Philanthropy:
Invest in people, projects, policies, and initiatives required for bold climate action
Responding to climate change will require imagination and action from people around the world, along with policies that make large-scale progress possible. Three Cairns Group’s philanthropy supports a pipeline of innovative leaders, projects, and organizations to catalyze equitable climate solutions. These are a few examples of organizations we are proud to support.
Activate Fellowship
To accelerate the transition to clean energy, we’ll need scientists to bring their groundbreaking research to market as new products and businesses faster and with more impact. Activate is a two-year program that supports fellows with a full-time living stipend, mentorship, entrepreneurial education, access to funders and industry experts, and resources to turn their research into a product. With Activate’s support, fellows develop as leaders, mature their ideas, and learn what it takes to build a viable, scalable business. Activate has physical locations in Berkeley, Boston, Houston, New York, and supports fellows globally through the Activate Anywhere community. The fellowship benefits extend into the future, as alumni build on relationships with Activate’s network of industry leaders, investors, and philanthropists.
Columbia Business School, Climate Change and Business Program— Three Cairns Fellowship
The Three Cairns Fellowship at Columbia Business School supports MBA and EMBA students who complete semester- or year long projects in areas where business and climate change connect. The program is open to applications by individual students as well as teams, and offers resources for applicants working to address sustainability and climate change issues through markets and business knowledge.
Columbia Climate School
Through its education programs, the Columbia Climate School provides the interdisciplinary knowledge base for future climate leaders to address the climate crisis through work with businesses, communities, governments, and civil society. Launched in 2020, the Climate School nurtures and supports innovative research in the science, consequences, and human dimensions of climate change, including the methods of achieving a more sustainable and just world. The Climate School translates its academic work into evidence-based analysis and advice to inform decision- and policy-makers in communities, governments, industries, and nonprofits in the US and globally.
Environmental Defense Fund
As one of the world’s leading international nonprofit organizations, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems by linking science, economics, law, and innovative private-sector partnerships. With more than 3 million members, EDF’s scientists, economists, attorneys and policy experts are working across more than 30 countries to turn their solutions into action.
Natural Areas Conservancy—CUNY Internship Program
Three Cairns Group supports an initiative of the Natural Areas Conservancy to offer paid internships to students at the City University of New York (CUNY) who are pursuing careers in conservation science and other climate-related fields. These internships take place every semester and offer a two-month, full-time field ecology program each summer – providing students with the education, tools, and professional resources they need to apply their interests and expanding the pipeline of talent for jobs in climate and the environment.
Yale School of the Environment— Three Cairns Climate Program for the Global South
The Three Cairns Climate Program for the Global South offers financial and non-financial support to students from developing economies pursuing master’s degrees at the Yale School of the Environment, expanding access to advanced education and training for individuals working to address climate change in their home countries and regions. The program also provides continued support for its scholars – from support for summer work opportunities in their home countries to career development opportunities and counseling – and supports climate practitioners in developing economies who are enrolled in YSE’s online certificate programs.
