The Rockefeller Foundation

We're excited to share our annual Impact Report: "Learning Today to Transform Opportunity Tomorrow." This report reflects on our work from 2023 as we've reimagined our approach to meet the urgent challenges of climate change while advancing human opportunity. It showcases our efforts, lessons learned, and how we're adapting to create transformative change. Key lessons include: 1. Lean into risk. Amid an unprecedented crisis, someone has to go first and farthest. One benefit of philanthropic capital is its flexibility, we must remember to try new things and invest early even if it means taking on risk. 2. Getting as close to community as possible enables impact. When we work closely with regional and local partners, projects are better implemented and have deeper impact for the people in those communities. In some cases, we have found ourselves too headquarters focused or removed from the communities we hope to serve. 3. Use more than grants alone. When RF has real impact, it is often when we look beyond the traditional use of grant capital to other innovative investment structures, and work with partners to promote new ideas, host convenings, build partnerships, and mobilize capital. Thinking bigger must extend to the array of tools we bring to the table. 4. We have a long way to go when it comes to being part of alliances. Big bets require big alliances of doers, funders, conveners, and more. Sometimes, we made assumptions about how easily collaboration between actors would come, underestimating the hard work it takes. 5. Speed counts, but impact comes with persistence. Meeting our goals requires patient and consistent focus. At times impatience has hindered our impact. We're already endeavoring to put these lessons into practice. This report is an invitation to learn, adapt, and act together. We believe that by sharing these insights, we can catalyze more effective collective action in the face of global crises. Together, we can advance human opportunity and reverse the climate crisis. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/eUu48fCf #RFImpactReport

"Our relationship with the earth needs to be re-examined." - Bita Correa, PhD, Fundación para la Aplicación y Enseñanza de las Ciencias (FUNDAEC) We're partnering with FUNDAEC to do just that. The Growing Hope Project empowers farmers to transition from chemical-dependent practices to regenerative agriculture, healing soil damaged by monoculture farming and overuse of chemicals. This isn't just about improving crop yields. It's about: - Fighting climate change - Enhancing food security - Building resilient local economies Together, we're cultivating a future where food systems nourish both people and planet. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e9ptDdun #ClimateAction #FoodSystems #GrowingHope #RegenerativeAgriculture

How does life change when a community gets electricity for the first time? ⚡️ In Bolivia, we're about to find out. We're partnering with The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) and Inter-American Development Bank to bring clean, affordable power to 50,000+ rural households. By replacing wood, gasoline, and diesel with clean energy solutions, we're accelerating progress towards a zero-carbon future and universal access to renewable energy. Read more in our latest Matter of Impact series: https://lnkd.in/eFX57Kvu 💡🌍 #MatterOfImpact #CleanEnergy #LetsChangeEnergy

Technology companies are the cornerstone of Ukraine’s resilience, remaining as the highest service export in 2023. The #ZeroGapFund invested in Horizon Capital, Ukraine’s leading private equity firm, which aims to reverse the brain drain through higher impact including job creations and promoting gender equality in the tech space. Their impact includes: - Mobilized $364+ million in capital - Invested over $48 million in 100% Ukrainian-based portfolio companies. - Created 367 net new jobs with 303 for women We are working together for a better future for Ukraine. Read more in our 2023 State of the Portfolio report: https://lnkd.in/euTpdHay

"Why are we still considering nature a cost instead of an asset?" 🌿📊 Big Bets Fellow Felipe Villela champions the inclusion of natural capital on corporate balance sheets. By doing so, companies can begin to see nature as a wealth rather than a liability. Watch our latest episode of #RFBreakthrough, ‘Shaking Up Systems with Big Bets’, here: https://lnkd.in/eajePm4c #BigBets #ClimateAction

In 2019, the #ZeroGapFund invested in The Lightsmith Group's CRAFT, the first private investment fund aimed at climate adaptation for underserved communities. Since, CRAFT has: - Mobilized $182 million in capital - Created 1,349 net new jobs - Reduced a cumulative 1 million tons of GHG emissions These efforts exemplify our commitment to sustainability and social impact. Join us in building a resilient future for all. Read more in our 2023 State of the Portfolio report: https://lnkd.in/euTpdHay

"We can achieve net zero forest loss in Latin America by 2030." Big Bets Fellow Reinhold Gallmetzer believes that with the right tools, political will, and growing momentum, deforestation rates in Latin America will decline in the next five years. Watch the full episode of #RFBreakthrough, ‘Shaking Up Systems with Big Bets’, here: https://lnkd.in/eajePm4c #BigBets #ClimateAction

The #ZeroGapFund invested in LeapFrog Investments to help address essential healthcare and financial needs across emerging markets in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. As of December 2023, their Emerging Consumers Fund III has: - Mobilized $270 million in capital - Supported 97,165 jobs Learn more about our 2023 State of the Portfolio report: https://lnkd.in/euTpdHay

Can reimagining land ownership revolutionize farming in Puerto Rico? 🌱 In our latest #RFBreakthrough episode, we spotlight a bold solution that's transforming the agricultural landscape: Mariolga Reyes Cruz, our Big Bets Climate Fellow and co-founder of FiTiCAS Agroecology Commons, is pioneering Puerto Rico's first agrarian community land trust. This groundbreaking initiative aims to: - Secure equitable land access for marginalized farmers - Protect agricultural land in perpetuity - Shift the paradigm from land as a commodity to a community asset With 76% of Puerto Rican farms earning less than $10,000 annually, this approach could be game-changing. By decoupling land security from market pressures, FiTiCAS is cultivating resilience and solidarity in farming communities. Watch now: https://lnkd.in/eajePm4c Are you working on innovative solutions for sustainable agriculture? Share your thoughts below! 👇 #BigBets #SustainableAgriculture #MakingOpportunityUniversal

Did you know that regenerative technologies can restore the soil ecosystem, improve crop yield, produce higher quality food, reduce farming costs and reduce food waste? The #ZeroGapFund invested in Trailhead Capital's Regeneration Fund I to provide innovative, scalable, tech-enabled solutions for regenerative food and agriculture. 🌍 Their impact includes: - Avoided 11,330 tons of carbon emissions - Conserved 411M gallons of water - Has impacted 3.4M acres of land Transforming our food system to one that is regenerative is critical to building healthy, resilient communities. Read more in our latest report: https://lnkd.in/euTpdHay