Seeding Change, Sustaining Movements

At the New World Foundation, we know that climate, health, jobs, and the state of our democracy are deeply connected. Our place-based grantmaking strengthens community resilience and supports those most affected by environmental harm—whether ranchers in Montana, farmworkers across the U.S., miners in Appalachia, or families in major cities like Los Angeles and Boston.

As an early supporter of the environmental justice movement in the 1990s, NWF funded the anti-toxics movement, leading networks, and the first national People of Color Environmental Summits. Over time, our work expanded to land use, transportation, and climate, including international partnerships in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. While our current focus is U.S.-based, we continue to view domestic work in a global context.

Today, we back communities organizing to resist the expansion of extractive industries, imposition of unhealthy infrastructure, and policies that negatively impact our climate.

By lifting up frontline voices and connecting them with philanthropic resources, we continue to highlight the intersection of environment, health, and human rights.

Climate Action Fund

The next decade or two will determine the future of our planet. We face a stark choice: transform our economic and political systems—or face climate chaos.

The Climate Action Fund (CAF) invests in collaborative, community-driven solutions that confront climate injustice and build on local strengths.

By investing in the people most affected and the solutions closest to the ground, the Climate Action Fund strengthens the movements that will shape a livable, just future.