Clean Air Fund

History

The Clean Air Fund was founded in 2018 by Jane Burston with $50 million in funding provided by The Wellcome Trust, the IKEA Foundation, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, the Oak Foundation, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity, and the FIA Foundation at the United Nations Climate Change Summit. Burston pitched the foundation on the premise that efforts to fight air pollution have historically been underfunded by nonprofit foundations relative to air pollution’s impact on health. ^{1 3 4}

In 2019, the Clean Air Fund was officially established as an independent nonprofit in the United Kingdom. The organization launched its programs in the U.K., India, Bulgaria, and Poland. ¹

In 2022, the Clean Air Fund began operations in Ghana and in partnership with the European Union. ¹

In 2024, the Clean Air Fund’s advocacy helped pass the Ambient Air Quality Directive in the European Union which seeks to reach no new air pollution by 2050. ¹

Strategy and Goals

The Clean Air Fund’s strategy for combatting air pollution consists of improving data collection on air pollution, advising governments on air pollution strategies, and pushing public will and policy makers to enact new policies. These strategies are primarily accomplished through grants to nonprofits and governments, and funding independent projects. ⁵

The Clean Air Fund seeks to reduce global air pollution levels to abide by recommendations set by the World Health Organization, cut carbon dioxide emissions by 5 to 10 percent in cities where the organization operates, and make fighting air pollution a higher international priority. ⁵

As of September 2025, the Clean Air Fund claims to have influenced pollution policy in over 55 city governments and at 75 multinational companies. ⁵

Alliance for Clean Air

In 2021, the Clean Air Fund and the World Economic Forum launched the Alliance for Clean Air at COP26. The Alliance is a corporate partnership dedicated to reducing air pollution. Corporate members include Google, KEA, Maersk, Siemens, Haleon, Moderna, Oracle, and Biogen. Members publish pollution inventories to the Alliance. ^{6 1}

Breathe Cities

In 2023, the Clean Air Fund, C40 Cities, and Bloomberg Philanthropies launched Breathe Cities, a program that funds city government efforts to reduce air pollution. As of 2025, there are 14 cities in Breathe Cities, including London, Mexico City, Paris, and Warsaw. ^{6 7}

Our Common Air

In 2024, the Clean Air Fund launched Our Common Air, a transnational program encouraging national governments to fight air pollution. Founding members include former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and World Health Organization chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan. ⁶

Funding

From 2019 to 2025, the Clean Air Fund raised $57 million. ⁸

The Clean Air Fund’s funders include Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Wellcome Trust, the IKEA Foundation, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, the Bernard van Leer Foundation, the Oak Foundation, Guy’s and St Thomas’s Charity, the FIA Foundation, the Quadrature Climate Foundation, the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, the McCall MacBain Foundation, and the Sequoia Climate Foundation. ²

Leadership

Jane Burston is the founder and as of 2025 was serving as the CEO of the Clean Air Fund. At that time, Burston was a board trustee of Parkinson’s UK and high-level panel member of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Council on Clean Air. She was previously a co-chair of the council and a member of the Forum’s Global Future Council on Energy. From 2017 to 2018, Burston was the head of climate science at the United Kingdom Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy. From 2012 to 2017, she served as the Head of Energy and Environment at the National Physical Laboratory. From 2011 to 2017, Burston was the non-executive director and treasurer of the Sandbag Climate Campaign, a think tank that develops climate recommendations for the European Union. From 2008 to 2012, Burston ran Carbon Retirement, a carbon-offset scheme she founded. Earlier, Burston was a climate consultant whose clients included Transport for London and the Mayor of London. ³