OVERVIEW: The 11th Hour Project is an environmental grantmaker that makes hundreds of grants a year for climate, energy, sustainable agriculture and Indigenous rights.

IP TAKE: The 11th Hour Project “interweave[s] inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility” into its climate and energy grantmaking, making this a particularly interesting funder for organizations in the grassroots climate justice space. Small organizations are well represented among its hundreds of grantees, but 11th Hour does not accept unsolicited proposals. Networking with staff or past grantees will likely be the key to gaining this funder’s attention. .

PROFILE: The Palo Alto-based 11th Hour Project was established in 2006 by Wendy and Eric Schmidt and is the main grantmaking vehicle of the Schmidt Family Foundation. Eric Schmidt, a software engineer, is a former CEO of Google. Wendy Schmidt, who is 11th Hour’s president, has a background in journalism. In addition to the 11th Hour Project, the Schmidt Family Foundation also runs ReMain Nantucket, an initiative that supports conservation and preservation on the island of Nantucket in Massachusetts. The Schmidts also steer the Schmidt Ocean Institute, although this is run separately from the family foundation.

The mission of the 11th Hour Project is to “restore a balanced relationship between people and planet.” Its grantmaking and investment programs address Ag Tech, Energy, Food and Agriculture, Human Rights, Indigenous Communities, Minerals and Materials, and N², which refers to “nature and nurture” and supports youth environmental and recreational programs. 11th Hour also earmarks funds for Impact Investing in its areas of interest and a set of Emerging Strategies for journalism, civic engagement and data science for social good.

Grants for Climate Change and Clean Energy

The 11th Hour Project conducts grantmaking for climate change and clean energy via its Energy and Minerals and Materials programs.

• The Energy program focuses on U.S. initiatives to decrease the use of fossil fuels and simultaneously “accelerate[…] transformation towards a clean and equitable energy system.” This giving program prioritizes frontline communities, “especially low-income communities and communities of color [that are] harmed by fossil fuel extraction, transportation and use.”
• Minerals and Materials is a newer giving area that works broadly to “prevent and reduce the harms of transition mineral mining.” Acknowledging the need for “transition minerals” for clean energy generation, this program focuses on mitigation of the environmental and health hazards presented by mineral mining. A significant portion of this giving supports the development of protective policy and initiatives for “demand reduction,” such as recycling measures.
• Climate and energy grantees include California’s East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, the Climate and Community Institute, Earthworks and GRID Alternatives, which works nationally to bring low cost solar electricity to low-income consumers.

Grants for Food and Sustainable Agriculture

Grantmaking for sustainable agriculture and food systems stems from 11th Hour’s Ag Tech and Food and Agriculture programs.

• Ag Tech, the newer of these two programs, partners with “farmers and food systems workers to develop technology that is responsive to the needs of small-holder producers.” Grantmaking is centered on work that supports climate and food justice, moving away from industrial farming models that “exacerbate social, economic, and environmental inequality.”
• Food and Agriculture grantmaking supports overlapping work to “to build resilient agricultural systems that improve soil, air, water, and animal and human health.” Much of this giving works locally and regionally to address specific community and environmental needs and issues.
• Past food and agriculture grantees include Kitchen Table Advisors, the online news and information platform Civil Eats, the Southeaster African-American Farmers’ Organic Network and the Common Market, which works regionally to bring sustainably-grown local produce to consumers in urban areas.

Grants for Human Rights

The 11th Hour Project’s Human Rights program supports “movements for just and ecologically sound development that promotes human rights, vibrant local economies, and dignified livelihoods for all.”

• The 11th Hour Project believes “that the climate crisis is deeply rooted in a global extractivist economy, structural inequality and systemic racism” and views its human rights work through a climate lens.
• While the project does not have stated geographic priorities, it channels the majority of its human rights grantmaking toward less-developed countries in Africa. Haiti is another area of focus.
• Human rights grantees include Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa, Groundswell International, Human Rights Watch, the New Media Advocacy Project, and Virunga Foundation.

Grants for Indigenous Rights

The 11th Hour Project runs a separate program to support the rights of Indigenous Communities in the U.S.

• This program seeks to support “land return and Indigenous stewardship efforts, particularly those that restore keystone species.”
• Grants also support historical and cultural programs that serve to “advance an accurate narrative of who Indigenous peoples have been and are.”
• This grantmaking program also works closely with Indigenous groups to identify and provide support for “key gaps and opportunities.”
• Past grantees in this area include the First Nations Development Institute, Native Voices Rising, the Intertribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council and the Return to the Heart Foundation, which supports Indigenous healers in their efforts to bring “holistic healing and social justice to their communities and beyond.”

Grants for Education and Community Development

N² is shorthand for nature and nurture. Through this program, 11th Hour supports outdoor educational, cultural and recreational programs for young people.

• Grantmaking prioritizes BIPOC and other communities with limited access to outdoor spaces and exposure to the natural world. “initiatives and movements that enable access and support for youth to thrive through nature + nurture.
• Giving also targets programs that aim to spark “self growth, connection to community, and broader social change leadership” in the youth they serve.
• Past grants have gone to the Cheyenne River Youth Project, Justice Outside, Fresh Tracks and the NACA Inspired School Network.

Grants for Journalism, Civic Engagement and Democracy

The 11th Hour Project’s Emerging Strategies grantmaking area names journalism, civic engagement and data strategies for social good as its areas of focus.

• Giving for journalism supports news and information organizations whose missions and interests align with the foundation’s work. Most grants have supported U.S.-based organizations, but 11th Hour names Africa as a secondary geographic priority for this giving. Grantees include National Public Radio, the climate justice media organization Grist and Maine’s Solon Center for Research and Publishing.
• Civic engagement grantmaking supports organizations working nationally and internationally that protect the rights of grassroots and other community groups to protest and to ensure “that participation in civic spaces is racially just.” Grantees include San Francisco’s Accountability Counsel, the Center for Common Ground, Inclusive Development International and the Voter Participation Center.
• Data Strategies for Social Good supports efforts to “leverage[…] ethical and responsible applications of powerful data science tools for the benefit of environmental, climate and human rights organizations.” Grantmaking also supports the “democratization” of data science. Grantees include

Other Grantmaking Opportunities

The 11th Hour Project’s Impact Investing program supports for-profit enterprises with the potential to have positive impact in areas of interest. Investments mainly support early-stage projects but provide both equity and debt financing.

Impact Investing recipients include Potlikker Capital, which invests in BIPOC farming and agricultural enterprises, and Kelvin Systems, a Brooklyn, New York company that helps decarbonize older buildings.

Important Grant Details:

Grants range from $300 to $5 million, although most grants stay in the $100,000 to $500,000 range.

• This funder awards over 500 grants a year to organizations of every size.
• Grantmaking is mainly focused on U.S. organizations, but support has gone to some groups in Africa and Haiti .
• This funder does not accept unsolicited applications for funding.
• For additional information about past giving, see 11th Hour’s In Frame page or the Schmidt Family Foundation’s tax filings

Submit questions to the 11th Hour Project via email at info@tsffoundation.org. The Schmidt Family Foundation’s phone number is listed as (650) 376-7100.

PEOPLE:

Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).

LINKS: 

• About/Staff
• In Frame
• FAQs
• News