The Erol Foundation is a Switzerland-based private foundation that provides funding to left-leaning climate change and “social justice” organizations. The organization also provides grants for environmental agricultural projects that incorporate a focus on climate change mitigation. ¹

It was founded by Julie and Sebastian Lepinard, investors who run the ESG-focused NextWorld Group. ^{2 3}

Background

Julie and Sebastian Lepinard founded the private investment firm NextWorld Group in 2008, a global fund dedicated to investing in “climate, gender equality, diversity and inclusion, waste and water, and ESG management and accountability.” NextWorld strongly encourages its investees to focus on ESG (environmental and social governance) metrics and to “raise their ambitions for social justice and the fight against climate change.” It offers consultations with NextWorld representatives to meet these obligations. ^{4 5}

The Lepinards later founded the Erol Foundation, a charitable foundation largely funded by NextWorld. The Switzerland-based Erol Foundation partners with the U.S.-based entity Erol Foundation US to carry out funding activities within the United States. ^{6 7}

The Lepinards operate 836m, a nonprofit art gallery which features exhibitions to promote climate activism and highlight immigrant and refugee artists. ⁸ They also created Next World Evergreen, a growth equity fund that seeks to invest in “socially conscious” consumer brands. ⁹

The Erol Foundation’s managing director, Jill Kauffman Johnson, is the former director of sustainability at Solazyme, ¹⁰ an environmentalist energy company which sought to convert algae into a usable biofuel. It filed for bankruptcy in 2017. ¹¹

Activities

The Erol Foundation advocates for left-leaning environmental and social causes by providing grants to environmentalist activism campaigns and “sustainable” agricultural projects. The organization primarily funds activist organizations attempting to end the production and use of conventional energy sources. ¹²

Climate Change

The Erol Foundation funds several social media campaigns relating to climate change and seeking to recruit young people for climate change activism. These organizations include Action for the Climate Emergency and the Digital Climate Coalition. The objective of these “strategic communications” efforts is to build public support for “climate action.” ¹³

The foundation also funds organizations that campaign against conventional energy projects with activism and legal action such as Appalachian Voices, STAND-L.A., the No Fossil Fuels in the Great Lakes Campaign, Climate Justice Alliance, and Greenpeace USA’s Fossil Free Future Campaign. The Erol Foundation asserts that “we need to act swiftly to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next few years”, and that one of the organization’s priority goals is to “urge policymakers to implement positive and equitable climate action.” ^{14 15}

The Erol Foundation also provides grants to the Climate Emergency Fund, one of the groups supporting the “Just Stop Oil” protestors notorious for vandalizing artwork in museums and disrupting major sporting events. ^{16 17}

The foundation also funds several methane regulation activism groups, including the Environmental Defense Fund and the Global Methane Hub. ¹⁸ The foundation joined a group of twenty foundations to commit $223 million to curb worldwide methane emissions. ¹⁹

Middlebury College in Vermont started its Climate Action Capacity Project with funding from the Erol Foundation. The program aims to turn students into “effective and transformative leaders on climate change.” ²⁰

Agriculture and Forestry

The Erol Foundation funds a variety of agricultural projects with a focus on climate change mitigation and “sustainability” practices. The organization funds the AgroEcology Fund, which supports social movements and Civil Society Organizations around the world in implementing “just and sustainable” food systems. ²¹

The Erol foundation also funds the efforts of the Alter Eco Foundation, the Amazon Conservation Association, and Sustainable Harvest International to implement climate change-mitigating farming and forestry programs. ²²

1. “Who We Are.” Erol Foundation. Accessed April 28, 2023. https://www.erolfoundation.org/who-we-are/.
2. “Impact.” NextWorld. Accessed April 29, 2023. https://www.nextworld.com/impact.
3. “About.” NextWorld. Accessed April 29, 2023. https://www.nextworld.com/about.
4. “Impact.” NextWorld. Accessed April 29, 2023. https://www.nextworld.com/impact.
5. “About.” NextWorld. Accessed April 29, 2023. https://www.nextworld.com/about.
6. “About.” NextWorld. Accessed April 29, 2023. https://www.nextworld.com/about.
7. “Who We Are.” Erol Foundation. Accessed April 29, 2023. https://www.erolfoundation.org/who-we-are/.
8. “Exhibitions.” 836m, Accessed April 29, 2023. https://836m.org/exhibitions/.
9. “About.” NextWorld. Accessed April 28, 2023. https://www.nextworld.com/about.
10. Goldsmith, Ariane. “Solazyme Representative Visits Urban School, Speaks about Sustainable Oil.” The Urban Legend. January 30, 2014. Accessed April 29, 2023. https://www.urbanlegendnews.org/news/2014/01/30/solazyme-rep-visits-urban-speaks-about-sustainable-oil/.
11. Bomgardmner, Melody. “Algae Products Specialist TerraVia Goes Bankrupt.” Cen.acs.org. August 9, 2017. Accessed April 29, 2023. https://cen.acs.org/articles/95/web/2017/08/Algae-products-specialist-TerraVia-goes-bankrupt.html#:~:text=Solazyme%20went%20public%20in%202011,could%20not%20compete%20with%20petroleum.
12. “Program Areas.” Erol Foundation. Accessed April 29, 2023. https://www.erolfoundation.org/program-areas/.
13. “Who We Fund.” Erol Foundation. Accessed April 29, 2023. https://www.erolfoundation.org/who-we-fund/#strategic-communications.
14. “Who We Fund.” Erol Foundation. Accessed April 29, 2023. https://www.erolfoundation.org/who-we-fund/#climate-action.
15. “Program Areas.” Erol Foundation. Accessed April 29, 2023. https://www.erolfoundation.org/program-areas/.
16. “Climate Emergency Fund.” Climate Emergency Fund. Accessed April 29, 2023. https://www.climateemergencyfund.org/.
17. Church, Ben. “Just Stop Oil Protester Disrupts World Snooker Championship by Throwing Orange Powder Paint on Table.” CNN. Cable News Network, April 18, 2023. Accessed April 29, 2023.  https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/18/sport/climate-protest-world-snooker-championship-spt-intl/index.html.
18. “Who We Fund.” Erol Foundation. Accessed April 29, 2023. https://www.erolfoundation.org/who-we-fund/#methane-reduction.
19. Prest, M.J. “20 Foundations Ally to Commit $223 Million to Curb Worldwide Methane Emissions.” The Chronicle of Philanthropy. July 7, 2022. Accessed April 29, 2023.  https://www.philanthropy.com/article/20-foundations-ally-to-commit-223-million-to-curb-worldwide-methane-emissions.
20. [email protected]. “Climate Action Capacity Project.” Middlebury College. April 5, 2023. Accessed April 29, 2023. https://www.middlebury.edu/franklin-environmental-center/get-involved/climate-action-capacity-project.
21. “Who We Fund.” Erol Foundation. Accessed April 29, 2023. https://www.erolfoundation.org/who-we-fund/#regenerative-food-systems.
22. “Who We Fund.” Erol Foundation. Accessed April 29, 2023. https://www.erolfoundation.org/who-we-fund/#regenerative-food-systems.