Read a collection of the news coverage following the announcement of McKnight’s commitment to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions across its $3 billion endowment by 2050 at the latest. As new stories are released, we will update this list.
Forbes | Making Real Money Moves: How The McKnight Foundation Is Aligning Its Endowment and Climate Change Goals
The McKnight Foundation recently announced a unique strategy to more fully integrate their mission across their endowment: a deep, top-down examination of the entire portfolio. Working backwards from the Paris Climate goals, McKnight will seek to decarbonize their entire endowment. They have a strong head start, as they already have $500 million committed to public and private investments that provide the ideas, technology, software, and services to decarbonize the economy.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy | How the McKnight Foundation Is Investing Its $3 Billion Endowment to Fight Climate Change
Leading up to the global climate summit in Glasgow, the McKnight Foundation announced it intends to invest its endowment, now valued at $3 billion, in a way that achieves “net zero,” meaning a neutral emissions impact on the environment. That decision involves not only divesting from fossil-fuel companies but also selling shares in other industries, as well as placing bets on companies working on alternatives to a carbon-based economy.
Confluence Philanthropy | Boldly Meeting This Moment: Pursuing a Net Zero Endowment for People and the Planet
When Hurricane Ida ripped through southern Louisiana, the communities hit hardest by the storm were left without power—no air conditioning, fans, refrigerators, lights, or life-saving equipment. New Orleans solar company PosiGen stepped in to deploy 12 solar-powered stations with their partners at disaster supply sites, community centers, fire stations, and churches in the area to support local residents. If it’s up to forward-thinking PosiGen, their many low-income solar customers won’t be in the dark when the next climate disaster strikes—they’re also working to install 300 solar-powered batteries at homes in the area.
Twin Cities Business | McKnight to Leverage its $3 Billion Endowment to Address Climate Change
Just days ahead of a United Nations Climate Change Conference, the McKnight Foundation announced Monday that it wants to make a bigger impact on climate change by fully leveraging its $3 billion endowment.
Inside Philanthropy | Two More Major Funders Are Moving Assets Away from Fossil Fuels, in a Shift Years in the Making
Two multibillion-dollar climate funders joined the steadily growing list of philanthropies that have committed to move their endowments away from fossil fuels this week, heeding years of calls for foundations to align their investments with their grantmaking and putting new pressure on peer institutions as critical climate negotiations continue in Washington, D.C., and get underway in Glasgow.
Alliance Magazine | McKnight Foundation joins growing number of institutions decarbonizing endowments
The McKnight Foundation has committed to bringing its $3 billion endowment to net-zero by 2050. The announcement puts the foundation in company of a growing number of institutions that are working to reduce the environmental impact of their financial assets – including recently the Wellcome Trust, the Ford Foundation, and Harvard University, among others.
MarketPlace | As foundations pledge to get endowments to net zero, monitoring emissions is a challenge
With the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP 26) coming up, a growing number of foundations, universities, and institutional investors are pledging to move toward more climate friendly investments.
Star Tribune | St. Anthony: McKnight Foundation will stop investing in fossil fuels
The McKnight Foundation, an early investor in nascent climate solutions, has double-downed on its commitment to a lower-carbon economy.
Institutional Investor | The McKnight Foundation Joins Asset Owners Going Net-Zero
The McKnight Foundation on Monday announced a new target to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in its portfolio by 2050 at the latest.
Pensions & Investments | McKnight Foundation commits to net-zero by 2050
McKnight Foundation, Minneapolis, is committing to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions no later than 2050, the $3 billion endowment said Monday.
Reuters | McKnight Foundation joins 2050 net-zero emissions drive
The McKnight Foundation on Monday said holdings in its $3 billion portfolio would produce net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, becoming the largest private U.S. foundation to lay out such a goal.
Axios | Big foundations vow climate-friendly investments
Two heavyweight grant-making foundations are pledging new efforts to orient their endowments toward more climate-friendly investments.
