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Giving Green is a guide for individuals and businesses to make effective, evidence-based climate giving decisions. Climate change is complex. Giving doesn’t have to be. Discover top climate nonprofits Explore rigorously researched and carefully vetted climate charities that might not be on your radar. We recommend transformative giving opportunities that change laws, norms, and systems, so you can maximize the impact of your donations. 2024-2025 TOP CLIMATE CHARITIES Our differences We target systems change To address the drivers of global warming, we need to transform the systems that sustain it. We identify high-leverage philanthropic strategies that reshape policies, advance green technologies, and foster new markets, so your donations can have an outsized impact. We find neglected spaces As funding for climate action increases, certain issue areas can become saturated, leading to diminishing returns. We help donors find innovative strategies that are different from those of larger and more established funders. We are independent Our dedicated team of researchers operates independently, funded by individuals and foundations that share our vision: making high-impact climate giving accessible to everyone. We never take a cut from donations made to our recommended projects. Our impact $31.8 million Total donations to high-impact climate nonprofits based on our research. $0.30 to $10,000,000 The range of donations to our recommended charities. We make high-impact climate giving easier, for everyone, regardless of your gift size. 15X Every dollar donated to Giving Green’s research operations has been converted into $15 of donations to top climate nonprofits. OUR IMPACT More than just donations For businesses A guide to higher-impact corporate sustainability strategy A greenwashed climate pledge is bad for business and the planet. We have produced a four-step guide on designing an effective and actionable corporate climate strategy , so your business can decarbonize the future, not just offset the past. For investors Sustainable investment research Philanthropy is not the only form of capital you can deploy to reduce global warming. Investment capital has an enormous role to play. We offer overviews of common “sustainable investment” strategies , namely climate impact investing and ESG investing. Special research projects Climate consulting We offer climate change consulting for value-aligned individuals, foundations, and businesses. From identifying climate giving opportunities in specific countries like Australia to strategic guidance on corporate sustainability, we bring an evidence-based approach to your climate goals. Newsletter Sign up to our monthly newsletter to receive the latest research and recommendations on high-impact organizations fighting climate change. What our readers say "So, give your most committed friends and family a donation in their name to an organization fighting for those systemic changes… if you aren’t sure which, consult the guides produced by the non-profit initiative Giving Green." “It was the light in the forest that simplified everything. Giving Green has done all the research and made it easy for me.” Bill, Palo Alto

Giving Green Fund What is the Giving Green Fund? The Giving Green Fund is a climate grantmaking fund designed to maximize the impact of your charitable donations. When you donate to the Fund, your gifts are then disbursed to a portfolio of high-impact climate projects identified by the Giving Green team. We believe giving to the Fund is our highest-impact climate donation option . Why choose the Giving Green Fund Impact We continuously update our disbursement strategies based on the evolving landscape of climate action, so your donations can have an outsized impact. Speed We make disbursement recommendations every quarter, and donations to the Fund are usually disbursed to high-impact climate projects in six months. Ease The Fund offers a convenient way for you to support several climate initiatives with a single transaction. How does the Giving Green Fund work? Thorough research Giving Green’s researchers recommend disbursements based on our understanding of the highest-impact available giving opportunities. The majority of the Fund goes to supporting our current top climate charities , but the Fund also makes grants to other organizations working on high-priority climate projects . Transparency We publish all Fund disbursements regularly and transparently, so you can track where your money is going. Independent management Your climate donations to the Fund are held by Giving What We Can , a separate effective-giving nonprofit organization, and disbursed based on recommendations from Giving Green’s research team. 100% for climate action Giving Green’s team never takes a cut from the Fund. 100% of your charitable gifts will be disbursed to systems-changing climate initiatives. For more questions on the Giving Green Fund, visit Giving Green’s FAQ page . The Giving Green Fund’s past disbursements Note that the relative amount disbursed to an organization is not an endorsement of donating to any one nonprofit above others. Rather, it is based on our assessment of the funding needs of the organizations at the time.

We perform rigorous research and recommend highly effective climate initiatives, so you can give with confidence. About Giving Green We make high-impact climate giving easier, for everyone. OUR VALUES OUR TEAM ADVISORS FUNDERS What can I do about climate change? We had the same question. So we created Giving Green. Giving Green is a guide for individuals and businesses to make more effective climate giving decisions. We perform rigorous research and recommend highly effective climate initiatives, so you can give with confidence. Giving Green is incubated at IDinsight , a global advisory, data analytics, and research organization that uses data and evidence to improve lives worldwide. We are also inspired by the principles of effective altruism , which seek to find ways of doing good that actually work. We bring IDinsight’s deep expertise and effective altruism’s research rigor to everything we do. Our work is funded by generous climate donors like you who believe in high-impact climate action and evidence-based climate giving advice. We receive no funding from and have no formal relationship with any of the organizations we study or recommend. If you share our mission, please consider donating to Giving Green directly . We also provide consulting services to individuals and organizations that want to give more effectively to fight climate change. Learn more about how we create bespoke climate giving recommendations here . OUR VALUES Vaues To guide our search for effective climate projects, we strive to uphold four values. These are our commitments to teammates, supporters, and the planet. 1. Truth-seeking We ask challenging questions and perform rigorous research, guided by evidence and reason. 2. Humility We value different perspectives and acknowledge our own limitations. 3. Transparency We share research and deliberations publicly to encourage dialogue. 4. Collaboration We foster catalytic partnerships to amplify climate actions and maximize impact. Our Team OUR TEAM Dr. Dan Stein Dan Stein is Giving Green's founder and executive director, and the Chief Economist at IDinsight. Dan is passionate about using evidence-based approaches to fight the cli mate crisis. Prior to IDinsight, Dan worked as an Economist at the World Bank, where he launched a program of impact evaluations in energy and environment. Dan holds a PhD in Economics from the London School of Economics, and a BA in Physics and Political Economy from UC Berkeley. Emily Thai Emily Thai is Giving Green's Chief of Staff. Prior to joining Giving Green, Emily worked at the University of Chicago’s Center for RISC, managing behavioral science consultancies for social impact, and at Rhapsody Venture Partners, investing in sustainable technology. Emily holds bachelor’s degrees in Materials Science and Engineering and Women’s and Gender Studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Enzia Schnyder Enzia Schnyder is a Research Associate at Giving Green. Prior to joining Giving Green, Enzia worked in research at the International Renewable Energy Agency, the UK Department for Environmental and Rural Affairs and an alternative protein start-up. She holds an MEng in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford and a Postgraduate Diploma from the University of Nottingham, where she studied the use of microbes to produce alternative proteins made from carbon dioxide. Jack Rafferty Jack Rafferty is the Manager of Climate Giving for Giving Green Australia. Prior to joining Giving Green, Jack was the Co-founder and Director of Lead Exposure Elimination Project, a policy focused international NGO that is working to end childhood lead poisoning worldwide. Jack holds bachelor’s degrees in Environmental Science and Philosophy from the University of Sydney. Jackie Ciraldo Jackie Ciraldo is Giving Green’s Growth Officer. Prior to Giving Green, Jackie worked at Elle Communications and DEY. Ideas + Influence where she drove a wide range of impact-driven communications strategies for influential individuals, nonprofits, philanthropies, advocacy campaigns, businesses, and brands spanning environmental justice, climate solutions, impact investing, global health, worker rights and protections, democracy, and more. Before shifting gears to more mission-driven communications, Jackie got her start in travel and hospitality public relations at Hawkins International, and spent time as an educator, teaching English in Thailand and then elementary Zoom school during the height of the pandemic. Jackie holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations with International Studies and Sociology minors from The Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Kimberly Huynh Kimberly Huynh is Giving Green's Associate Director of Research. Prior to joining Giving Green, Kimberly worked as a Content Editor and Summer Research Analyst at GiveWell and conducted environmental fieldwork in Canada, New Zealand, Chile, and the United States. Her PhD in Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley focused on estimating methane emissions from wetlands. She earned both a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering & a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from Northwestern University. Dr. Lucia Simonelli Lucia is a Senior Researcher for Giving Green. Prior to joining Giving Green, Lucia was a Senior Policy Fellow at Carbon180 where she specialized in federal policy for direct air capture (DAC) and other carbon removal pathways. She also served as a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow in the Office of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, working on climate initiatives and learning about the legislative process. Before pivoting to policy, Lucia was a postdoc in mathematics at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy. Lucia holds a BSc in mathematics from the University of Texas and PhD in mathematics from the University of Maryland. Sunnie Huang Sunnie Huang is Giving Green's Growth Officer. She began her career as a journalist, first at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in Toronto, then at The Economist in London. After moving to the nonprofit sector, she worked with Generation Pledge to grow the community of ultra-high-net-wealth inheritors who want to do good with their resources. Sunnie holds degrees in journalism and environmental economics. She is passionate about helping impact-oriented organizations grow. ADVISORS Dan Plechaty Dan Plechaty is a Strategist at ClimateWorks. As part of the Global Intelligence team, he provides actionable insights to climate grantmakers through emissions modeling and scenario analyses, coordinates projects on action, accountability and progress tracking, and explores new topics that intersect with existing programmatic grantmaking areas. Dr. Jae Pasari Jae Pasari is the Program Manager for Climate Action at Preston-Werner Ventures. He leads research to identify high leverage climate investment opportunities in non-profit, political, and business spheres. Michelle Levinson Michelle Levinson is a Manager in eMobility at the World Resources Institute. She has over a decade of experience working on US climate policy and electricity markets. Dr. Neil Buddy Shah Neil Buddy Shah is the CEO of the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and previously the Managing Director of GiveWell. Buddy has a decade-plus track record of taking cutting-edge ideas from academia and industry and applying them to the needs of the social sector. Shu Dar Yao Shu Dar Yao is the Founder of Lucid Capitalism, an advisory firm that educates and guides VC and PE funds and their portfolio companies on ESG issues, including climate change and social inequality. Her career has spanned finance and nonprofit ecosystems; she led the Investment Committee at RSF Social Finance and previously has worked at Social Finance, Citigroup's Inclusive Finance, the World Bank Group's IFC, and JPMorgan. Funders FUNDERS

We're looking to work with a researcher based in Puerto Rico, who's excited about applying Giving Green's research methods to support climate action on the island. Location: Remote (Must be based in Puerto Rico) Compensation: Competitive for nonprofit sector, commensurate with experience Commitment: Contract-based with potential for full-time transition (note that this role will be hired directly by our locally-based partner and not by Giving Green) Languages: Fluency in English & Spanish required We will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis. Applications received by March 30 will be prioritized. About Us We are looking for a Puerto-Rico-based Climate Researcher to join our team and help drive high-impact climate philanthropy in the region. Our work involves evaluating climate-focused nonprofits, analyzing the effectiveness of climate policies and technologies, and identifying funding opportunities to accelerate decarbonization efforts. Our research supports funders, businesses, and policymakers in making strategic decisions that maximize climate impact. To date, our recommendations have helped move over $30 million into climate solutions globally. With the support of a local funder, we’re expanding our focus on Puerto Rico to ensure the island’s unique environmental challenges are addressed. Who We’re Looking For: We are seeking a dedicated contractor with a background in climate science, policy, environmental economics, or related research fields to analyze climate-focused nonprofits and policies in Puerto Rico. The ideal candidate will have: Strong research and analytical skills to evaluate the effectiveness of climate interventions. Bilingual proficiency (English & Spanish) to engage with local organizations and international partners. Deep understanding of Puerto Rico’s environmental landscape , including energy transition challenges, conservation efforts, and climate resilience initiatives. Ability to conduct literature reviews, quantitative analyses, and expert interviews to assess high-impact climate strategies. Key Responsibilities Research & Analysis Conduct literature reviews and expert interviews to identify effective climate interventions in Puerto Rico. Assess the impact of climate-focused nonprofits, policy initiatives, and technological innovations. Perform quantitative modeling to analyze environmental and economic outcomes. Draft research reports and synthesis documents for both expert and general audiences. Contribute to shaping research agendas that align with regional climate needs. Engagement & Outreach Build relationships with key stakeholders, including local nonprofits, policymakers, and funders. Represent our research in media, reports, and stakeholder discussions. Assist in grant evaluation and due diligence for potential funding recipients in Puerto Rico. Qualifications & Skills: We encourage applicants with diverse backgrounds in climate science, policy, and philanthropy. While no one candidate will have all the skills listed below, we are looking for expertise in some of these areas and a willingness to grow in others: Education & Experience Bachelor's degree (required), advanced degree preferred but not necessary. Experience conducting desk-based research, policy analysis, or impact evaluations. Strong writing skills, with the ability to produce both technical reports and accessible summaries. Previous work in climate philanthropy, policy, or nonprofit evaluation is a plus. Sector Expertise (one or more of the following): Climate philanthropy: Understanding of nonprofit evaluation and funding strategies. Climate policy: Familiarity with Puerto Rican and US environmental policy frameworks. Climate tech: Knowledge of renewable energy, carbon removal, or other decarbonization solutions. Conservation & biodiversity: Experience in land use, reforestation, or marine protection. Other Skills Fluency in both English and Spanish , written and verbal (required). Self-starter with the ability to work independently and collaboratively. Entrepreneurial mindset with a passion for climate solutions. Legal authorization to work in Puerto Rico. Why Join Us? Make a real impact by helping shape climate funding strategies in Puerto Rico. Flexible & remote work with a contract-based structure and potential for full-time transition. Competitive compensation tailored to experience and sector benchmarks. Professional growth with access to high-level research, networking, and funding opportunities. Please apply at this link. You will be asked for a 1-2 page resume, a writing sample, and to answer a few short-answer questions. We will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis. Applications received by March 30 will be prioritized.

We’re looking to work with a r esearcher who's excited about applying Giving Green's research methods to support biodiversity. Location: Remote (must have work authorization where you are based) Compensation: Competitive for nonprofit sector, commensurate with experience Commitment: Contract-based, likely full-time April to October but flexible for the right candidate.   Who is Giving Green? At Giving Green, our mission is to make high-impact climate giving easier for everyone. Our researchers evaluate the climate philanthropy landscape to identify highly effective nonprofits with a need for more funding—our Top Nonprofits —and a broader portfolio of work we support through the Giving Green Fund . All together, Giving Green has raised over $30 million for the climate ecosystem. We are expanding our work to identify highly effective philanthropic strategies to protect and preserve biodiversity, with the support of a philanthropic partner.   Who are we looking for? We'd love someone willing to roll up their sleeves and become a part of the research team. You will be conducting literature reviews, digging through data, developing quantitative models, speaking with experts, and more.   You will be following Giving Green's research process , but against the outcome of biodiversity. Your high-level deliverables will be: Creation of a " research dashboard " for biodiversity, comparing many philanthropic strategies at a high level, including development of metrics on which to compare strategies Completion of 20-30 page deep dive report assessing several high-potential philanthropic strategies Longlist of promising charities identified as working on these philanthropic strategies Evaluations of about 3-5 charities from longlist   Desired qualifications: General qualifications Bachelor's degree; advanced degrees preferred but not required. Excellent oral and written communication skills in English. Ability to work independently, develop your own work timelines and products, and take initiative on a small team. Prior experience in related fields, e.g.: Biodiversity or conservation work, especially with a focus on systems-level interventions like policy advocacy and economic development. Philanthropy, charity evaluation, or other monitoring & evaluation work. Experience with desk-based research, e.g.: Writing formal reports for general and expert audiences, especially writing about technical or quantitative topics. Conducting and writing literature reviews or shorter synthesis reports. Quantitative modeling, e.g. spreadsheet-based cost-effectiveness analyses. Ability to be highly transparent with reasoning and to quickly identify and act on decision-relevant questions.   Nuts and bolts: Giving Green is currently incubated by IDinsight, a global data analytics and advisory firm. Your contract will be with IDinsight. We are a fully remote team. Candidates must have legal authorization to work in the country in which they will be based. Rates will be competitive for the non-profit sector, based on the location and experience of the applicant.   We want to make a major difference in the movement to stop climate change, and you could play a crucial role in advancing our mission.   Apply here. We are simply looking for a resume and writing sample, but you may attach a proposal if desired.   Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. ​

As a climate charity evaluator, we often hear a familiar story: you have reduced your meat consumption, perhaps even gone vegan. You carry a reusable water bottle everywhere and avoid single-use plastics. You opt for walking, cycling, or taking public transport instead of driving. Yet despite your efforts, climate targets continue to be breached, and extreme weather events grow more frequent. You might ask yourself: is there something more I can do? At Giving Green, we believe donating to effective climate nonprofits offers individuals a way to connect their personal actions with wider, systemic change. We guide donors towards climate donation opportunities that truly move the needle. “We can’t afford to just think small,” said Daniel Stein, founder of Giving Green, in a recent interview with Triple Pundit . “We need to ask big questions: What would the world look like with fewer greenhouse gas emissions? How do we get there? What technologies are necessary? What laws need to change? And then direct funding toward those solutions.” Each year, we dedicate thousands of research hours to identifying climate giving opportunities that pull the biggest levers. Here is what we have learned about systems change. What does system change look like in climate action? We define systems-changing climate initiatives as those that change the rules of the game. For climate donors, funding systems change means supporting initiatives that shift incentives and actions far beyond the immediate project. Here are some examples: Policy advocacy : Shaping the regulatory framework to influence the actions of others. Technology development : Creating technological tools that make it easier to implement climate solutions. Market shaping : Reducing costs and increasing incentives for widespread adoption of climate solutions. Strategic grassroots organizing : Building political will and creating scalable blueprints for broader adoption. Why systems change offers the best value for your climate donations  Traditional impact evaluation methods favor short-term outcomes, quantitative data, and linear theories of change, as noted by the Shifting Systems Initiative , a multi-year effort led by major philanthropies.  In the context of climate solutions, this might look like prioritizing projects that can point to a concrete number of trees planted over projects that contribute to policies that reduce the incentives for deforestation across entire countries.  To address this bias, we have grown our research toolkit over the past five years to include both qualitative and quantitative methods.  We start off by qualitatively assessing the impact of a climate donation strategy based on three criteria:  Scale: how big is the problem? Feasibility: how hard is the problem to address? Funding need: do funding gaps exist? How much would more donations help? As part of this assessment, we also construct a theory of change for an intervention or organization to lay out the chain of events that leads to impact.  To complement our qualitative analyses, we also build quantitative cost-effectiveness models to estimate roughly the climate impact per dollar donated.  The process involves estimating many inherently uncertain inputs, such as cumulative emissions reductions that may result from a policy, or the influence of one organization within an ecosystem of advocates for that policy. Given the high uncertainty, we do not take the results of these models literally; we consider them as rough plausibility checks rather than precise metrics. The overall findings are illuminating: even under conservative assumptions, donations to systems-changing climate initiatives can be at least an order of magnitude more effective than direct interventions.   Case study of systems-changing climate initiatives One system-changing event in climate action is the rapid decline in solar photovoltaic prices.  Dropping from over $100 per watt to less than $0.50 today, the dramatic cost reduction fast-tracked other crucial green technologies. To accelerate the current green transition, we must replicate this success to new green technologies like advanced geothermal, green hydrogen, and alternative proteins. But how? What lessons can climate donors learn from the scaling up of solar PV?  The table below summarizes notable events in the development of solar PV, as described in the book How Solar Became Cheap: A Model for Low-Carbon Innovation . For each event, we identified the broad strategy that acted as a catalyst.  The findings are illuminating: the predominant strategies responsible for the cost reductions are government support of research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) and demand-pull policies, both examples of system-changing levers.  In short, policy and technology change systems. Climate funders can make the next “big thing” happen by being prepared to fund high-risk, high-reward projects like policy advocacy and technology advancement,  How can climate donors support systems change? At Giving Green, we make high-impact climate giving easier, for everyone. We have guided the giving of donors large and small, with gift sizes ranging from $0.30 to $10 million.  Regardless of how much you look to give, one helpful question to ask is: how can my climate donations contribute to larger, societal change? "If you want to use your own efforts to do something big for climate change, you have to go beyond yourself because your own carbon footprint is not enough,” said Stein in a recent interview on the Innovations in Sustainable Finance podcast .  Philanthropic capital is well positioned to take bold bets that can power grand changes. Climate donors have a unique opportunity to fill gaps left by other sectors, fund long-term experiments, and push for evidence-based strategies that shift entire industries,  Our research over the past five years offers two learnings for climate donors who want to maximize their impact:  Embrace uncertainty and think long-term The most transformative climate solutions often come with uncertainty. Many systems-level interventions do not fit neatly into predefined metrics or short-term measurement frameworks. Instead of focusing only on highly measurable outcomes, funders should be open to investing in strategies that may take time to yield results. Fund strategies with a clear path to broader impact A project’s true value lies in how it interacts with the broader system over time. When considering what to fund, philanthropists should prioritize initiatives with a clear theory of change—one that maps out how different actors and policies come together to drive sustained and substantial impact. Additional resources on maximizing the impact of your climate action Each year, Giving Green publishes a list of top climate nonprofits  that push forward systemic solutions to climate change. You can:. Donate directly  to the recommended Top Nonprofits Give to our Giving Green Fund , which regrants to high-impact climate nonprofits based on their latest funding needs. If you enjoyed this blog, you might like this in-depth report on how Giving Green thinks about systems change as a climate funder .