The Sierra Club Foundation is the education and fundraising arm of the Sierra Club. The organization provides fundraising support for the Sierra Club and other environmentalist organizations. The organization supports the environmental movement by providing grants to various campaigns, as well as providing fiscal sponsorship to Sierra Club’s initiatives. ¹

The Sierra Club Foundation combines the critical race theory-influenced concept of equity with its environmental objectives, often running initiatives focused on both goals. The foundation states that environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles guide its investment strategy. ^{2 3}

Background

The Sierra Club Foundation is a left-of-center education and advocacy environmental group that provides funding and fiscal sponsorship services to the Sierra Club. ¹

The foundation claims it “ensures that every program we fiscally sponsor incorporates equity, inclusion, and justice principles and reflects the Sierra Club’s commitment to becoming an anti-racist organization.” ¹ The foundation’s fiscal sponsorship program only provides sponsorship for Sierra Club organizations. ⁴

The Sierra Club, as a social welfare and lobbying organization, does not accept tax-deductible donations, but receives large grants from the Sierra Club Foundation, which is a public charity that may receive tax-deductible donations. ^{4 5}

The foundation holds to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing as one of its core values. ³

Activities

The Sierra Club Foundation acts as a fiscal sponsor for Sierra Club environmental projects. Additionally, the Sierra Club Foundation offers donor-advised funds. ^{4 6}

Catalytic Capital Portfolio

The Sierra Club Foundation’s Catalytic Capital Portfolio is an “investment pool” focused on driving the “shift of trillions of dollars from fossil fuel investments to climate solutions that also advance racial, economic, and environmental justice.” Likewise, the foundation’s “Movement Forward Fund” program is focused on funding partners of the Sierra Club with a special focus on the critical race theory-influenced concept of equity and “racial justice” in environmental investments. ^{7 2}

Shifting Trillions

The Sierra Club Foundation runs an initiative called “Shifting Trillions,” which, as explained by Sierra Club Foundation board member Steph Speirs, advocates spending $4 trillion to $8 trillion on climate programs globally, an increase on the $1.3 trillion spent from 2021 to 2022. ^{8 9}

Anti-Coal Work

The goal of the “Beyond Coal” campaign is the end the use of coal for generating electricity in the United States. As of 2015, the “Beyond Coal” campaign was responsible for killing a coal-fired power plant every 10 days.¹⁰ The foundation funded armies of lawyers and sent them to kill coal power plants on the local and county level. It also formed anti-coal coalitions with various business interests and local activists.

The coal industry fought back suggesting that the foundation and its allies have no realistic back-up plan for coal. The industry points out that the foundation and its parent organization also oppose nuclear and natural gas. Natural gas is the fastest growing source of electric power generation in the U.S.¹¹

Opposition to Nuclear Energy

As recently as June 2023, the Sierra Club website stated that nuclear power is “a uniquely dangerous energy technology for humanity” and that the “Sierra Club remains unequivocally opposed to nuclear energy.” The statement invited opponents of nuclear energy to join the Sierra Club’s Nuclear Free Campaign Grassroots Network, that redirects to a website for the Network. ^{12 13}

Nuclear power plants produce no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas emissions, and as of 2021 accounted for 20 percent of American electricity production—the largest source of zero carbon electricity in the United States. ¹⁴

Funding

In 2023, the Sierra Club Foundation’s revenue totaled $89,068,739, its expenses were $113,468,024, and its assets were $199,302,924.  ¹⁵

In 2024, the Sierra Club Foundation received $300,000 from the Ford Foundation. ¹⁶

In 2023, the Sierra Club Foundation received $100,000 from the New Venture Fund and $100,000 from the Windward Fund, both nonprofits managed by Arabella Advisors. The Sierra Club Foundation also received $80,000 from the Tides Foundation in 2023. ^{17 18 19}

In 2022, the Sierra Club Foundation received $7,189,933 from the Climateworks Foundation, $70,679 from the Jewish Communal Fund, $25,00o from the Rockefeller Family Fund, $150,000 from Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, and $192,000 from the Tides Foundation. ^{20 21 22 23 24}

In 2021, the Sierra Club Foundation received $40,000 from Earthjustice, $92,216 from the Jewish Communal Fund, $94,500 from the Seattle Foundation, $389,170 from the Partnership Project, and $675,000 from the United States Energy Foundation. ^{25 26 27 28 29}

Grantmaking

In 2023, the Sierra Club Foundation gave $95,919,977 to the Sierra Club, $250,000 to the Tides Foundation, $200,000 to the Solutions Project, $165,000 to Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs, $150,000 to Verde, $130,000 to the Latino Community Fund of Washington State, $100,000 to the BlueGreen Alliance Foundation, and $100,000 to the Partnership Project. ⁵

In 2022, the Sierra Club Foundation gave $94,050,499 to the Sierra Club, $350,000 to the Partnership Project, $100,000 to the Green Diversity Initiative (DBA Green 2.0), $100,000 to Citizen Action of Wisconsin Education Fund, $100,000 to Nonprofit Legal Services of Utah, $175,000 to the Right to the City Alliance, $939,274 to the Population Media Center, and $100,000 to GreenLatinos. ³⁰

People

As of 2025, Dan Chu was the executive director of the Sierra Club Foundation, a position he has held since 2016. ³¹

1. “History.” Sierraclubfoundation.org. Accessed May 12, 2025. https://www.sierraclubfoundation.org/history.
2. “Movement Forward Fund.” Sierraclubfoundation.org. Accessed May 12, 2025. https://www.sierraclubfoundation.org/movement-forward-fund.
3. “Mission-Aligned Investing.” Sierraclubfoundation.org. Accessed May 12, 2025. https://www.sierraclubfoundation.org/mission-aligned-investing.
4. “Fiscal Sponsorship.” Sierraclubfoundation.org. Accessed May 12, 2025. https://www.sierraclubfoundation.org/fiscal-sponsorship.
5. “Sierra Club Foundation,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2023. Schedule I.
6. “Donor Funds .” Sierraclubfoundation.org. Accessed May 12, 2025. https://www.sierraclubfoundation.org/donor-funds.
7. “Catalytic Capital Portfolio.” Sierraclubfoundation.org. Accessed May 12, 2025. https://www.sierraclubfoundation.org/catalytic-capital-portfolio.
8. “Shifting Trillions.” Sierraclubfoundation.org. Accessed May 12, 2025. https://www.sierraclubfoundation.org/shifting-trillions.
9. Buchner, Barbara. “Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2023.” CPI, May 12, 2025. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/global-landscape-of-climate-finance-2023/#:~:text=Global%20climate%20finance%20approached%20USD,renewable%20energy%20and%20transport%20sectors.
10. Grunwald, Michael. 2015. “Inside The War On Coal”. The Agenda. http://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2015/05/inside-war-on-coal-000002.
11. Grunwald, Michael. 2015. “Inside The War On Coal”. The Agenda. http://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2015/05/inside-war-on-coal-000002.
12. “Nuclear Free Future.” Sierra Club. Accessed June 11, 2023. https://www.sierraclub.org/nuclear-free
13. “Sierra Club Grassroots Network: Nuclear Free Campaign.” Sierra Club. Accessed June 11, 2023. https://content.sierraclub.org/grassrootsnetwork/teams/nuclear-free-campaign?_ga=2.15033332.370699222.1686591488-369628731.1686256780&_gl=1*4p80by*_ga*MzY5NjI4NzMxLjE2ODYyNTY3ODA.*_ga_41DQ5KQCWV*MTY4NjU5MTQ4OC4yLjEuMTY4NjU5MTY2Mi4wLjAuMA
14. “Nuclear explained.” U.S. Energy Information Administration. Accessed August 16, 2021. https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/nuclear/us-nuclear-industry.php
15. “Sierra Club Foundation,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2023. Page Part 1 Lines 12, 18, and 20.
16. “Grants Database.” Ford Foundation. Accessed May 12, 2025. https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/awarded-grants/grants-database/?search=Sierra%2BClub%2BFoundation.
17. “New Venture Fund,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2023. Schedule I.
18. “Windward Fund,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2023. Schedule I.
19. “Tides Foundation,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2023. Schedule I.
20.  ^[1]  “Clilmateworks Foundation,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2022. Schedule I.
21. “Jewish Communal Fund,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2022. Schedule I.
22. “Rockefeller Family Fund,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2022. Schedule I.
23. “Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2022. Schedule I.
24. “Tides Foundation,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2022. Schedule I.
25. “Earthjustice,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2021. Schedule I.
26. “Jewish Communal Fund,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2021. Schedule I.
27. “Seattle Foundation,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2021. Schedule I.
28. “Partnership Project,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2021. Schedule I.
29. “United States Energy Foundation,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2021. Schedule I.
30. “Sierra Club Foundation,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2022. Schedule I.
31. Dan Chu – Executive director – sierra club foundation | linkedin. Accessed May 12, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-chu-7a0b48143/.