Swati Mylavarapu and Matt Rogers

Featured Conversation

A Shared Optimism for Climate Solutions

Why did you make climate a priority in your philanthropy?

Swati: Climate is a grand challenge and a grand opportunity. It’s an area where we see so much creative potential, and it’s universal. Whether we are speaking to innovators in India, Europe, Africa, Latin America, or the U.S., there is a shared set of challenges that can bring out some of the best of humanity.

Matt: We look at opportunities that typically are underfunded, and climate as a category is underfunded. We try to find areas that are at the bottom of most people’s lists and we make those the top of our list.

What is the role of philanthropy in accelerating climate solutions?

Swati: Philanthropy is the ultimate creative capital. It is the modeling clay to build anything that the world needs. One thing we do is focus on leadership programs for young, smart people in high school, college, and graduate school and encourage them to stick to their values and pursue opportunities that have impact. What is now known as Carbon180 started this way. There was a group of young, bright Berkeley graduates with a big idea that was not popular at the time, but had huge potential. We became the first anchor funders for them in that project.

What advice do you have for funders who are new to climate?

Matt: The biggest piece of advice I give is to just start making grants. You will make mistakes, and it’s okay. You will learn and hopefully become a better philanthropist because of it.

Swati: Philanthropy at its core is about a love of humanity. What has been really heartening is how much impact we have been able to make in such a short period of time. The biggest mistake folks can make is waiting for perfect answers and bullet-proof strategies, solutions, or teams. Philanthropy is more accessible than ever – you can start making a difference right now, by visiting websites for nonprofits you know and care about, and donating and volunteering right away.

What climate solutions are you most excited about?

Matt: Food waste is an issue near and dear to me. And there’s a whole thread around how we get the public more engaged in making climate-smart decisions and getting people to vote for folks that support climate action.

Swati: Everything today is climate, and everyone is impacted by climate, but not everybody has that realization. We look for catalytic opportunities to bring more folks to the conversation, whether by supporting climate justice organizations or new types of companies building innovative products and solutions.