OUR 13 CHARITIES

Few would argue that climate change is not an imminent threat, and scientists agree that we have the tools and technology we need to mitigate and even reverse its impact.

Still, we’ve all heard stories of organizations that receive millions in donations but funnel very little of their money into effective action.

Though many want to contribute, determining which climate justice organizations make the biggest impact can be overwhelming.

At Earthtopia, we make it easy to make a difference.

Our sister site, Chrysalys contributes 13% of all gallery sales to our Fund for Green Justice, an endowment split evenly between our 13 environmental foundations, climate science non-profits, and green aid agencies that align with our values that rank highest on Charity Navigator and GuideStar.

International Rescue Committee

Charity Navigator: 3 or 4 stars since 2002 (except 2004)

GuideStar: Gold

Mission: The International Rescue Committee was founded in 1933 at the suggestion of Albert Einstein to assist Germans suffering under Hitler. Since that time, they have worked all over the world to help restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. They are proud to fight for a world where women and girls have an equal chance to succeed.

Impact Snapshot: In 2021 the IRC and their partners reached over 31.5 million people in countries affected by crisis. Increasingly, these crises are directly caused or made worse by climate change, making the work of the IRC integral to the climate change response. The IRC helps
communities respond to the changing climate by mapping climate hazards and developing early warning systems, supporting local efforts to manage natural resources and conserve water, and training people in sustainable livelihoods. They also partner with other organizations to advocate for policy changes to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lessen the effects of climate change on people with the least power and fewest resources.
Sectors: people.

Doctors Without Borders

Charity Navigator: 4 stars consistently since 2013

GuideStar: Gold

Mission: Doctors Without Borders, USA (DWB-USA) was founded in 1990 in New York City to raise funds, create awareness, recruit field staff, and advocate with the United Nations and US government on humanitarian concerns. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international medical humanitarian organization that provides medical aid in nearly 60 countries to people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe, primarily due to armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition, exclusion from health care, or natural disasters.

Impact Snapshot: From the Sahel and Horn of Africa to South Asia to Central America, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières is providing medical care for people who are already suffering from the effects of climate change and environmental degradation. Their teams are responding to medical needs caused by cycles of drought, flooding, and extreme weather events. They are treating climate sensitive diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, and cholera. This year, they are responding to a surge in malnutrition across multiple
countries, with various political and economic issues compounded by environmental factors.
Sectors: people

World Central Kitchen

Charity Navigator: 4/4 stars 100/100 in finance/accountability/transparency

GuideStar: Silver

Mission: “Immediately serving chef-prepared meals to communities impacted by natural disasters and during prolonged humanitarian crises.” WCK’s Resilience Programs help develop locally-led solutions to food insecurity by training chefs and school cooks; advancing clean cooking practices; and awarding grants to farms, fisheries, and small food businesses.

Impact Snapshot: From hurricanes to floods to bushfires, World Central Kitchen has been there to help feed and comfort those in crisis all over the world since 2010. During the Covid-19 pandemic, WCK fed tens of millions of people then launched their Climate Disaster Fund, which pledges $1 billion over the next ten years to support communities impacted by climate change.

Sectors: Agriculture and Food, People

Charity Water

Charity Navigator: Not reviewed yet

GuideStar: Platinum

How We Work: Eight out of ten people without access to improved water sources live in rural areas. From the start, that’s where we’ve focused our efforts. We work with carefully-chosen local partner organizations to bring clean water to remote areas with the greatest needs and most vulnerable populations.

Impact Snapshot: 703 million people lack basic access to clean and safe drinking water. We’ve been on a mission to end the water crisis since 2006, and with the help of generous supporters like you, we’re getting closer every day.

Sectors: energy, agriculture and food, nature-based solutions, people

California Academy of Sciences

Charity Navigator: 3 or 4 stars consistently since 2001 (except 2019)

GuideStar: Platinum

Mission: Our mission to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration is at the heart of the Academy. From expanding community science opportunities in California to pioneering coral reef research and restoration around the world, they are planning three major initiatives over the next five years. These initiatives will focus on reversing the rapid decline of coral reefs and halt biodiversity loss and habitat degradation in five key island archipelagos as well as California. At the same time, they focus on educating and empowering local communities to join the fight.

Impact Snapshot: With Phase 1 of their Hope for Reefs initiative, the California Academy of Sciences were the first to explore some of the Earth’s most little-known “twilight zone” reefs 100-500 feet below the ocean’s surface. Additionally, they made breakthroughs with the first aquarium based coral spawning laboratory in the US and piloted innovative conservation strategies. They are currently working with five diverse tropical archipelagos—the Galápagos, Lesser Antilles, Madagascar, Philippines, and Gulf of Guinea islands—that share a legacy of colonialism and prolonged resource extraction and are threatened by invasive species, climate change, and sea level rise. Through biodiversity science, environmental learning, and collaborative engagement, they are partnering with these communities to protect and regenerate their homes, while also providing a blueprint for how to do this all over the world.

Sectors: agriculture and food, nature-based solutions, people.

350.org

Charity Navigator: 4 stars consistently since 2016

GuideStar:Gold

Mission: “We’re an international movement of ordinary people working to end the age of fossil fuels and build a world of community-led renewable energy for all.” The organization’s name is a reference to 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide in the air, which climate scientists identify as the safe upper limit to avoid a climate tipping point.

Impact Snapshot: Recent achievements include campaigning against the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines in the United States; stopping fracking in hundreds of cities in Brazil and Argentina; pushing more than 1,000 universities, foundations, cities, and churches to divest more than $12 trillion from fossil fuels; and joining historic grassroots mobilizations like the People’s Climate March and Global Climate Strike.

Sectors: energy, people

Cool Earth

Charity Navigator: Not reviewed yet

GuideStar: Platinum

Mission: Cool Earth believes the most effective way to fight climate change is to protect the best carbon-storing technology that already exists: rainforest. Following a people-first approach, they work with local people to reduce deforestation and its impact on climate change. By backing the people that live in rainforest and recognising and respecting their wisdom and rights, Cool Earth is protecting the best carbon sinks on earth.

Impact Snapshot: To date they have funded 40 different projects in communities all over the world that are fighting deforestation, from the Amazon to New Guinea to the Congo Basin. They estimate that there are 105 million trees being protected through these partnerships, which leads to 48 million tons of carbon being stored.

Sectors: energy, agriculture and food, nature-based solutions, people

EarthJustice

Charity Navigator: 4 stars consistently since 2009

GuideStar: Gold

Mission: “Because the earth needs a good lawyer.” Earthjustice represents climate justice non-profits to protect the environment and the health of people most impacted by the climate crisis.

Impact Snapshot: This year alone, Earthjustice helped restore the Endangered Species Act and block coal mining in Wyoming and Montana and fracking in Central California.

Sectors: energy, industry, agriculture and food, nature-based solutions, transport, buildings and cities, people

Union of Concerned Scientists

Charity Navigator: 4 stars consistently since 2009

GuideStar: Gold

Mission: “Because the earth needs a good lawyer.” Earthjustice represents climate justice non-profits to protect the environment and the health of people most impacted by the climate crisis.

Impact Snapshot: This year alone, Earthjustice helped restore the Endangered Species Act and block coal mining in Wyoming and Montana and fracking in Central California.

Sectors: energy, industry, agriculture and food, nature-based solutions, transport, buildings and cities, people

Clean Air Task Force

Charity Navigator: 4 stars consistently since 2019

GuideStar: Silver

Mission: “Catalyzing resilient solutions scaled to meet the climate challenge. Over the past 25 years, CATF has carved out a unique role in the environmental and climate movement as a science-driven, solutions-focused, and strategic organization that gets results. “

Impact Snapshot: Through research and analysis, public advocacy leadership, and partnership with the private sector, CATF has stewarded the rapid global development and deployment of low-carbon energy and other climate-protecting technologies. In 2020, they helped secure $125 billion in federal funding for climate technology.

Sectors: Energy, Industry, Transport, Buildings and Cities

The Ocean Foundation

Charity Navigator: 3 or 4 stars consistently since 2013

GuideStar: Platinum

Mission: As the only community foundation for the ocean, The Ocean
Foundation’s mission is to support, strengthen, and promote those organizations dedicated to reversing the trend of destruction of ocean environments around the world. They focus their collective expertise on emerging threats to generate cutting edge solutions and better strategies for implementation. Because the ocean covers 71% of the earth, they have grantees, partners, and projects on all of the world’s continents. They engage with donors and governments involved in ocean conservation anywhere in the world.

Impact Snapshot: In addition to hosting dozens of projects and working collaboratively on every continent, The Ocean Foundation has launched four of its own initiatives to fill in the gaps of ocean conservation. The first of these is the blue resilience initiative, which focuses on increasing our climate resilience, reducing pollution, and promoting a sustainable blue economy. The second is the community ocean engagement global initiative, which promotes education, ocean literacy and conservation action globally. The third is the international ocean acidification initiative,
which helps communities worldwide monitor and respond to ocean acidification. Finally, the redesigning plastics initiative is pursuing science informed national legislation in plastic-producing countries to require reengineering of the chemistry of plastic itself, redesigning of plastic products, and limiting what is made from plastic.

Sectors: agriculture and food, nature-based solutions, people.

Environmental Defense Fund

Charity Navigator: 3 or 4 stars since 2002

GuideStar: Platinum

Mission: Environmental Defense Fund’s mission is to preserve the natural systems on which all life depends.
What distinguishes EDF from others is the combination of what they protect and how they protect it. They work to solve the most critical environmental problems facing the planet, focusing on mitigating climate change, restoring the ocean’s bounty, protecting wildlife and their habitats, and safeguarding health. Since these topics are intertwined, their solutions take a multidisciplinary approach. They work in concert with other organizations-as well as with business, government and communities-and avoid duplicating work already being done effectively by others.

Impact Snapshot: The Environmental Defense Fund has worked with partners in 28 countries around the world to solve the most critical environmental problems. They focus on solutions to stabilize the climate by cutting emissions, advocating for cleaner energy, promoting sustainable farming, protecting the oceans and ocean communities, and tackling air pollution. Using science, economics, partnerships and
advocacy, they have been able to have a broad, far-reaching impact in each of these areas.
Sectors: energy, industry, agriculture and food, nature-based solutions, transport, buildings and cities, people.

The Natural Resource Defense Council

Charity Navigator: 3 or 4 stars since 2002

GuideStar: Bronze

Mission: The Natural Resources Defense Council’s (NRDC) purpose is to safeguard the Earth: its people, its plants and animals and the natural systems on which all life depends. We work to restore the integrity of the elements that sustain life – air, land, and water – and to defend endangered natural places. We seek to establish sustainability and good stewardship of the Earth as central ethical imperatives of human society. NRDC affirms the integral place of human beings in the environment. We strive to protect nature in ways that advance the long-term welfare of present and future generations. We work to foster the fundamental right of all people to have a voice in decisions that affect their environment.

Impact Snapshot: NRDC combines the power of more than three million members and online activists with the expertise of some 700 lawyers, scientists, and policy advocates to secure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. Since their beginning in 1970, the NRDC has been involved in many pivotal achievements. These include helping to pass the landmark Clean Water Act in 1972, protecting the last unspoiled breeding ground of the gray whale in 2000, to helping negotiate the protection of more than 1.3 million acres of pristine natural habitat and nearly 620 miles of rivers across the United States in 2019.
Sectors: energy, industry, agriculture and food, nature-based solutions, transport, buildings and cities, people.