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Non-profit

KR Foundation

Website:

krfnd.org/
Formation:

2014
Location:

Copenhagen, Denmark
Founders:

Villum Foundation, relatives of Villum Kann Rasmussen
Executive Director:

Brian Valbjorn Sorensen

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The KR Foundation is a private philanthropic organization based in Copenhagen, Denmark that gives grants to nonprofits dedicated to putting an end to the use of conventional energy, notably including 350.org. 1

KR Foundation grants have gone to programs that work to end private financing of oil and gas 2 as well as pressuring banks to no longer finance fossil fuel companies. 3 KR Foundation has stated that household lifestyle changes must start immediately to address climate change concerns. 4 The KR Foundation supports car-free travel and commuting, living close to work and in smaller living spaces, weather-dependent grid electricity, vegetarian and vegan diets, and substituting plant-based options in place of dairy products and red meat in the name of combating climate change. 5

Inside Philanthropy stated that the KR Foundation awards grants “to risky projects that have the potential for transformative and systemic change.” 6

History

The KR Foundation was created in 2014 by the Villum Foundation and relatives of Villum Kann Rasmussen. 7 The Villum Foundation is a philanthropic foundation that supports environmental and social projects in Denmark and around the world. 8

The KR Foundation has two grantmaking programs that both support climate change efforts: Sustainable Behavior and Sustainable Finance. 9 The Sustainable Behavior program funds efforts that influence household consumption and works to make the transition to environmentalist-aligned lifestyles an important part of dealing with climate change. 10 The Sustainable Finance program supports efforts that shift investments and subsidies away from conventional fuel production. 11

Activities

2021 Grants

In 2021, KR Foundation gave out 60 grants worth $17.9 million. 12

The KR Foundation gave $396,871 to Fossil Free Media for a Clean Creatives project. 13 Fossil Free Media states on its website that it “supports the movement to end fossil fuels and address the climate emergency.” 14 The cover photo on its website reads, “Together We Can End Fossil Fuels.” 15 The Clean Creatives program urges people in advertising and public relations to not work for or with companies that are deemed to be “fossil fuel companies, trade associations, or front groups.” 16 Clean Creatives targets more than 14,000 organizations that it has on its list of companies to boycott. 17

The KR Foundation gave $264,375 to 350.org. 18

KR Foundation gave several grants dedicated to trying to cut off financing for the oil and gas sector throughout the world. KR Foundation gave $203,538 to Oil Change International in the United States for the purpose of “ending private finance for oil and gas. 19 It gave $265,775 to Reclaim Finance in France for the purpose of “cutting off financial flows to the expansion of the oil and gas sector.” 20 KR Foundation gave $218,758 to the Netherlands’s Recourse with the goal of pressuring commercial banks to stop financing conventional energy production. 21

KR Foundation gave $132,601 to Netherlandish organization Both ENDS, 22 which describes itself as a “human rights and environmental justice” organization. 23 The grant was to be used to try to “end the support of Export Credit Agencies for fossil fuels.” 24 Export Credit Agencies offer loans and insurance to domestic companies to limit the risk of selling goods in overseas markets, according to Investopedia. 25

2022 Grants

In December 2022, the KR Foundation donated the equivalent of a $300,000 grant to media cooperative Associated Press (AP) for their, “Global Scholars Network.” 26 According to the Washington Free Beacon, AP did not add KR Foundation as a philanthropic supporter on its website until January 2024. 27

V. Kann Rasmussen Foundation

The KR Foundation has stated that it collaborates closely with the V. Kann Rasmussen Foundation. 28

The V. Kann Rasmussen Foundation is a private foundation that states the world is in a state of “planetary emergency” due to climate change and that there has been a “lack of an appropriate global response.” 29 The V. Kann Rasmussen Foundation stated that due to the “existential threat” it will spend down its endowment over the next 15 years so that it can double its grant making efforts to combat climate change. 30

Leadership

Brian Valbjorn Sorensen is the executive director of KR Foundation. 31 Sorensen was chief operating officer of CLEAN, a Danish organization that connects people with organizations to develop projects that “contribute to a greener planet.” 32 Valbjorn is also an advisor to climate venture capital funds and start-up accelerator organizations such as Planetary Impact Ventures and Massive Earth. 33

Connie Hedegaard is the chair of the board of KR Foundation. 34 She was a former European commissioner for the Climate Action Network, 35 a worldwide network of 1,800 organizations and 130 countries involved in climate change advocacy. 36 The Climate Action Network stated it works to drive “sustainable action to fight the climate crisis” as well as trying to achieve “social and racial justice.” 37

References

  1. Editorial Team. “Fossil Free Newsletter #73”; Oct. 3, 2022. Accessed Oct. 4, 2022. https://350.org/fossil-free-newsletter-73/
  2. KR Foundation. List Of Grants 2021. Accessed Oct. 4, 2022. https://krfnd.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/List-of-grants_2021_final.pdf
  3. KR Foundation. List Of Grants 2021. Accessed Oct. 4, 2022. https://krfnd.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/List-of-grants_2021_final.pdf
  4. Business Wire. “Global Research Shows How Housing Lifestyle Changes Would Lead To Reductions In Their Carbon Footprints And Contribute To Meeting The 1.5-Degree Paris Agreement Target On Climate Change”;  Feb. 25, 2019. Accessed Oct. 9, 2022. https://apnews.com/press-release/business-wire/technology-science-europe-environment-ec966e5ee5cb41b1a3bbed781bca56d0
  5. Business Wire. “Global Research Shows How Housing Lifestyle Changes Would Lead To Reductions In Their Carbon Footprints And Contribute To Meeting The 1.5-Degree Paris Agreement Target On Climate Change”;  Feb. 25, 2019. Accessed Oct. 9, 2022. https://apnews.com/press-release/business-wire/technology-science-europe-environment-ec966e5ee5cb41b1a3bbed781bca56d0
  6. Business Wire. “Global Research Shows How Housing Lifestyle Changes Would Lead To Reductions In Their Carbon Footprints And Contribute To Meeting The 1.5-Degree Paris Agreement Target On Climate Change”;  Feb. 25, 2019. Accessed Oct. 9, 2022. https://apnews.com/press-release/business-wire/technology-science-europe-environment-ec966e5ee5cb41b1a3bbed781bca56d0
  7. KR Foundation. About Us. Accessed Oct. 3, 2022. https://krfnd.org/about-us/
  8. The Velux Foundations. About. Accessed Oct. 4, 2022. https://veluxfoundations.dk/en/about/fondsfamilien
  9. Inside Philanthropy. Grants For Climate Change. KR Foundation. Accessed Oct. 4, 2022. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/fundraising-for-climate-change/kr-foundation-grants-for-climate-change
  10. Inside Philanthropy. Grants For Climate Change. KR Foundation. Accessed Oct. 4, 2022. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/fundraising-for-climate-change/kr-foundation-grants-for-climate-change
  11. Inside Philanthropy. Grants For Climate Change. KR Foundation. Accessed Oct. 4, 2022. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/fundraising-for-climate-change/kr-foundation-grants-for-climate-change
  12. KR Foundation. 2021 Annual Report. Accessed Oct. 4, 2022. https://krfnd.org/annual-report-2021/
  13.  KR Foundation. 2021 Annual Report. Accessed Oct. 4, 2022. https://krfnd.org/annual-report-2021/
  14. Fossil Free Media. Together We Can End Fossil Fuels. Accessed Oct. 4, 2022. https://fossilfree.media/
  15. [1] Fossil Free Media. Together We Can End Fossil Fuels. Accessed Oct. 4, 2022. https://fossilfree.media/
  16. Clean Creatives. Accessed Oct. 4, 2022. https://cleancreatives.org/list
  17. Clean Creatives. No Fossil Fuel Money. Accessed Oct. 4, 2022. https://nofossilfuelmoney.org/
  18. KR Foundation. List Of Grants 2021. Accessed Oct. 4, 2022. https://krfnd.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/List-of-grants_2021_final.pdf
  19. KR Foundation. List Of Grants 2021. Accessed Oct. 4, 2022. https://krfnd.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/List-of-grants_2021_final.pdf
  20. KR Foundation. List Of Grants 2021. Accessed Oct. 4, 2022. https://krfnd.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/List-of-grants_2021_final.pdf
  21. KR Foundation. List Of Grants 2021. Accessed Oct. 4, 2022. https://krfnd.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/List-of-grants_2021_final.pdf
  22. [1] KR Foundation. List Of Grants 2021. Accessed Oct. 4, 2022. https://krfnd.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/List-of-grants_2021_final.pdf
  23. Both ENDS. 2020-2025 Strategy. Accessed Oct. 4, 2022. https://www.bothends.org/uploaded_files/document/Both_ENDS_Strategy_2020-2025_web.pdf
  24. [1] KR Foundation. List Of Grants 2021. Accessed Oct. 4, 2022. https://krfnd.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/List-of-grants_2021_final.pdf
  25. Investopedia. Export Credit Agency (ECA) Definition. Accessed Oct. 4, 2022. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/export-credit-agency.asp
  26. Ross, Chuck. “AP Quietly Reveals Donation From Foreign Group That Trains Journalists as Climate Change ‘Activists’.” Washington Free Beacon, January 2, 2023. https://freebeacon.com/media/ap-quietly-reveals-donation-from-foreign-group-that-trains-journalists-as-climate-change-activists/ 
  27. Ross, Chuck. “AP Quietly Reveals Donation From Foreign Group That Trains Journalists as Climate Change ‘Activists’.” Washington Free Beacon, January 2, 2023. https://freebeacon.com/media/ap-quietly-reveals-donation-from-foreign-group-that-trains-journalists-as-climate-change-activists/ 
  28. KR Foundation. About Us. Accessed Oct. 3, 2022. https://krfnd.org/about-us/
  29. KR Foundation. Spend-Down Announcement. Accessed Oct. 3, 2022. https://vkrf.org/#
  30. KR Foundation. Spend-Down Announcement. Accessed Oct. 3, 2022. https://vkrf.org/#
  31. KR Foundation. About Us. Accessed Oct. 3, 2022. https://krfnd.org/about-us/
  32. Carsten Orth Gaarn-Larsen. “Let Us Fight For The Future And Reach Our Goals – Together”; Sustain Europe. Accessed Oct. 3, 2022. https://www.sustaineurope.com/clean-denmark-s-paramount-clean-cluster-21072017.html
  33. [1] KR Foundation. About Us. Accessed Oct. 3, 2022. https://krfnd.org/about-us/
  34. KR Foundation. About Us. Accessed Oct. 3, 2022. https://krfnd.org/about-us/
  35. KR Foundation. About Us. Accessed Oct. 3, 2022. https://krfnd.org/about-us/
  36. Climate Action Network. Tackling The Climate Crisis. Accessed Oct. 3, 2022. https://climatenetwork.org/
  37. Fossil Free Media. Together We Can End Fossil Fuels. Accessed Oct. 4, 2022. https://fossilfree.media/
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