Philanthropic director Abby Axelrod-Wunderman of Fiduciary Trust International joins Molly Wood to talk about the overlooked role of philanthropy in funding climate solutions. Even though only a tiny share of global giving currently goes toward climate, Abby explains why that definition is expanding to include health, resilience, infrastructure, food systems, education, and community well-being—and how younger donors and the great wealth transfer could shift priorities. They dig into donor-advised funds, private f...
Philanthropic director Abby Axelrod-Wunderman of Fiduciary Trust International joins Molly Wood to talk about the overlooked role of philanthropy in funding climate solutions. Even though only a tiny share of global giving currently goes toward climate, Abby explains why that definition is expanding to include health, resilience, infrastructure, food systems, education, and community well-being—and how younger donors and the great wealth transfer could shift priorities. They dig into donor-advised funds, private foundations, unrestricted giving, climate as a lens across issue areas, and why philanthropy can act as catalytic capital by taking early risks that government and business often can’t.
In this episode, we cover:- Why climate philanthropy still receives only a small fraction of total global giving, even as climate impacts touch nearly every other issue area
- How wealth advisors help donors connect their values to climate-related giving through health, education, food, agriculture, resilience, and infrastructure
- Abby’s path into climate philanthropy through a family foundation in South Florida, where the conversation has shifted from “is climate change real?” to which solutions can scale
- Why philanthropy cannot solve the climate crisis alone, but can act as catalytic capital by piloting ideas, funding advocacy, and taking early risks
- How donor values, timelines, resources, and risk tolerance shape philanthropic strategy
- Fundable climate strategies Abby sees gaining traction, including clean energy, batteries, methane, food systems, conservation, restoration, resilience, public engagement, and education
- Why younger generations are often initiating climate giving conversations—and how those interests can pull older generations into the work
- How donor-advised funds work, why they can be simpler than private foundations, and why some donors value the ability to give anonymously
- The debate over whether donor-advised funds can become “holding cells” for charitable money—and how education and advising can help move funds out the door
- The difference between restricted and unrestricted grants, and why flexibility and long-term support are especially important for climate-vulnerable regions
- How modern philanthropy may be moving toward a hybrid model that combines rigorous due diligence and metrics with trust-based, flexible giving
- Why the great wealth transfer, AI wealth creation, and a new generation of donors could create a major opportunity to move more money into climate solutions
- How to tell the broader climate story: climate is not a niche issue, but a lens through which to understand health, education, infrastructure, migration, air quality, heat, and community resilience
Links:
- Fiduciary Trust International: https://www.fiduciarytrust.com/
- Everybody in the Pool: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/
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