An environmental program officer on the future of philanthropy

Editor’s note: This essay is part of a series of symposium reflections.

As someone who has worked on energy and climate for 25 years, one of the most heartening news to come out of the Hewlett Foundation’s 50^th anniversary symposium was a new finding about what foundation presidents care about.

Research from the Center for Effective Philanthropy reveals that over 200 foundation presidents think economic inequality and climate change are the two biggest issues philanthropy should address.

Climate change is by far the biggest problem of our time and if we do not address it, many of the other problems we seek to address will get much worse. If the average temperature of Earth’s surface continues to rise, food security, economic development, immigration, national security, ecosystem integrity, and infrastructures could be severely affected.

If we are to succeed in combating climate change, communities have to come around to see mitigation as in their best interest. This brings up another interesting finding from the CEP research – namely, that survey of foundation leaders think philanthropy is not living up to its potential.

So what can we do?

In the climate field, advocates such as myself have not always done a good job. My first impulse is to “tell” others why they should care, instead of “listening” to what their actual concerns are. I have been too quick to recommend the obvious solutions, rather than be open to solutions that fit the context. Sometimes, especially in a crisis, it is better to ask questions first and let others lead.