Frequently Asked Questions

How can I join the movement? Where do you recommend I volunteer my time or how should I get involved with climate activism? 

In some ways, this is the most important question of all. Given the climate emergency, what can I do? How can I help wake up the public and create transformative rapid change?

First off, to fully answer this question, you should start with some self-assessment. 

Take a look at Ayana Johnson’s Venn diagram to get started. Ask yourself: how many hours per week can I dedicate? What skills or resources can I bring to the movement? Am I willing to dedicate time to getting trained? Am I willing to join a group that uses disruptive tactics – am I even willing to get arrested with them? Am I willing to fundraise? 

We at Climate Emergency Fund believe in the unique power of disruptive activism. Check out our Grants page to see some of the amazing organizations we support, and check out their websites for how to get involved. You should also take a close look at the climate groups taking action in your area. 

Activist groups can almost always use volunteer graphic designers, bookkeepers, videographers, photographers, cooks, writers, audio experts, or people with access to resources like trucks, meeting spaces, etc. Truly, people from all walks of life can learn the skills of organizing and find places to plug in, and there are always plenty of odd jobs to go around, such as giving rides to people without cars, printing flyers, etc. Everyone has a role to play in the fight for a livable planet.

If no local climate groups exist in your area, consider 1) starting a new chapter of an existing group 2) consider if you have skills that can be volunteered remotely, and 3) join related groups such as tenants rights groups or a racial justice group, and bring a climate-informed lens to your activities. For example, a coalition of community groups, Stand LA, successfully won a phase-out of neighborhood oil drilling in Los Angeles.

Can I volunteer with Climate Emergency Fund?

Yes! If you are willing to raise funds from your own network. We have had wonderful success with people who fundraise from their networks and donate to Climate Emergency Fund.

For example, an Italian couple asked guests to donate to Climate Emergency Fund in honor of their marriage. Or a retired lawyer hosted an event for his network at his home to learn about Climate Emergency Fund. Obviously, these methods of volunteering take a level of self-direction on your part. Beyond helping us with fundraising, unfortunately, we as funders and grantmakers don’t have any other space for volunteers to plug in at the moment. 

Does donating to Climate Emergency Fund put me or my foundation at legal risk? 

Climate Emergency Fund provides a safe, legal, and tax deductible way to support the movement. There is no legal risk to our donors, as we take that risk for you, and effectively mitigate it for Climate Emergency Fund.

We fund activities such as recruitment, training, press support, education, and capacity building, all of which are 100% legal. 

Our movement-oriented legal team provides layers of protection to Climate Emergency Fund by grant agreements to ensure that our funds support only legal 501c(3) appropriate activities. Grantees are required to report back on all money spent, ensuring that funds were only spent on legal and eligible activities. 

How can I make an anonymous donation? 

If you donate by check, wire, or stock, we will consider your donation anonymous unless you instruct us otherwise. We do not share information about our donors without explicit permission. 

If donating through our website, click the “donate anonymously” button, as pictured:

How are funds used? How much of donations are spent on overhead? 

Climate Emergency Fund makes grants with at least 85% of the funds we receive. The rest goes to our own program costs, our largest expense being fundraising. As a non-endowed fund, the only way we are able to make grants is by raising funds from others. In other words, we are a lean fundraising and grant-making machine!

How are funds allocated? 

We prioritize funding groups that utilize disruption at the core of their strategy. We prefer to fund newer groups that have a hugely ambitious vision by providing support to cover critical start-up costs, allowing groups to scale up. We are constantly seeking projects with the potential for rapid growth.

Grant size is determined by the funding needed. Most of our grants are between $30,000- $80,000. We accept applications on a rolling basis through our website. We also stay close to the movement, learning about exciting new developments. Grant decisions are made by the board of directors. 

Can I support a specific organization? 

If you are interested in making a gift of $5,000 or over, dedicated to a specific organization or project, please get in touch with us. For smaller gifts, you currently have the option of dedicating it to the A22 Network (including Just Stop Oil, Letze Generation, and more) or Scientist Rebellion. 

What is “movement infrastructure”?

Although the majority of our granted funds go towards groups who use nonviolent, disruptive tactics, we also fund groups that provide critical support behind the scenes. This support takes the form of training, technological infrastructure, skilled consulting, networking, and other activities that allow the disruptive arm of the climate movement to reach its maximum potential. See our grants page for examples of movement infrastructure projects we are currently supporting. 

How much of donations are spent on fees? 

If you make a credit card donation through our website, our processors (FundraiseUp and Stripe), will charge a fee of 5.2% to 6.5%. FundraiseUp will collect 3% and Stripe will collect $0.30 + 2.2% for non-American Express cards and 3.5% for American Express Cards cards.

There is no fee on our side for donations made by check. Please consult with your financial institution for any bank fees associated with wire or stock donations.

Do you have a recommended reading/watching list? 

How do movements make an impact? 

What would a WWII-scale climate mobilization look like? 

What will climate breakdown feel like to live through?

I feel so alone with my feelings about the climate emergency. Who can I talk to?

Feelings of grief and terror are healthy and normal responses to the climate emergency. Let them motivate you to get heroically involved! Painful climate feelings are challenging, we definitely shouldn’t be alone with them. Many people who understand the climate emergency feel alienated, like “no one understands” but there are hundreds of millions of people, more and more every day, who are also struggling with these painful feelings. You probably know some of them, but haven’t spoken about it. 

One great way to voice your climate feelings is by signing up for a Climate Emotions Conversation! This free program was created by Margaret Klein Salamon, PhD, Climate Emergency Fund’s Executive Director. It is an online conversation where strangers from all over the United States and the world share their climate emotions with each other in small groups in a structured listening and sharing session. The key prompt: How do you feel about the climate emergency?

Also, check out “Facing the Climate Emergency, How to Transform Yourself with Climate Truth” by Margaret Klein Salamon, Executive Director of Climate Emergency Fund. It addresses this topic head-on.