Non-dilutive funding isn’t just about landing the grant; it’s about delivering on it with excellence. In the third episode of our Deep Dive Series with Climate Finance Solutions, we go beyond the application and explore what happens after the award. Our guest host Joel Armin-Hoiland, Founder & CEO of Climate Finance Solutions, is joined by two experts who live and breathe this work: Susan Perri, Director of Grants at Climate Finance Solutions, and Jeff Haydock, CEO of ecoCFO.

Together, they unpack the essential strategies behind post-award grant management from navigating audits to implementing smart financial systems, crafting efficient technical reports, and making strategic choices long before the application is even submitted. The episode offers real-world insights into federal grant reporting, shifting expectations with the new administration, and how startups can build internal or external capacity to manage complexity without losing focus.

If you’re building a climate company and want to stay ahead of the curve on grants, this episode is for you.

• [02:00] Introductions of Jeff and Susan
• [04:00] Susan’s background
• [05:29] Jeff's background
• [09:38] Susan’s role at Climate Finance Solutions
• [11:18] Post-award management best practices
• [14:10] Strategic elements of grant applications
• [16:26] Financial preparation for grant reporting
• [20:31] Insights on grant audits
• [24:14] Overview of technical reporting
• [27:34] Strategies for making post-award reporting easier
• [34:18] When to hire consultants for grant management
• [39:11] How to ensure smooth collaboration with consultants
• [41:13] Changes in federal grants under the new Administration
• [45:22] Alternative grant funding sources
• [48:24] Closing thoughts and sources of hope

• Climate Finance Solutions
• ecoCFO

• Joel Armin-Hoiland
• Susan Perri
• Jeff Haydock
• Jason Rissman

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It’s not yet clear exactly how devasting the loss of federal funding for climate nonprofits and climate tech companies will be, but we know the toll will be high. Beyond the funding freeze, there have also been rumors of other federal action targeting nonprofits in this space.

No one knows exactly what will happen, but it’s clear that philanthropy is more important than ever. Philanthropy alone can’t fill the gap left by the government, but it can make a real difference.

This episode is the first in a series of conversations we’ll have this year focused on climate philanthropy.

We’re starting with not only one of the biggest climate foundations in the U.S., but also one that combines philanthropy with investments designed to catalyze more capital flows to climate. The MacArthur Foundation has long been a leader in using this impact investing approach to improve the ROI for investors seeking market-rate returns.

In today’s conversation, we’re joined by MacArthur Foundation’s Director of Impact Investments John Balbach and Program Officer Deborah Philbrick. We spoke about the Foundation's holistic, problem-first approach to climate, what that means for both their philanthropic funding and impact investing, how they’re stepping up to what they see as a civil society crisis, and much more.

Lots to learn and think about in this one. Let me know if you have ideas about other foundations to feature in this series. Here we go.

• [02:36] Introductions of John and Deborah
• [04:21] Overview of MacArthur Foundation's Climate Work
• [05:52] Climate Solutions Big Bet Details
• [07:02] Philanthropic Strategy and Theory of Change
• [08:15] Grantee Examples
• [10:37] Impact of Federal Funding Freeze
• [12:55] Strategic Shifts and Foundation's Role
• [15:57] Climate Philanthropy Landscape
• [17:04] Sub-national Climate Priorities
• [18:19] MacArthur's Impact Investing History
• [20:36] Risk and Return Approach
• [22:45] Impact Assessment Methodology
• [25:11] Catalytic Capital Strategies
• [28:01] Investment Thesis
• [31:20] Administration's Impact on Investments
• [33:30] Systemic Transformation Discussion

• MacArthur Foundation
• MacArthur Fellows Program
• MacArthur Foundation: Climate Solutions Big Bet
• Just Transition Fund
• League of Conservation Voters Education Fund
• Azolla Ventures
• Encourage Solar Finance
• Sunwealth
• MacArthur Foundation: How We Leverage the ‘Full Continuum’ of Capital to Address the Climate Crisis
• MacArthur Foundation: Aligning Our...

Non-dilutive funding is a critical part of the capital stack for climate startups. Changes in Washington have made this landscape all the more challenging to navigate. To improve understanding of the opportunities in this space, Invested in Climate is partnering with Climate Finance Solutions on a series of podcast episodes.

As our first deep dive in this series, Climate Finance Solutions Founder & CEO Joel Armin-Hoiland joined as a guest host and interviewed Tinia Pina, CEO of Re-Nuble and Dimitry Gershenson, CEO of Enduring Planet. They’ve both unlocked millions in non-dilutive capital to accelerate climate progress and share insights that’ll help founders, investors, donors, and anyone else interested in understanding the rapidly changing world of non-dilutive climate funding.

• [1:00] Introducing the series on non-dilutive funding
• [4:30] Tania Pina introduces Re-Nuble and her background
• [6:20] Dimitry Gershenson introduces Enduring Planet
• [9:30] Discussion on strategic considerations for grant funding
• [17:10] Challenges of grant funding process
• [22:30] Benefits of working with grant consultants
• [25:45] Discussion on values-driven business
• [31:10] Customer-centered service in climate finance
• [37:15] Impact of federal administration on climate grants
• [42:30] Closing thoughts and sources of hope

• Climate Finance Solutions
• Re-Nuble
• Enduring Planet

• Joel Armin-Hoiland
• Dimitry Gershenson
• Tinia Pina
• Jason Rissman

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I’m fascinated by the question of how we can improve climate and environmental storytelling. There’s research that shows that 45% of young people in the United States experience climate anxiety so bad that it negatively affects their daily functioning. As we learned during a conversation with Nathaniel Stinnett of the Environmental Voter Project last fall, over 5 million Americans list climate and the environment as their #1 top issue, but don’t actually vote. To me, these are indicators that we need new kinds of storytelling and new ways to experience the climate transition.

To learn about the state of environmental and climate storytelling, I sat down with one of the leading funders of environmental films, Jill Tidman, Executive Director of The Redford Center. Jill brings decades of storytelling experience and understands the challenges of not only getting environmental films distributed but also creating impact through them. We spoke about how the film distribution and funding landscapes have changed, the history of the Redford Center, its impact framework, examples of films and impact campaigns they’ve supported, and much more.

If you’re a film fan, just generally curious about the role of documentaries in creating change, or like me, want to understand how we can improve storytelling for climate, there's a lot to learn from this conversation. Enjoy.

• [03:37] Importance of storytelling in environmental issues
• [07:26] History of the Redford Center
• [10:33] Evolution of filmmaker support
• [15:23] Approaches to climate storytelling
• [18:35] Changes in film distribution
• [21:05] Criteria for selecting film projects
• [23:20] Redford Center's impact framework
• [26:29] Example of community engagement film
• [30:28] Impact and wins of supported projects
• [34:02] Indigenous voices and conservation efforts
• [39:13] Future plans for the Redford Center
• [42:45] Addressing polarization through storytelling

• The Redford Center
• Fighting Goliath
• New York Community Trust
• Kiss the Ground
• The Acid Rain Movie

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Alex Wright-Gladstein was one of the first people I interviewed when I launched Invested in Climate nearly 3 years ago. Our conversation has stuck in my mind over the years as her company, Sphere, offers one of the most impactful actions individuals can take to address climate change.

The action is really simple: Moving our savings out of fossil fuel companies. In the United States, fossil fuels are included by default in retirement savings accounts. If you have a 401(k), IRA, or pension, you are almost certainly supporting the fossil fuel industry. And we’re not talking about chump change: About 20% of the fossil fuel market cap is derived from 401(k)s and IRA investments.

Sphere makes it easy for people and companies to move retirement savings away from fossil fuels. They’re currently raising money through a WeFunder crowdfunding campaign, so I thought it was a perfect time to catch up with Alex and hear about Sphere’s progress. Full disclosure: I’m a Sphere investor and soon-to-be customer, but I should say clearly - nothing in this episode should be considered investment advice and is just for informational purposes.

I hope this conversation pushes your thinking in a helpful way. Enjoy.

• [00:58] Introduction to Alex Wright-Gladstein and Sphere
• [02:35] The origin of Sphere and the problem they're solving
• [05:00] Details about the Sphere 500 Climate Fund
• [06:28] Discussion of investment impact and fossil fuel investments
• [09:17] Navigating 401(k) regulations and lawsuits
• [13:44] Impact of political administrations on climate investing
• [19:37] Ways people can invest with Sphere
• [25:23] Strategies for pressuring companies to offer sustainable 401(k)s
• [29:57] Challenges faced by Sphere, including market volatility and ESG backlash
• [33:35] Vision for the future of climate-friendly investing

• Sphere
• Sphere 500 Climate Fund
• InfluenceMap
• The Virtual March to Retire Big Oil
• WeFunder: Invest in Sphere

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In just its first few weeks in power, the Trump administration has wreaked havoc on the climate tech landscape. An executive order aimed at accelerating fossil fuel extraction and slamming the brakes on renewables and the freeze on all federal grants has already had a devastating effect. Even though the freeze was quickly rescinded, climate companies and organizations across the country are struggling to operate amidst the uncertainty of whether the government will rescind its contractual obligations and cut funding. At stake are hundreds of billions of dollars that have been crucial to developing America’s green economy.

Clearly, a good time to learn more about the importance of grant funding on climate tech, I sat down with Joel Armin–Hoiland, CEO of Climate Finance Solutions. Joel’s company has helped climate businesses identify, apply for, and manage over $1.6 billion in non-dilutive grants. In this conversation, we spoke about how Joel’s background led to a unique understanding of the importance of grants for climate companies, his company’s track record and impact, how the funding landscape is changing, and much more.

Even with federal funding potentially disappearing, there’s still money on the table from other sources and a ton of complexity to navigate. This episode will be the first in a series with Joel as we try to help you all find your way to this new era. Here we go.

• [02:58] Introduction to Joel & Climate Finance Solutions
• [06:08] The role & importance of grants in addressing climate change
• [08:22] Navigating the complex grant funding ecosystem
• [13:12] Climate Finance Solutions' services & impact
• [15:14] Examples of successful grant-funded projects
• [17:44] Challenges & strategies for securing grants
• [23:50] Impact of the Trump administration on federal grant funding
• [31:37] Alternative sources of grant funding & future outlook

• Climate Finance Solutions
• Rondo Energy
• USDA Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities
• The Nature Conservancy
• Climate in Europe Innovation Fund
• Horizon Europe
• EU LIFE Programme

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Many experts today say we’re in the midst of the 6th mass extinction, a relatively short period of time when a high percentage of biodiversity dies out. To be clear, we’re talking about hundreds of thousands of species and an extinction event bigger than anything our planet has seen for over 65 million years when dinosaurs walked the earth. A recent study in the journal, Science, looked at 30 years of research across hundreds of species and showed the close link between climate change and biodiversity loss. It projects that if we can achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, 1 in 50 species will go extinct by the end of the century. Meanwhile, if current emission trends continue, mass extinction could claim as many as 1 in 3 species on Earth.

Sorry to start with such sobering data, but the threat to biodiversity is not talked about enough and the stakes need to be known.

There is, of course, hope and it lies with people like Brett Jenks. Brett is the CEO of a global conservation and climate change nonprofit called Rare. They’ve been around for 50 years, work in 60 different countries, and yet, are often behind the scenes. Rare has helped save species and ecosystems, and through that work have learned that their approach can contribute to systemic change. For them, it all begins with understanding people and how to change our behavior. I spoke with Brett about his background, Rare’s approach and impact, their conservation efforts, and how they’re working upstream to change finance, policy, and culture.

Despite the stakes and the difficult challenge we face, I found this conversation to be quite inspiring and I certainly learned a ton from Brett. Enjoy.

• Rare

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