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Sea Change Foundation

Annual Giving
$45.5M
Grant Range
$1000K - $24.0M

Sea Change Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $45,537,500 (2023)
  • Success Rate: N/A (invitation-only)
  • Decision Time: N/A (invitation-only process)
  • Grant Range: Typically large grants to established organizations
  • Average Grant Size: ~$3.2 million (2023: 14 grants totaling $45.5 million)
  • Geographic Focus: National and International
  • Total Assets: Approximately $225 million (2023)

Contact Details

Address: One Embarcadero Center, 22nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94111

Phone: (415) 830-9330

Email: info@seachange.org

Website: https://www.seachange.org/

Note: Sea Change Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant proposals. Only existing grantees and prospective grantees who have been invited to submit a proposal may access their grant portal.

Overview

Sea Change Foundation was founded in 2006 by Nat Simons and Laura Baxter-Simons as a private family foundation. Between its creation and 2023, the foundation has distributed over $500 million in grants, making it one of the largest environmental funders in the United States. The foundation is dedicated to achieving meaningful social impact through strategic philanthropy, currently working to address the serious threats posed by global climate change with a primary focus on climate change mitigation and clean energy policy.

The foundation maintains a strategic, concentrated approach to grantmaking, providing fewer and larger grants than most foundations with similar budgets. Sea Change strives to be an agile grantmaker, able to react quickly and opportunistically to shifts in the climate policy landscape. A sister organization, Sea Change Foundation International (formerly Klein Ltd.), was created in Bermuda in 2011 to extend the foundation's international grantmaking efforts while sharing the same strategic approach.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Sea Change Foundation operates through a strategic, invitation-only grantmaking model rather than formal open grant programs. Recent grantmaking activity includes:

  • Major Institutional Grants: Large grants to intermediary organizations and established nonprofits (e.g., $24 million to Energy Foundation in 2023)
  • Policy and Advocacy Support: Grants to organizations working on energy policy and climate advocacy
  • Multi-Year Support: The foundation tends to provide sustained, multi-year funding to grantee organizations

In 2023, the foundation made 14 grants totaling $45.5 million, maintaining consistent annual giving at approximately $45-50 million with assets of approximately $225 million.

Priority Areas

Climate Change Mitigation: The foundation's overarching focus is reducing greenhouse gas emissions through various strategies:

  • Utility Reform: Supporting efforts to transform the electric utility sector toward clean energy
  • Clean Energy Policy: Advancing policies that accelerate the transition to renewable energy, particularly in the American West
  • Transportation Decarbonization: Accelerating clean transportation initiatives, with particular emphasis on Europe
  • Energy Efficiency: Supporting organizations that promote energy-efficient technologies and policies
  • Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) Reduction: Supporting global initiatives toward meeting the goals of the Kigali Amendment of the Montreal Protocol to reduce the use of HFCs in cooling and refrigeration systems
  • Corporate Climate Action: Encouraging large global corporations to adopt climate-friendly practices
  • Communications and Public Engagement: Supporting organizations that build public understanding and engagement on climate issues

Major Grant Recipients

Historical major grantees include:

  • Energy Foundation: $125 million (2007-2018); $24 million in 2023 alone
  • League of Conservation Voters Education Fund: $39 million (since 2006)
  • Sierra Club Foundation: $26 million (since 2006)
  • Natural Resources Defense Council: $21 million (since 2006)
  • World Wide Fund for Nature
  • Food and Water Watch
  • Center for American Progress

Recent 2023 recipients also include:

  • American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
  • Vote Solar
  • Regulatory Assistance Project

What They Don't Fund

While explicit exclusions are not publicly documented, the foundation's approach makes clear they do not fund:

  • Organizations outside climate change mitigation and clean energy policy
  • Unsolicited proposals from organizations without prior relationships
  • Small grants to numerous organizations (they prefer larger grants to fewer recipients)
  • Projects without clear climate mitigation impact

Governance and Leadership

Co-Directors and Founders

Nat Simons and Laura Baxter-Simons serve as co-directors of Sea Change Foundation. Nat Simons is a physicist and investor who co-founded Renaissance Technologies' quantitative hedge fund. The couple has been recognized among the top living donors in the climate and clean energy space.

Leadership Quotes

Nat Simons on philanthropy's role in climate action: "I think the role of philanthropy is more than anything to just facilitate the process. There are many different stakeholders, and they all have to be brought together."

On urgency and timeline: Speaking at a 2009 National Clean Energy Project roundtable, Simons stated: "It's not really a question of whether we move to a low-carbon economy... The question is how quickly."

On strategic approach: The foundation acknowledges that climate change funding must account for rapidly changing "shifts in strategy" and operates with "flexibility and urgency," providing large grants to the most promising nonprofits, NGOs, social enterprises and collaborations.

Recent Leadership Changes

Thomas Steinbach served as executive director of the foundation until 2023. His departure wasn't announced until August 2024 when he joined the Ballmer's Rainier Climate Group.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Sea Change Foundation does not have a public application process. The foundation does not accept unsolicited grant proposals and operates exclusively on an invitation-only basis.

Only existing grantees and prospective grantees who have been invited to submit a proposal may access the foundation's grant portal (CyberGrants site managed through Tempest Advisors).

The foundation gives only a few dozen grants each year (14 in 2023) and tends to provide multi-year support to large grantee organizations, often intermediaries, working in its specific focus areas.

Getting on Their Radar

Note: The following represents the foundation's documented approach to identifying grantees based on publicly available information:

Strategic Intermediaries: Sea Change Foundation's grantmaking strategy focuses heavily on funding large intermediary organizations (like the Energy Foundation) that then support numerous smaller organizations and initiatives. Organizations working in climate mitigation might consider partnering with or being supported by these major intermediaries as a pathway to Sea Change's funding network.

Funder Collaboration: Nat Simons has stated he "spends time meeting with other funders with interest in overlapping philanthropic areas and is committed to helping attract more capital into the areas of climate change and clean energy philanthropy and investing." The foundation appears to identify grantees through networks of climate funders and stakeholders rather than through public applications.

Sectoral Leadership: Given the foundation's focus on bringing "many different stakeholders" together and funding established policy organizations, organizations that demonstrate leadership in climate policy spaces and participate in collaborative initiatives may be more likely to come to the foundation's attention.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable due to invitation-only structure. The foundation emphasizes operating with "flexibility and urgency" and providing grants "generally made with terms of one year or less to accommodate shifts in strategy."

Success Rates

Not applicable. With only 14 grants made in 2023 from an invitation-only process, traditional success rates do not apply.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable given the invitation-only approach. However, the foundation's tendency to provide "multi-year support" to grantee organizations suggests ongoing relationships with funded organizations.

Application Success Factors

Given Sea Change Foundation's invitation-only approach, the following factors appear to characterize successful grantees based on publicly available information:

Scale and Established Track Record: The foundation strongly prefers funding large, established organizations with proven impact. Average grant size in 2023 was approximately $3.2 million, indicating they seek organizations capable of deploying significant resources effectively.

Intermediary Role: Many top grantees (especially the Energy Foundation) serve as intermediaries that regrant to numerous smaller organizations. Organizations that can serve this multiplier function appear particularly attractive.

Policy and Advocacy Focus: The majority of identified grantees work on policy advocacy and systems change rather than direct service delivery. Organizations like the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Regulatory Assistance Project demonstrate this policy orientation.

Alignment with Strategic Priorities: The foundation's specific focus areas—utility reform, transportation decarbonization, HFC reduction, energy efficiency, and corporate climate action—define the landscape of potential grantees.

Collaborative Approach: Simons' emphasis on "bringing stakeholders together" and his engagement with other funders suggests the foundation values organizations that work collaboratively within broader coalitions and funding collaboratives.

Agility and Strategic Flexibility: The foundation's stated commitment to being "agile grantmakers" who can "react quickly and opportunistically" suggests they value organizations that can adapt to rapidly changing political and policy landscapes.

International Reach: With Sea Change Foundation International handling global work, organizations with both domestic and international climate mitigation programs may align well with the foundation's approach.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Invitation-only structure: Sea Change Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. Direct applications are not possible without an invitation.

  • Think intermediaries: Rather than seeking funding directly, consider partnerships with major Sea Change grantees like the Energy Foundation, which regrants to smaller organizations.

  • Scale matters: With 14 grants averaging $3.2 million in 2023, Sea Change funds large, established organizations capable of significant impact, not emerging nonprofits.

  • Policy focus is paramount: The foundation overwhelmingly funds policy advocacy and systems change organizations rather than direct service providers or research institutions.

  • Long-term relationships: The foundation provides multi-year support to grantees, suggesting they build sustained partnerships rather than making one-off grants.

  • Strategic agility valued: Organizations that can adapt quickly to changing climate policy landscapes and demonstrate flexibility in strategy align with the foundation's approach.

  • Collaborative networks: Nat Simons' emphasis on convening stakeholders and working with other funders suggests visibility in collaborative climate funding networks may be important for getting on their radar.

References

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