Sequoia Climate Foundation

Sequoia Climate Foundation is one of the fastest-scaling climate philanthropies in the United States, growing annual giving from $133.8 million in 2020 to an estimated $305 million in 2024 — a 128% increase in four years. Founded in 2020 and granted IRS recognition in May 2021, the foundation is headquartered in Irvine, California, and operates as a pass-through grantmaker: it receives approximately $281 million in fresh contributions annually and deploys nearly all of it to the field, carrying only $113.7 million in assets on its balance sheet.

The critical entry point is invitation, not application. Sequoia does not accept unsolicited proposals; application instructions are formally marked as none in public records. The foundation identifies and selects grantees proactively based on strategic fit. The only public-facing channel is a general inquiry form on its website — useful for establishing visibility but not a substitute for relationship cultivation.

The foundation heavily favors intermediary organizations, pooled funds, and collaborative grantmaking vehicles. Its top grantee, the European Climate Foundation, has received $104.7 million across 26 grants. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors — a fiscal sponsor and regrantor — received $49.4 million across 18 grants. Windward Fund, another fiscal sponsor, received $15.7 million across 5 grants. This consistent pattern reveals the foundation's operating logic: Sequoia amplifies reach by moving large sums through trusted intermediary platforms rather than managing a fragmented portfolio of small direct grants.

President Christie Ulman (compensated at $585,521 annually) has publicly committed to multi-year grant structures, enabling grantees to undertake long-term strategic plans. Board Chair C. Frederick Taylor and Director of Finance and Administration Gilbert Ching ($289,220 compensation) round out the senior leadership.

Organizations with staff alumni or strong relationships at NRDC, World Resources Institute, Rocky Mountain Institute, Energy Foundation, or Climateworks Foundation have natural pathways into Sequoia's network. Sector convenings — COP, ClimateWeek NYC, Clean Energy Ministerial, and philanthropic coordination tables like the Energy Transition Fund — are the primary venues where these relationships are built.

First-time prospects must demonstrate catalytic leverage: how does your work unlock additional capital, shift policy, or create durable market change well beyond the grant period? Sequoia's four evaluation criteria — scale of emissions reductions, speed of impact, cost-effectiveness, and probability of success — should frame every positioning conversation.

Across 445 tracked grants totaling $604.85 million, Sequoia's median grant is $1 million, with an average of $1.36 million per grant (and a typical grant average of $1.97 million by foundation-reported data). The practical range for project grants runs from approximately $100,000 to $28.5 million in a single award, with the overwhelming majority of awards falling between $500,000 and $5 million.

Annual giving trajectory: - 2020: $133.8 million total giving - 2021: $188.2 million (+41%) - 2022: $280.9 million (+49%) - 2023: $280.9 million (flat year-over-year) - 2024: ~$305 million estimated (+8.5%)

The 2022-2023 plateau and modest 2024 growth likely signal a maturation phase following the foundation's explosive early scaling. Contributions received consistently match total giving ($281 million in both 2022 and 2023), confirming a pass-through architecture with minimal reliance on investment income (net investment income was $8.2 million in 2022-2023, compared to $73,000 in 2020).

By program area (derived from grant purposes across 445 grants): - Clean energy transition (power grid, transport, appliances, efficiency): largest concentration, roughly 40-45% of tracked giving - Climate finance and financial sector mobilization: approximately 18-20%, anchored by Sunrise Project Australia ($22M), Climateworks Foundation ($15.6M), and Ceres ($3.8M) - International climate cooperation and diplomacy: approximately 12-15%, via Tara Climate ($20.2M), UN Office for Project Services ($6M), United Nations Foundation ($4.2M) - Strategic communications and public engagement: approximately 8-10%, via Potential Energy Coalition ($7.5M), Instituto Clima e Sociedade ($6.9M), League of Conservation Voters Education Fund ($7.4M) - Sustainable agriculture and food systems: approximately 6-8%, via International Sustainable Energy Foundation ($11.4M), Cornell University ($4M), Environmental Defense Fund ($3.1M) - Environmental law and policy: approximately 3-5%, via ClientEarth ($5.1M), Center for International Environmental Law ($3M)

Geographic distribution of grants (by state of recipient): - Washington, DC: 101 grants (23% of portfolio) — policy and advocacy concentration - California: 71 grants (16%) — home state and clean energy policy - New York: 69 grants (15%) — finance sector and global climate institutions - Massachusetts: 19 grants (4%) - Texas: 8 grants (2%)

The DC-NY-CA concentration reflects an explicit orientation toward policy leverage and financial sector transformation over ground-level programmatic implementation.

The five foundations identified as asset-size peers in the database share Sequoia's Philanthropy & Grantmaking classification but diverge sharply in giving volume, focus, and strategy. Note that none of Sequoia's true climate-philanthropy peers (European Climate Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, ClimateWorks Foundation) appear in this size-based peer set — Sequoia's balance sheet assets dramatically understate its grantmaking scale.

The most striking feature of this comparison is Sequoia's extraordinary giving-to-assets ratio. Most private foundations distribute 5-7% of assets annually (IRS minimum is 5%). Sequoia distributed roughly 247% of its asset base in 2023 — only possible because it functions as a pass-through vehicle receiving ~$281 million in annual contributions rather than drawing down an investment-generating endowment. Among actual climate philanthropy peers, Sequoia operates at a scale comparable to the European Climate Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies' climate program, and significantly above the Energy Foundation (~$100M annual giving) or ClimateWorks Foundation (~$50M annual giving). This positions Sequoia as a top-5 climate funder globally by annual grantmaking volume, wielding influence far beyond what its balance sheet assets alone would suggest.

The most consequential recent announcement came in December 2023 at COP28, when Sequoia joined a coalition of major climate philanthropies committing $450 million over three years specifically to accelerate the phase-down of non-CO2 super climate pollutants — methane, HFCs, and black carbon. This commitment was operationalized through existing Sequoia grantee relationships: the Windward Fund's Methane Hub ($15.7M total from Sequoia) and Climateworks Foundation's Clean Cooling Collaborative ($15.6M total) are the primary vehicles for this work.

In February 2024, Inside Philanthropy reported that Sequoia planned to distribute $267 million in grants during 2024, placing it among the five largest climate philanthropies in the United States. President Christie Ulman simultaneously announced an expansion of multi-year grant structures, a significant strategic signal indicating that existing grantee relationships are deepening rather than turning over rapidly. This is actionable intelligence: Sequoia's portfolio is becoming more concentrated and sticky, not more accessible to new entrants.

Recent grant purpose language from 2022-2023 filings reflects a clear shift toward the 'Decade of Deployment' — real-world clean energy implementation rather than research or advocacy. Purposes such as 'to unlock the grid bottleneck as a barrier to reaching clean power by 2035,' 'to accelerate uptake of the Inflation Reduction Act,' and 'to support state clean energy policy implementation' signal where new grantmaking energy is being directed.

No leadership changes have been publicly announced. Christie Ulman has led the foundation since its founding, with her compensation rising from $484,417 to $585,521 between recorded fiscal years — consistent with organizational growth. Officer compensation across all staff rose from $484,417 in 2020 to $1,664,244 in 2022-2023, reflecting meaningful team expansion as the foundation scaled operations alongside its giving volume.

Sequoia's invite-only posture requires a fundamentally different strategy than most grant pursuits. There is no RFP, no portal, and no published deadline cycle. The path to funding runs entirely through relationships and ecosystem positioning.

Establish presence in Sequoia's network before any ask. The foundation's largest grantees — European Climate Foundation, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, World Resources Institute, NRDC, and Climateworks Foundation — are your best pathways. If your organization works in partnership with any of these intermediaries, ensure joint work is visible to Sequoia's program staff. Fiscal sponsorship relationships with Windward Fund ($15.7M from Sequoia), New Venture Fund ($5.45M), or Tides Foundation ($3.1M) may also offer indirect access.

Frame your work using Sequoia's four evaluation criteria explicitly: - Scale: quantify emissions reductions in metric tons or gigatons CO2e — not program outputs - Speed: demonstrate why your approach generates results in the 2025-2035 window, not 2050 - Cost-effectiveness: show leverage — every Sequoia dollar unlocking additional capital or policy shifts - Probability: cite evidence of traction, pilot results, or coalition momentum that de-risks the investment

Mirror their language. Grant purpose language in Sequoia's 990 filings reveals preferred framing: 'accelerate decarbonization,' 'managed and just transition,' 'net-zero roadmaps,' 'unlock the grid bottleneck,' 'raise ambition of the financial sector,' 'super climate pollutant mitigation.' Use this vocabulary in written materials and introductory conversations.

Timing: Sequoia has no published grant cycles, but as a pass-through receiving contributions annually, active grantmaking likely concentrates in Q1 through Q3. Relationship outreach initiated in January-April has the best alignment with new commitment windows.

For intermediary organizations and fiscal sponsors: Sequoia actively prefers pooled-fund vehicles. If you operate or host a collaborative fund, emphasize the multiplicative leverage of Sequoia funding multiple grantees through your platform — the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors model ($49.4M across 18 grants) demonstrates exactly what Sequoia values in a trusted regrantor.

Avoid common mistakes: Do not submit unsolicited full proposals — they will not be reviewed. Do not lead with organizational history or capacity — lead with catalytic theory of change. Do not pitch incremental or single-geography work without a clear pathway to systemic scale. Environmental justice organizations should be aware that EJ-focused applicants have historically faced access barriers; partnering with established Sequoia grantees and positioning work as filling a gap in the current portfolio is the stronger approach.