A Year of Significant Challenges & Real Hope: Windward Fund’s Environmental Impact in 2022

The past several years have posed great challenges for our environment. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2023 was the warmest year on record, and extreme weather displaced millions of people in the United States and internationally. From the disastrous wildfires in Hawaii to deadly flooding in Libya and dangerous heatwaves in Asia, the United States, Europe, and Australia, climate change continued to demand our attention and action.

But recent years have also provided real hope in the fight against climate change. In 2022, the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act was the largest climate investment in US history. Groundbreaking environmentally friendly technology gained serious traction—from the dramatic rise in offshore wind projects to significant growth in clean energy jobs—and the market undoubtedly shifted due to climate-related activity.

Philanthropy had an unmistakable and significant impact due to the strides we are taking in combatting the climate crisis, alongside the private and public sectors. As president of Windward Fund, I am especially proud of the projects we incubate and support that are leading the way on issues like electrification, sustainable agriculture, and reducing methane emissions.

As a fiscal sponsor, Windward Fund helps get nascent organizations off the ground quickly and efficiently. We provide the operational support that change leaders need so they can focus on driving toward their goals and moving environmental and conservation causes and initiatives forward. Because Windward handles the back-office duties like compliance, HR, and finance, our nonprofit projects can spend their time and energy pursuing bold solutions to environmental challenges through innovative strategies, policy change, and advocacy work. With so many crises in front of us, the ability to quickly launch new initiatives, be nimble, and deploy resources efficiently is vital to responding to the threats posed by global warming.

We are thrilled with our projects’ groundbreaking achievements, detailed in our most recent tax filing. Throughout 2022, almost 35 projects staffed by over 120 employees supported grantmaking totaling $164,418,961. This represents grants to 340 domestic and international grantees. Windward’s domestic grants reached 43 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.