2022 Impact Report
Climate Justice Delivers
Solutions that center community and justice bring wide-scale and impactful results.
Letter From the CEO
It's time to double down on our support for the grassroots
Foreword from Gloria Walton,
President + CEO of The Solutions Project.
Bridgid Coulter Cheadle, entrepreneur and philanthropist, and Gloria Walton at Black Climate Week 2023
The Solutions Project was founded with a deep understanding that the climate crisis is the most critical issue of our time. Solving it calls for more than urgency; it demands for an approach that is deeply rooted in equity and justice.
We know that the climate crisis disproportionately impacts Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islanders, and other communities of color, especially women. These same communities at the frontlines of the climate crisis possess the ideas, creativity, and solutions to address it.
Encouragingly, there are promising indicators of momentum. Despite a decline in charitable giving across the United States in 2022, climate philanthropy experienced growth in recent years. The Solutions Project grew too, recognizing that the climate crisis is not only a ‘threat multiplier’ but a 'creativity and solutions multiplier' as well.
Last year, we directed more resources to community-led solutions than ever before: allocating over $10M in grants to more than 127 grantee partners. Nearly 90% of these partners are led by Black and Indigenous people and communities of color, primarily located in the South and Coastal States. These investments supported our grantee partners in achieving unprecedented wins: halting the construction of billions of dollars worth of oil pipelines and the expansion of polluting industries, securing the protection of 600 million acres of federal land, and implementing climate solutions such as electric transportation and solar-powered affordable housing. These wins contributed to an estimated reduction of tens of millions in metric tons of CO2 emissions.
We also ramped up our work to support the national climate justice movement. In response to the needs of our grantee partners, we co-created three ecosystems funds, including Communicating Our Power. This initiative supported 20 Black, Indigenous, and People of Color-led grassroots organizations across 16 states in building their strategic communications capacity and narrative power; these organizations saw an astounding 67% increase in press coverage in the first year. Our focus on culture change expanded as well. We brought climate justice to the world’s largest tech summit and earned recognition from major news institutions such as Bloomberg and TIME, and won multiple awards, including two Anthem Awards and a Telly Award. Simultaneously, we deepened our commitment to supporting grantee partners' efforts in planning for and mitigating climate-induced disasters. As a result, we were awarded the title of Honorable Community Partner of the year by Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation, which reflects our dedication to listening, building trust, and being in solidarity with the grassroots communities.
While we celebrate this momentum, there is so much more still to do. While the growth in climate philanthropy is cause for optimism, it still only accounts for 1 to 1.5% of total philanthropic giving, with less than 4% of it directed towards climate justice organizations, particularly those led by people of color and women.
Now, more than ever, is the time for all of us to double down our support for the grassroots. As this report unequivocally demonstrates, climate justice solutions deliver! And our grantee partners are leading the way in showing what is possible when they are resourced. The Solutions Project will continue to lead the way in being in deep relationship with the grassroots and building the foundation for Solidarity Philanthropy. And you best believe we will collaborate with and demand more from philanthropy and governments to ensure their sustainability and equity commitments align with the investments required in frontline communities to achieve lasting, transformational change.
Together, we can and must do more. Join us in fueling the creative solutions necessary to combat climate change and create a more equitable and regenerative world.
In solidarity,
Gloria Walton,
President + CEO
How The Solutions Project and Our Partners Get Results
Solutions
Our grantees implemented climate justice solutions at unprecedented scale
Nationwide, Frontline Organizations Delivered Big Impact
600M+
Acres of Land Stewarded
$50M+
Public Grants Won
10M+
People Protected from Pollution
$30B+
Federal Funds for Equity
7%
Higher Voter Turnout
Grantee Partners Scaled Up
Grantees Scored Legislative Wins
Black Voters Matter Education Fund, Dream Defenders, and Native Organizers Alliance
Overview
Civic engagement programs connect voters to issues like climate justice.
Results
- Turn-out among these voter demographics is widely credited with key climate victories around the country – from Arizona to Pennsylvania and many states in between
- Helped maintain a balance of power in Congress to successfully implement existing policy
UPROSE, PUSH Buffalo, NY Renews, The Point, NYC-EJA
Overview
After over two years in the making, the NYS Climate Action Council announced the completion and implementation of the Final Scoping Plan, which means no new gas stoves, no new gas furnaces, and no new gas water heaters.
Results
- Reduces greenhouse gas emissions and co-pollutants in most impacted communities, leading to cleaner air and better health
- Increases the use of renewable energy and storage
Louisiana Bucket Brigade and Indigenous Environmental Network
Overview
Indigenous Environmental Network and Louisiana Bucket Brigade each led campaigns that stopped a side deal by Senator Joe Manchin to increase oil and gas production in Alaska, the Gulf Coast, Virginia, and West Virginia. However, the work to protect these areas continues.
Results
- Stopped the production of gas where annual greenhouse gas emissions were equivalent to 35 coal-fired power plants.
- Halted further water contamination in vulnerable communities.
Asian Pacific Environmental Network and Communities for a Better Environment
Overview
Senate Bill 1137 bans new oil and gas wells within 3,200 feet of homes, schools, and hospitals and any other places people could be harmed by drilling operations. However the oil industry is trying to overturn the bill in a referendum.
Results
- Protection for 2.7 million Californians, 70% are Black and Brown people
- Strengthened protections for people who live, work, and play near existing extraction sites
Native Organizers Alliance
Overview
Native Organizers Alliance’s campaign secured Indigenous authority in the oversight of 620 million acres of public land, which will restore and protect natural ecosystems, and recognize years of injustice.
Results
- Indigenous communities can better cope with climate change, navigate limited water resources, and build sustainable food production.
- Opportunity to reduce the deforestation rate
STAND-L.A., SCOPE, CBE
Overview
L.A. City Council voted unanimously to adopt the final ordinance to prohibit new oil and gas drilling and phase out all existing drilling throughout the entire city. This monumental victory was 10 years in the making and many council members credit STAND LA for the ordinance.
Results
- Protects more than 500,000 residents who live close to active oil wells
FUNDING
We strengthened and expanded funding to the field
Our 2022 Grantmaking Stats
127
Grantees Funded
$10M+
Grants Given
$2.3M+
Disaster Resilience
100%
Multiyear Funding
Grantee Leadership
Where Grants Went
Ecosystem Funds
Independent and Collaborative Funds Administered by The Solutions Project
A two-year narrative communications fellowship program created in partnership with Climate Justice Alliance and Center for Story-based Strategy.
A year-long cohort program led in partnership with Elevate and Partnership for Southern Equity to support grassroots groups pursuing public funding for the first time.
A new frontline-governed fund for grassroots climate justice solutions supported in partnership with Climate Justice Alliance.
Intermediary Funding Moves More Than Just Money
We increased the flow of dollars to grassroots organizations by removing barriers and responding to a wider array of grantee needs.
We provided over $2.35 million in proactive grants for community resilience in the face of climate disaster. We also offered solar and water kits, and media rapid response support after disasters occurred.
Our “Summer of Wellness” program offered connections with artists and healers, enabling grantee staff and leadership to prioritize their health. More than 100 grantees participated. Additionally, we offered leadership and staff wellness grants upon request.
INFLUENCE
We shifted media narratives on climate solutions and philanthropy
Building Influence Online and in the Media
We spotlight climate justice solutions through digital communications and earned media.
350+
Press Hits
50M+
Media Views for Our Grantees + the Climate Justice Movement
182%
Increase in Press Hits + Social Media Mentions of our Grantees
4th
Most viewed Video on the Internet: Earth Day
Grantee Partners in the Media
We provide direct and thorough digital and communications support for 50 grantee partners, and amplification for dozens more. We widened our range of offerings this year to include graphic design, video production, social media training, public relations assistance, and much more. Here is a selection of media coverage we supported.
Celebrity and Influencer Amplification
Media, culture, and storytelling are tools that transform what we imagine is possible for our communities and our planet. Our celebrity partners support us in showcasing stories of success from The Solutions Project and our grantee partners.
TIME 100 Talks
Actor and The Solutions Project board member, Don Cheadle, in conversation with our grantee partner Colette Pichon Battle of Taproot on climate justice at TIME100 talks
RE:WIRED Green
Actress Regina Hall and Sarah Shanley Hope, The Solutions Project's Managing Director, Narrative Strategies bring community-led solutions to RE:WIRED Green
What is a Just Transition?
Created in partnership with Canary Media and UPROSE, Mark Ruffalo provided the voiceover for a video explaining what a Just Transition means.
EMA Awards
CEO Gloria Walton attends EMA Awards with Ronen Rubinstein, supporter of The Solutions Project
Shawn Mendes Foundation
Shawn Mendes Foundation shined light on our grantee partners, Institute for Climate & Peace and Taproot Earth for their work at COP27
Tracking Solutions Narrative Trends
Through independent, commissioned research we monitor how the media covers climate solutions across energy, land-use, and water — paying specific attention to gender, equity, and communities of color. The latest report showcases how efforts to shift coverage to be more diverse, solutions-oriented, and justice-focused are on track.
We are in a pivotal moment where digital media is taking activism to a new level, newsrooms are building climate teams, and audiences are demanding climate stories in films and entertainment.
Not just any stories - stories that are focused on solutions to the climate crisis, narratives that give us hope and allow us to reimagine a world that’s more equitable and sustainable."
- Gloria Walton
Increase in renewable energy articles that quoted women.
Articles that mentioned communities of color were more likely to focus on solutions.
Articles that mention issues of equity and justice:
Going all in on climate justice solutions
Our results show that it's time for philanthropy to go all in on climate justice.
The Inflation Reduction Act, after decades of community organizing for large-scale public investments in green infrastructure, passed in 2022. The federal government is injecting new funding and momentum into a green transition. With our Justice40 Accelerator partners, we work to ensure that the 40% of federal climate and clean energy investments promised by the White House will benefit frontline communities. Because frontline communities know best what their communities need.
2022 made something clear: with the climate crisis causing widespread damages, the work of community-based organizations is crucial. If given resources and respect, they can make great strides to protect people today and ensure a better future. It can feel overwhelming. But remember, we have solutions.
Now is the time to invest in what’s already working in communities solving the crisis with a commitment to justice, healing, and regeneration.
Get Involved
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