Clean Air Task Force donations received

This is an online portal with information on donations that were announced publicly (or have been shared with permission) that were of interest to Vipul Naik. The git repository with the code for this portal, as well as all the underlying data, is available on GitHub. All payment amounts are in current United States dollars (USD). The repository of donations is being seeded with an initial collation by Issa Rice as well as continued contributions from him (see his commits and the contract work page listing all financially compensated contributions to the site) but all responsibility for errors and inaccuracies belongs to Vipul Naik. Current data is preliminary and has not been completely vetted and normalized; if sharing a link to this site or any page on this site, please include the caveat that the data is preliminary (if you want to share without including caveats, please check with Vipul Naik). We expect to have completed the first round of development by the end of July 2024. See the about page for more details. Also of interest: pageview data on analytics.vipulnaik.com, tutorial in README, request for feedback to EA Forum.

Table of contents

Basic donee information

ItemValue
Country

Donee donation statistics

Cause areaCountMedianMeanMinimum10th percentile 20th percentile 30th percentile 40th percentile 50th percentile 60th percentile 70th percentile 80th percentile 90th percentile Maximum
Overall 32 200,000 331,176 10,000 45,000 50,000 100,000 150,000 200,000 248,832 325,000 400,000 750,000 2,000,000
Economics 2 10,000 129,416 10,000 10,000 10,000 10,000 10,000 10,000 248,832 248,832 248,832 248,832 248,832
Environment 16 150,000 177,188 12,500 47,500 50,000 75,000 150,000 150,000 175,000 300,000 325,000 350,000 350,000
Environmentalism 10 200,000 522,000 25,000 25,000 45,000 200,000 200,000 200,000 400,000 400,000 750,000 1,000,000 2,000,000
Clean Energy 2 75,000 87,500 75,000 75,000 75,000 75,000 75,000 75,000 100,000 100,000 100,000 100,000 100,000
New Initiatives 2 659,500 1,054,396 659,500 659,500 659,500 659,500 659,500 659,500 1,449,292 1,449,292 1,449,292 1,449,292 1,449,292

Donation amounts by donor and year for donee Clean Air Task Force

Donor Total 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1998 1997
Hewlett Foundation (filter this donee) 5,220,000.00 1,000,000.00 950,000.00 0.00 2,045,000.00 800,000.00 200,000.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 200,000.00 0.00 0.00 25,000.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
John Merck Fund (filter this donee) 3,010,000.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 75,000.00 100,000.00 150,000.00 300,000.00 372,500.00 325,000.00 350,000.00 350,000.00 175,000.00 125,000.00 275,000.00 150,000.00 150,000.00 112,500.00
Arnold Ventures (filter this donee) 2,108,792.00 1,449,292.00 0.00 659,500.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Sloan Foundation (filter this donee) 258,832.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 248,832.00 10,000.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Total 10,597,624.00 2,449,292.00 950,000.00 659,500.00 2,045,000.00 800,000.00 200,000.00 323,832.00 110,000.00 150,000.00 500,000.00 372,500.00 325,000.00 375,000.00 350,000.00 175,000.00 125,000.00 275,000.00 150,000.00 150,000.00 112,500.00

Full list of documents in reverse chronological order (4 documents)

Title (URL linked)Publication dateAuthorPublisherAffected donorsAffected doneesAffected influencersDocument scopeCause areaNotes
Update on CATF's plans for 2020 (GW, IR)2019-12-24Sanjay Joshi SoGive Clean Air Task Force Donee periodic updateClimate changeThe blog post is a collection of notes from a videoconference on 2019-12-18 between Sanjay Joshi of SoGive, a giving platform, and the Clean Air Task Force, one of the charities recommended by SoGive, to which SoGive has directed some funds. The notes are written up by Sanjay Joshi and reviewed for correctness and lack-of-confidentiality by CATF. Also posted to the SoGive blog at https://thinkingaboutcharity.blogspot.com/2019/12/update-on-catfs-plans-for-2020.html
Staff members’ personal donations for giving season 20192019-12-10Catherine Hollander GiveWellElie Hassenfeld Natalie Crispin Josh Rosenberg Catherine Hollander Andrew Martin Isabel Arjmand Nicole Zok Dan Brown Olivia Larsen Steph Stojanovic James Snowden Michael Eddy Kimberly Huynh Teryn Mattox Jim Bobowski GiveWell top charities Malaria Consortium GiveDirectly StrongMinds Cool Earth Clean Air Task Force ProPublica Sogorea Te Land Trust Stonewall (UK) Afrinspire Against Malaria Foundation One for the World Centre for Pesticide Suicide Prevention Young1ove Namati Astraea Foundation UHAI-EASHRI The Other Foundation Colombia Diversa The Trevor Project Médecins Sans Frontières Effective Altruism Funds: Animal Welfare Fund Periodic donation list documentationContinuing an annual tradition started in 2013, GiveWell staff members describe where they are donating. Some of the main themes: staff members deciding whether to donate directly to specific GiveWell top charities or donate to GiveWell for regranting to top charities. While most people choose the latter, a few choose the former for reasons including tax advantages, opinion of other family members, and slightly different moral weights than those used by GiveWell. Donors also talk about setting aside small portions of their giving for other kinds of causes, including animal welfare, AI safety, climate change, mental health, social justice, and local philanthropy. Amounts donated are not included, per a decision by GiveWell
EA Giving Tuesday Donation Matching Initiative 2018 Retrospective (GW, IR)2019-01-06Avi Norowitz Effective Altruism ForumAvi Norowitz William Kiely Against Malaria Foundation Malaria Consortium GiveWell Effective Altruism Funds Alliance to Feed the Earth in Disasters Effective Animal Advocacy Fund The Humane League The Good Food Institute Animal Charity Evaluators Machine Intelligence Research Institute Faunalytics Wild-Aniaml Suffering Research GiveDirectly Center for Applied Rationality Effective Altruism Foundation Cool Earth Schistosomiasis Control Initiative New Harvest Evidence Action Centre for Effective Altruism Animal Equality Compassion in World Farming USA Innovations for Poverty Action Global Catastrophic Risk Institute Future of Life Institute Animal Charity Evaluators Recommended Charity Fund Sightsavers The Life You Can Save One Step for Animals Helen Keller International 80,000 Hours Berkeley Existential Risk Initiative Vegan Outreach Encompass Iodine Global Network Otwarte Klatki Charity Science Mercy For Animals Coalition for Rainforest Nations Fistula Foundation Sentience Institute Better Eating International Forethought Foundation for Global Priorities Research Raising for Effective Giving Clean Air Task Force The END Fund Miscellaneous commentaryThe blog post describes an effort by a number of donors coordinated at https://2018.eagivingtuesday.org/donations to donate through Facebook right after the start of donation matching on Giving Tuesday. Based on timestamps of donations and matches, donations were matched till 14 seconds after the start of matching. Despite the very short time window of matching, the post estimates that $469,000 (65%) of the donations made were matched
New research on effective climate charities (GW, IR)2018-07-11John Halstead Effective Altruism ForumFounders Pledge Clean Air Task Force Coalition for Rainforest Nations Cool Earth Review of current state of cause areaClimate changeThe blog post links to a new Founders Pledge report on climate change, published on their research page at https://founderspledge.com/research -- the current version of the report is at https://founderspledge.com/stories/climate-change-executive-summary The two charities identified by the report as good places to donate are the Clean Air Task Force and Coalition for Rainforest Nations. The comments include a lengthy critique by Matthew Dahlhauser along with a reply from Halstead. The report also discusses why Founders Pledge does not recommend Cool Earth (a charity that Giving What We Can had tentatively recommended in the past for climate change, based on its shallow review), and the comments on the post ask more about the reasoning

Full list of donations in reverse chronological order (32 donations)

Graph of top 10 donors (for donations with known year of donation) by amount, showing the timeframe of donations

Graph of donations and their timeframes
DonorAmount (current USD)Amount rank (out of 32)Donation dateCause areaURLInfluencerNotes
Hewlett Foundation1,000,000.0032017-01-17Environmentalismhttps://hewlett.org/grants/clean-air-task-force-for-general-operating-support-1/-- For General Operating Support.
Arnold Ventures1,449,292.0022017New Initiativeshttps://www.arnoldventures.org/grants/-- To provide recommendations on energy policies to advance the development and lower the cost of new emission-free energy sources.
Hewlett Foundation200,000.00142016-11-01Environmentalismhttps://hewlett.org/grants/clean-air-task-force-for-the-center-for-carbon-removal/-- For The Center For Carbon Removal.
Hewlett Foundation750,000.0042016-02-12Environmentalismhttps://hewlett.org/grants/clean-air-task-force-for-carbon-capture-and-storage-work/-- For Carbon Capture And Storage Work.
Arnold Ventures659,500.0052015New Initiativeshttps://www.arnoldventures.org/grants/-- To identify cost-effective solutions to meet the rising energy demand while minimizing adverse climate effects.
Hewlett Foundation45,000.00292014-11-12Environmentalismhttps://hewlett.org/grants/clean-air-task-force-for-the-carbon-capture-and-storage-project/-- For The Carbon Capture And Storage Project.
Hewlett Foundation2,000,000.0012014-04-18Environmentalismhttps://hewlett.org/grants/clean-air-task-force-for-general-operating-support-0/-- For General Operating Support.
Hewlett Foundation400,000.0062013-03-18Environmentalismhttps://hewlett.org/grants/clean-air-task-force-for-general-operating-support/-- For General Operating Support.
Hewlett Foundation400,000.0062013-03-18Environmentalismhttps://hewlett.org/grants/clean-air-task-force-for-general-operating-support/-- For General Operating Support.
Hewlett Foundation200,000.00142012-09-30Environmentalismhttps://hewlett.org/grants/clean-air-task-force-for-the-federal-power-plant-regulation-and-policy-project/-- For The Federal Power Plant Regulation And Policy Project.
John Merck Fund75,000.00242011-12Clean Energyhttps://www.jmfund.org/program-grants/-- Focus: Reduce Fossil Fuel UseTo provide legal and technical analysis to achieve the strongest possible EPA rules governing emissions from power plants, to defend the rules from congressional attack, and to build an industry constituency in support of ongoing reductions in power plant greenhouse gas emissions.
Sloan Foundation248,832.00132011Economics/Economic Institutions, Behavior, & Performancehttps://sloan.org/grant-detail/6918-- Grant investigator: Steven Brick; to organize the formulation of a study group, a research framework, and a request-for-proposals to investigate the energy efficiency paradox.
John Merck Fund100,000.00232010-12Clean Energyhttps://www.jmfund.org/program-grants/-- Focus: Reduce Fossil Fuel UseTo establish strong regulations under the Clean Air Act that reduce mercury, toxic metals, ozone smog and acid rain emissions from coal plants; and to defend EPA authority to regulate greenhouse gas pollution from coal plants.
Sloan Foundation10,000.00322010Economics/Economic Institutions, Behavior, & Performancehttps://sloan.org/grant-detail/6936-- Grant investigator: Steven Brick; to plan a full scale study of US energy efficiency potential on the building and industrial sector.
John Merck Fund150,000.00192009-12Environmenthttps://www.jmfund.org/program-grants/-- To significantly reduce greenhouse gases in the near term, while decreasing harmful pollutants by requiring coal plants to meet stringent air emission performance standards and creating and funding strong federal mandates for cleaning up diesel engines.
John Merck Fund300,000.00122008-09Environmenthttps://www.jmfund.org/program-grants/-- To promote local, state and federal policies to clean up pollution from dirty diesel engines.
Hewlett Foundation200,000.00142008-07-21Environmentalismhttps://hewlett.org/grants/clean-air-task-force-for-a-collaborative-project-with-the-giss-for-efforts-to-limit-global-climate-change/-- For A Collaborative Project With The GISS For Efforts To Limit Global Climate Change.
John Merck Fund325,000.00102007-09Environmenthttps://www.jmfund.org/program-grants/-- To work in partnership with state organizations to achieve a 70 percent reduction in US mobile diesel particulate emissions by 2020.
John Merck Fund47,500.00282007-08Environmenthttps://www.jmfund.org/program-grants/-- To study and quantify the health benefits of slowing global warming by reducing air pollution.
John Merck Fund325,000.00102006-09Environmenthttps://www.jmfund.org/program-grants/-- Working with partner organizations in twelve states, to spur a 70 percent reduction in US mobile diesel emissions by 2020.
John Merck Fund350,000.0082005-09Environmenthttps://www.jmfund.org/program-grants/-- To work with partner organizations in up to fourteen states to achieve a 75 percent reduction in US mobile diesel particulate emissions by 2020.
Hewlett Foundation25,000.00302005-03-15Environmentalismhttps://hewlett.org/grants/clean-air-task-force-for-completion-of-a-project-in-bangkok-thailand-to-develop-a-model-for-cleaning-up-diesel-air-pollution-throughout-the-developing-world/-- For Completion Of A Project In Bangkok, Thailand To Develop A Model For Cleaning Up Diesel Air Pollution Throughout The Developing World.
John Merck Fund350,000.0082004-09Environmenthttps://www.jmfund.org/program-grants/-- To work with state partner groups in six to twelve states over the next year to advance diesel engine cleanup in the United States through a number of strategies at the local, state, and national level.
John Merck Fund175,000.00182003-09Environmenthttps://www.jmfund.org/program-grants/-- To reduce urban and regional air pollution and global warming emissions from America’s diesel engine fleet by establishing model policies and programs in at least six states.
John Merck Fund125,000.00222002-06Environmenthttps://www.jmfund.org/program-grants/-- In conjunction with the American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago and the Ohio Environmental Council, to begin reducing harmful air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the nation’s heavy duty engines by establishing model policies in three to four states, voluntary agreements with manufacturers and owners of heavy engine fleets, and the tightening of emissions requirement through federal rulemaking.
John Merck Fund75,000.00242001-05Environmenthttps://www.jmfund.org/program-grants/-- To reform state and federal policies in order to reduce maximum emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, toxic substances and greenhouse gases from the nation’s electric power plants.
John Merck Fund200,000.00142001-05Environmenthttps://www.jmfund.org/program-grants/-- To reduce emissions of smog, soot, haze, acid rain, toxics and greenhouse gases from the nation’s mobile engines by reforming state and federal policies and, where possible, achieving voluntary commitments to emissions reductions from mobile equipment manufacturers.
John Merck Fund150,000.00192000-03Environmenthttps://www.jmfund.org/program-grants/-- To clean up or close the nation’s oldest, most polluting power plants by ending their exemptions to Clean Air Act regulations that restrict emissions from newer facilities. In addition to working at the federal level, the Clean Air Task Force provides technical, legal, organizing and communications support to state groups and regional coalitions working to end power plant pollution.
John Merck Fund150,000.00191998-07Environmenthttps://www.jmfund.org/program-grants/-- To strengthen the science, policy and activist connections between old, polluting power plants and toxic emissions, including dioxin and mercury; and to involve the medical and health care professions in the fight to reduce air pollution from power plants.
John Merck Fund50,000.00261997-12Environmenthttps://www.jmfund.org/program-grants/-- To educate the public about the damage that air pollution from power plants causes to ecosystems and wildlife, by involving the scientific community.
John Merck Fund12,500.00311997-12Environmenthttps://www.jmfund.org/program-grants/-- To conduct litigation under provisions of the Clean Air Act in order to accelerate reductions of emissions from power plants.
John Merck Fund50,000.00261997-11Environmenthttps://www.jmfund.org/program-grants/-- To conduct two advocacy training and strategy sessions on mercury air emissions and energy.