E131: The Shark Tank-Style Fix for Climate Philanthropy with 1.5°Climate

Less than 2% of all philanthropic giving goes to climate, and a big reason why is something Greg Rock calls "donor paralysis." People care, but the landscape is so complex that many well-meaning donors don’t take action.This week on Everybody in the Pool, Molly sits down with Greg Rock, Executive Director of 1.5°Climate, a free national donor collaborative that's borrowing the energy of VC pitch competitions to make climate philanthropy more accessible, more exciting, and more impactful. With 600+ members and $35 million moved to over 100 organizations, 1.5°Climate is proving that you don’t have to be a billionaire, or an expert in climate tech, to make a real difference.We talk about:Why less than 2% of philanthropic giving goes to climate, and what we can do to change thatHow 1.5°Climate's Shark Tank-style virtual pitch events connect donors directly with vetted climate organizationsThe three criteria that define a high-impact climate investment: catalytic potential, leverage, and gap-fillingWhy 1.5°Climate funds nonprofits that aren’t exclusively climate organizations like cattle trade associations and agricultural projectsHow the team shifted from federal to state and local climate action after the 2024 electionThe innovations Greg and 1.5°Climate are most excited about right now: next-gen geothermal, agrivoltaics, and moreLinks:1.5°Climate: https://onepointfiveclimate.org/All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/2EsDhwQC2zSubscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/Become a member for the ad-free version of the show: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.