We work at the INTERSECTION of improving livelihoods and fighting climate change
Improving the
LIVELIHOODS
of those in extreme poverty
Fighting
CLIMATE CHANGE
& its effects on those in extreme poverty
King Philanthropies has an outsized impact at the intersection; we seek “win-win” solutions that decarbonize the future of economic development.
FOCUS & PRIORITIES
Our investments and grant areas align with what those in extreme poverty need most for their livelihoods and what is most needed to fight climate change.
WHY IT MATTERS TO LIVELIHOODS
Humans depend on food systems for livelihoods. Up to 4.5 billion people globally depend on food systems for their household livelihoods, at least in part, including employment in food value chains, the self-employed and family labor.
WHY IT MATTERS TO CLIMATE
Food systems contribute 21%-37% of global greenhouse gasses, while contributing to deforestation, biodiversity loss, and declining water.
EXAMPLE PORTFOLIO ORGANIZATIONS
WHY IT MATTERS TO LIVELIHOODS
2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water.
More than 700 children under 5 die every day from diarrheal diseases due to unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation.
WHY IT MATTERS TO CLIMATE
As freshwater becomes scarcer, trillions of dollars must be spent to repair, upgrade, and build carbon-intensive water infrastructure. Warmer climates cause increased flooding in some areas and severe droughts in others.
EXAMPLE PORTFOLIO ORGANIZATIONS
WHY IT MATTERS TO LIVELIHOODS
~1 billion rural farmers lack secure rights to their land.
Secure land rights give families stability to invest in their homes + farms which increases agricultural yields, income, education rates, and decreases pregnancy.
WHY IT MATTERS TO CLIMATE
Land, resource, and property rights can help promote and protect investments in land and incentivize sustainable land management practices.
EXAMPLE PORTFOLIO ORGANIZATIONS
WHY IT MATTERS TO LIVELIHOODS
Nearly 80% of the global extreme poor live in rural areas and rely on farming for their livelihoods. Climate-smart agriculture increases resilience to climate shocks while enhancing productivity.
WHY IT MATTERS TO CLIMATE
Climate-smart agriculture reduces emissions for each calorie of food produced, avoiding the need for increased deforestation.
EXAMPLE PORTFOLIO ORGANIZATIONS
WHY IT MATTERS TO LIVELIHOODS
Africa’s small scale farmers lose up to 40% of all harvest due to pests and spoilage. if one-third of lost food could be recovered, it would feed more than 870 million people.
WHY IT MATTERS TO CLIMATE
Food waste causes 8-10% of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, including a significant amount of methane.
EXAMPLE PORTFOLIO ORGANIZATIONS
WHY IT MATTERS TO LIVELIHOODS
Poor people are least likely to have access to electricity. Access to sustainable and clean energy is the first step toward helping a community lift itself out of poverty.
WHY IT MATTERS TO CLIMATE
Energy production and use accounts for roughly 2/3 of global greenhouse gas emissions.
EXAMPLE PORTFOLIO ORGANIZATIONS
WHY IT MATTERS TO LIVELIHOODS
Around 136M girls remain out of school worldwide. Better-educated girls tend to be healthier, earn more income, give birth to fewer children with high-quality health care and education.
WHY IT MATTERS TO CLIMATE
Women with more education have fewer and healthier children. If all girls globally received primary and secondary education as well as access to family planning, there would be a reduction in emissions at gigaton scale.
EXAMPLE PORTFOLIO ORGANIZATIONS
RECENT GRANTS & IMPACT INVESTMENTS
We invest in the most impactful social ventures of our time. They utilize breakthrough technology and solve problems in a scalable way.
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SOURCE’s hydropanels provide a solar- powered, infrastructure-free system to pull clean water out of the air.
One Acre Fund’s farmer-first and climate-smart agricultural financing, seed, fertilizer and training programs help clients achieve larger yields and higher profits.
Landesa works in over 50 countries to advance inclusive, equitable land rights reform. Tenure security protects investments in land and incentivizes climate-smart land management practices.
Energicity develops solar-powered mini- grids, providing impoverished communities in West Africa much-needed energy.
Mori has created a water-based coating that is applied to fruit, vegetables, meats, and seafood to slow the spoiling process.
EDF MethaneSAT will generate data on worldwide methane emissions, 95% of which currently go undetected.
ColdHubs brings solar-powered cold storage refrigeration to smallholder farmers, eliminating methane-producing food waste.
Babban Gona implements climate-smart agricultural practices that build smallholder farmers’ resilience to climate shocks.
Particles for Humanity is pioneering a new technology to stabilize Vitamin A and fortify commonly eaten foods such as bouillon, wheat and rice.
CAMFED supports girls’ education and helps build a network of African female leaders. Girls’ Education is a powerful lever for climate mitigation.
Blue Ventures’ scalable solutions improve the livelihoods of traditional fishing communities and protect coastal ecosystems.
Ryp Labs’ biomimicry stickers extend the shelf-life of produce by up to 14 days, and decrease food waste by up to 60%.
Mootral’s cattle feed combats methane emissions from cows, which account for 30% of the world’s methane.
Proximity Designs’ designed centered model delivers high- quality tools, inputs and services to Myanmar’s smallholder farmers to make farming more productive and climate-smart.
BRAC Liberia identifies, and then seeks to improve, elements of infrastructure and market capacity that are necessary for sustained economic development in rural Liberia.
FORCE MULTIPLIERS
We amplify the impact of our grants and investments in 3 ways.
Developing Leaders
We empower the next generation of leaders with the skills and resources they need to create measurable change in their communities. These programs equip students to create a far-reaching impact in the world.
Strengthening Systems
Data and research are necessary to help the world’s poorest and ensure everyone benefits from economic growth in the face of a changing climate. We support world-class organizations that clarify these challenges, share knowledge of what works, and measure progress.
Building Infrastructure
We are building new climate infrastructure for the world we wish to live in. We support solutions like the Environmental Defense Fund’s Methane Satellite which will generate policy-relevant emissions data that will impact how global energy companies operate.
WHO WE ARE
We are a team of highly strategic social impact investors, with deep sectoral and regional experience.
Kim Starkey
President and CEO
Dr. Jennifer Brandon
Climate Scientist
Edward Diener
Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel
Roxana Fierro
Administrative Assistant
Juliana Green
Principal, Climate
Ahana Gunderson
Director of Special Initiatives
Greg Hawkins
Consultant, Climate
Jenn Hipple
Office and Operations Lead
Kartick Kumar
Managing Director of Climate
Zuzana Hlavkova
Research Consultant, Climate
Christiana Lee
Senior Associate, Climate
Nguhi Mwaura
Global Scholars Program Consultant
Joanna Rau
Head of CEO’s Office
Sithu Thein Swe
Senior Portfolio Manager
Kevin Yang
Senior Investment Associate, Climate