Environment Program (Plastic Pollution Focus)

Environment Program (Plastic Pollution Focus) is sponsored by Gerstner Family Foundation. Environment Program (Plastic Pollution Focus) is a grant from Gerstner Family Foundation that funds researchers in developing solutions to reduce methane emissions.

Environment | Program Areas | Gerstner Family Foundation Our goal is to foster the translation of academic innovations for real-world implementation to address climate change. We support researchers in developing solutions to reduce methane emissions. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

Reducing methane emissions today is the fastest opportunity we have to address climate change and dramatically reduce the rate of global warming. Our grants support research and development specifically in reducing methane from agricultural sources, one of the largest contributors of methane emissions globally. Our Environment program also makes grants to tackle plastic pollution.

Over 11 million metric tons of plastic waste enter the ocean each year. We support solutions to reduce the production of single-use plastics and rethink and reuse plastic, with a focus on supporting solutions within the city of Boston, and research fellowships. “Climate change is the defining issue of our time.

By supporting researchers working on developing solutions to reduce methane and plastic emissions, we can slow down global warming within years and ensure a healthier planet for future generations. rStream is developing compact, autonomous robotic systems that use AI to automatically separate recyclables from trash at the point of disposal—improving recycling outcomes before waste ever enters the stream.

Gerstner Philanthropies first supported rStream and its co-founders, Ian Goodine and Ethan Walko, through the Activate Fellowship, which supports early-stage innovators as they work to translate promising research into practical, real-world solutions.

Following strong progress during the fellowship period, Gerstner Philanthropies made a direct grant to support the continued development and deployment of rStream’s technology in operational settings.

rStream’s progression from fellowship support to direct grant funding reflects Gerstner Philanthropies’ commitment to advancing translational research, bridging the gap between the lab and scalable solutions that address pressing environmental challenges. Grants listed below may be from the Gerstner Family Foundation or another Gerstner family philanthropic vehicle. Amounts may reflect cumulative annual grants or multi-year grants.

To see annual amounts, please see listings of grants paid each year. Accelerating Commercial Deployment of Compatibilizers for the Valorization of Post-Consumer Plastic Waste Geoffrey W. Coates, Ph.

D, Cornell University | Visit Website This grant supports further scale-up of Prof. Coates’s research to apply compatibilizers to enable recycling of underutilized mixtures of post-consumer plastic waste such as plastic containers and soda bottles.

Smart Recycling On-Site: Long-term field validation of rStream Robotic Sorter This grant supports the design and construction of rStream’s commercial demonstration unit, on-site deployment and evaluation, data and performance validation and expanded field operations. Finding NEMO: AI-based exploration of molecules for Nickle Enzyme Methanogenesis Obstruction Ratul Chowdhury, Ph. D.

, Iowa State University | Visit Website This grant supports leveraging an AI-enhanced structural computational biology framework to accelerate the discovery of small-molecule inhibitors that can mitigate enteric methane production in cattle. Engineering a Microbial System for Converting Plastic Waste into Compostable Bioplastics Peter Nguyen, Ph. D.

, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering | Visit Website This grant supports Dr. Nguyen’s research to engineer a microbial system that uses synthetic biology to convert plastic waste, specifically polyethylene terephthalate (PET), into fully compostable bioplastics.

Activate-Gerstner Fellowship 2025 Activate Global Inc | Visit Website This grant supports the Activate-Gerstner fellowship of Kathryn Williamson, founder of Unspent Co. The Pew-Gerstner Fellowships in Ocean Plastics Research The Pew Charitable Trusts | Visit Website This grant supports three Pew-Gerstner Fellowships in Ocean Plastics Research.

This cohort of fellows will be focused on advancing research that will inform solutions to the critical issue of ocean plastic pollution. Genetic and management solutions to reduce methane emissions from dairy cattle Francisco Peñagaricano, Ph. D.

, University of Wisconsin-Madison | Visit Website This grant supports Professor Peñagaricano’s research to develop and implement genomic evaluations for methane emission traits and implement predictions of methane emissions based on milk spectra data. Development of genetic selection tools for enteric methane emissions reductions Sara Place, Ph.

D, Colorado State University | Visit Website This grant supports Dr. Place’s research in collecting methane emission phenotypes from beef cattle and building genetic selection prototypes. Global-Scale Low-Cost Home Production Using Recycled Polymers David E. Hardt, Ph.

D. and A. J.

Perez, Ph. D. , Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Visit Website This grant supports Professor Hardt’s and Dr. Perez’s research to use recycled consumer plastics to locally 3D print environmentally friendly homes in distributed micro-factories.

Scaling feed Interventions to reduce methane from dairy livestock Environmental Defense Fund | Visit Website This grant supports the expansion of the scientific foundation of methane emissions solutions in the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS), the scaling of CNCPS use for methane reduction, and the integration of CNCPS into MMRV tools.

Collaborative Fund Grantmaking Plastic Solutions Fund, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors | Visit Website This grant supports the Plastic Solution Fund's grantmaking. Activate Global Inc | Visit Website This grant supports the Activate fellowships of Eli Hornstein, founder of Elysia Creative Biology, and Ian Goodine and Ethan Walko, co-founders of rStream.

Application of Early-Life Interventions to Curb Methane Emissions from US Dairy Herds Dipti Pitta, Ph. D. , University of Pennsylvania | Visit Website This grant supports Dr. Pitta’s research to imprint the rumen function and prevent methanogen colonization in dairy calves with the potential of permanently curbing methane emissions from dairy herds in the United States.

In situ microplastics sensor: A method to quantifying microplastics in water Anna PM Michel, Ph. D. , Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute | Visit Website This grant supports Dr. Michel’s research to develop a field-portable microplastics sensor.

Enteric methane mitigation: Advancing seaweed and bromoform feeding from novelty to practice Joseph W. McFadden, Ph. D, Cornell University | Visit Website This grant supports Prof. McFadden’s research to evaluate the safety and efficacy of bromoform feed additives that reduce enteric methane emissions.

Collaborative fund grantmaking: Agriculture research The Global Methane Hub, Windward Fund | Visit Website This grant supports the Global Methane Hub’s grantmaking, specifically for research in reducing agricultural methane emissions.

Enteric Fermentation R&D Accelerator The Global Methane Hub, Windward Fund | Visit Website This grant supports the Global Methane Hub’s initiative in accelerating progress in developing breakthrough technologies to reduce enteric methane.

Bioengineering a world beyond plastics: Spotlight on SPEEDR Gerstner Philanthropies Supports Ratul Chowdhury’s AI-Driven Research to Reduce Livestock Methane Emissions Win Cowger Named as First Recipient of 2026 Pew-Gerstner Fellowship in Ocean Plastic Research Learn more about Cowger and this research effort at Pew.

org MIT Engineers Use Recycled Plastic to 3D-Print Construction Grade Floor Frames Cornell Researchers Develop New Method to Improve Plastic Recycling The Pew Charitable Trusts and Gerstner Philanthropies Launch Fellowships in Ocean Plastics Research