Advanced search

Moving from commitment to action: Hewlett’s refreshed Climate strategy

By Jonathan Pershing
Three famers walk in a field in Northumberland with wind turbines in the distance.
Hewlett’s climate strategy focuses on supporting efforts to advance a low-carbon economy in ways that allow communities to benefit from the clean energy transition. (Credit: SolStock via iStock)

At the Hewlett Foundation, we believe everyone deserves a meaningful opportunity to thrive, regardless of their background or circumstances. However, this opportunity is increasingly threatened as the global climate crisis deepens. Over the past decade, we’ve witnessed escalating wildfires, extreme weather events, growing risks to businesses, increased climate-induced displacement of communities,  mounting challenges for farmers worldwide, and more. These urgent issues underscore the imperative for immediate action on climate change.

Despite these challenges, there have been encouraging developments. Governments and private industries are increasingly collaborating and committing to climate action. Public awareness of climate change’s implications for our future is growing, and there has been significant adoption and scaling of climate solutions — while the price for new and clean technologies like electric vehicles and renewable energy has dropped precipitously. And critically, both philanthropy, the private sector and governments have substantially increased their investments in climate solutions.

Recognizing both the urgency of the current moment and the opportunities arising from new commitments and investments, Hewlett’s climate team engaged with funding peers, grantee partners, and experts in climate, economics, and development to refine our global climate strategy. The strategy’s evolution builds on over 15 years of experience and on our recognition of the need to amplify recent progress.

Our updated strategy focuses on supporting countries and industries as they work to implement their existing climate commitments and fulfill the promises they have made. While increasing global climate ambition will be crucial, we recognize that meeting current climate targets is a prerequisite for further progress.

And our goal is clear: to keep the global average temperature increase well below 2°C above preindustrial levels, facilitating a sustainable and equitable transition to a low-carbon economy.

To achieve this goal, Hewlett will invest in efforts that promote benefits to all stakeholders in this transition and ensure they have the necessary support and resources to contribute to a flourishing planet.

Our refreshed strategy will prioritize three broad thematic areas seeking to:

1. Advance durable and equitable mitigation in high-emission geographies to help countries fulfill their climate commitments, while increasingly looking to cross-sectoral linkages within and between countries.

2. Bolster crosscutting, multinational efforts to advance the low-carbon transition, taking advantage of synergies and opportunities between countries.

3. Strengthen the broader ecosystem of climate philanthropy by leveraging our voice, our strengths as a convener, and our agility within and outside philanthropic circles.

We will remain focused on harnessing government and private industry to reduce emissions, particularly in China, the United States, India, and Europe due to their historical and projected emissions, as well as their pivotal role in global climate progress. We also will support grantees working with critical multilateral institutions like the United Nations to engage the global community. And we are prioritizing crosscutting initiatives that can speed up progress across our geographies, including investments to overcome barriers to electrification, workforce development, critical minerals, and climate finance and ongoing support for communications to bring critical climate information to the global community. We will support grantees seeking to foster collaboration among governments, private industry, workers, and communities. Central to our strategy is also ensuring equitable distribution of opportunities and benefits from this transition because we know that it is crucial to build broad support for ambitious climate solutions over time.

Beyond grantmaking, our collaborations, such as the Global Methane Hub and Invest in Our Future initiative, highlight the power of partnerships and collective action. Recognizing the interconnected nature of climate challenges, we will continue to prioritize collaboration and coordination in philanthropy as a cornerstone of our updated strategy.

We know our partners are navigating an increasingly difficult landscape, with constraints ranging from legal obstacles and polarization to global tensions and mis- and disinformation. Our flexible approach will allow us to address emerging needs effectively, ensuring our strategy remains adaptable and impactful.

We at the Hewlett Foundation remain deeply committed to the work of moving toward a more equitable, sustainable future, and hope our refreshed strategy can contribute to the necessary transformative, worldwide climate action needed.

Downloads

Climate Initiative Strategy 2024-2029 (pdf) 

Tags

MORE STORIES

Worker in orange vest at
Environment
Hewlett’s U.S. Climate strategy prioritizes building for a better future
Family wading and playing in river on summer afternoon
Environment
Achieving durable outcomes through community-led conservation
Parents take their children to visit renewable energy windmills.
Economy and Society
Seizing a historic opportunity to strengthen our economy, democracy, and climate

Search Our Grantmaking

By Program
  1. Education 
  2. Environment 
  3. Gender Equity and Governance 
  4. Performing Arts 
  5. U.S. Democracy 
  6. Economy and Society 
  7. Effective Philanthropy 
  8. Racial Justice 
  9. SF Bay Area 
  10. Special Projects 
By Keyword