WASHINGTON — The Institute for Energy Research is proud to release Big Green, Inc., a powerful new grant tracker that shines a long overdue spotlight on the money that is fueling the massive national environmental lobby.
Big Green, Inc. uncovers the scope of the environmental movement’s funding as well as the role this interrelated network of organizations has had on energy policy. Taking the form of a searchable database, Big Green, Inc. tracks 8,821 environmental grants from 2008-2016 adding up to $3.7 billion. This money flowed from ten left-leaning foundations to over 1,500 environmental activist groups spanning all 50 states.
The map allows users to track the funding sources across a variety of dimensions including state and year, and identifies the issue areas for which these organizations received money, for example, climate change advocacy, anti-coal initiatives, and political activism.
Some of the database highlights:
- The three largest grantmakers included in the database are The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation ($2 billion in grants), Energy Foundation ($444 million in grants), and Sea Change Foundation ($373 million in grants).
- The three largest recipient organizations are Climateworks (over $1.7 billion received), Energy Foundation (over $309 million received), and Natural Resources Defense Council (over $79 million received).
- A significant amount of foundation funding flowed to coastal epicenters including California ($2 billion received), Washington D.C. ($424 million received), and New York ($175 million received) between 2008-2016.
*The data is retrieved from foundation 990 tax returns
IER President Thomas J Pyle stated,
“The Environmental Left likes to portray itself as a modern day David battling the mighty fossil fuel giants in an epic struggle to save our dying planet. While it may be compelling, this narrative is simply false.”
“The truth is the environmental left is a deep-pocketed and powerful force in American politics that is working to stop all natural gas, oil, and coal production in the United States. And they have a strong ally in the mainstream media, which all-too-often has become a cheerleader for their harmful agenda.”
“Big Green, Inc. is a first-of-its-kind research tool that provides a detailed accounting of the billions of dollars that flow into and throughout the green movement.”
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For media inquiries, please contact Erin Amsberry
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