U.S. Climate Action Network Deploys $1 Million Climate Catalyst Fund to Support Local & Grassroots Climate Action and Help Fill Gap in National Philanthropic Leadership

Washington, D.C. – Beginning September 1, 2026, the U.S. Climate Action Network (USCAN) is making a momentous, high-stakes leap: deploying $1,000,000 directly from our organizational reserves to fund grassroots and local climate action across the nation.

We do not make this decision lightly. This action is a bold, calculated bet on the power of collaboration and frontline leadership born from necessity. In 2026 alone, USCAN has endured the pullback of funders directly, and witnessed the closing of 3 member organizations, deeply impacting communities through the loss of local voices and leadership. The creation of the Climate Catalyst Fund follows the continuous retreat of national foundations from the climate action community over the past two years, even though the climate crisis has never been more urgent or more undeniable. 

At a time when climate disasters - intense heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, floods and storms - increasingly impact our country, and disproportionately impact marginalized communities, inaction is simply not an option. 

“When the stakes are this high, standing still is not an option and swift decisive action is necessary,” said USCAN Executive Director Dr. Ife Kilimanjaro. “The Climate Catalyst Fund is our answer: a bold investment that puts real capital in the hands of local leaders, with the freedom to act when and where it matters.”

With every dollar distributed we will place decisive, winning capital directly into the hands of local coalitions who are fighting daily battles for their health and economic survival, each rooted in climate justice. This risk will lead to success, reminding our friends in the institutional philanthropic field that member-driven networks like USCAN are essential for scalable, national climate justice, and worthy of their continued partnership in pursuit of the health, economic, and environmental outcomes they seek.

Together, we will win concrete policy, utility, permitting, and municipal victories locally, while changing the national climate justice narrative to focus on corporate and government accountability and economic dignity for those most impacted.