, September 20, 2022. Accessed October 24, 2022. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/adam-mckay-pledges-4-million-climate-emergency-fund-1235223711/.
16. “About.” Climate Emergency Fund. Accessed October 24, 2022. https://www.climateemergencyfund.org/about.