$36m funding marks 10th anniversary of Kigali
16th October 2026
THAILAND: Climate philanthropies have announced funding of over $36m to drive down global cooling emissions.
The funding is part of a $100m philanthropic effort over four years to reduce high GWP refrigerants and expand access to energy-efficient, sustainable cooling.
Funders of this effort include the Bernard and Anne Spitzer Charitable Trust, the Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham Environmental Trust, and Sequoia Climate Foundation.
“As demand for cooling grows, so do potential emissions. Targeted philanthropic funding can be a catalytic force in unlocking broader investments in sustainable cooling and fast-acting super pollutant solutions that shield vulnerable communities and advance climate goals,” said Christie Ulman, president of Sequoia Climate Foundation.
The funding will go directly to global organisations and initiatives, aligns with a four-year sustainable cooling strategy developed by the Super Pollutant Action Alliance (SPAA) and the Clean Cooling Collaborative. It will support stronger policies to phase down super pollutants, rapid scaling of climate-safe alternatives in new cooling equipment, and incentives to avoid emissions from refrigerants already in use.
Marking the tenth anniversary of the Montreal Protocol’s Kigali Amendment, Claire Henly, executive director of the Super Pollutant Action Alliance, said: “The commitment is a vote of confidence in the treaty that has done more than any other to protect both the ozone layer and the climate, and a recognition that its hardest work is still ahead. The coming few years are a pivotal period for philanthropy, governments, and the private sector to rally together to capture the full benefits of hydrofluorocarbon reduction.”
Helen Mountford, president and CEO of ClimateWorks Foundation, said: “Philanthropy is helping to identify and catalyse at scale the solutions that can protect the communities most affected by extreme heat in Asia, Europe, and beyond, while also ensuring these solutions reduce the climate pollution that continues to drive global warming.”
