Nora LaTorre

At the end of this month, we’re excited to launch the Climate Leaders Circle—a new space for climate leaders to dig into the thorny, complex, and high-impact challenges we face right now. This program is a natural extension of our Regenerative Transition Community of Practice and our Aligned Sustainability Reporting Initiative (ASRI), building on the incredible collaboration and peer learning these communities have fostered. While the Circle won’t be solely focused on regenerative agriculture or sustainability reporting, those topics will be part of a much broader conversation. Together, we’ll explore: 🔹 Target setting in a volatile economy 🔹 Navigating challenges with LCA data 🔹 Climate finance 🔹 Emerging tools and solutions 🔹 Strengthening climate strategy for the long run It’s about creating a trusted space for candid dialogue, shared problem-solving, and accelerating meaningful climate action. The current mix of participants includes CPG, retail, non-profit, and service providers. Complete the program interest form here: https://lnkd.in/gZ5CaAkB

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This week’s adaptation news spans health, finance, and agriculture, with governments and institutions responding to rising climate pressures across multiple systems. Three from the business side: 🏥 Global philanthropies committed $300M to tackle the intersection of climate and health—focusing on extreme heat, air pollution, and infectious disease resilience. [Rockefeller Foundation / Bloomberg] 💶 Seven countries pledged $118.5M to the UN Adaptation Fund, with Germany and Spain leading. That’s less than half of 2021’s total, even as the adaptation deficit exceeds $300B annually. [Earth.Org / DW] 🌏 COP30 negotiations introduced a proposed $120B annual adaptation finance goal, a $10B guarantee hub for local green bonds, and a debt-for-resilience initiative for the Caribbean. [Devex] And three from the weather front: 🌧️ Landslides across Southeast Asia killed 24 people in Indonesia and Vietnam after torrential rains—part of a longer trend as the monsoon grows more volatile. [Al Jazeera] 🦟 Dengue and yellow fever are surging: Brazil logged 6.5 million dengue cases in 2024, Europe saw record infections, and yellow fever reached its highest levels since 1960. Disease geography is redrawing itself. [The Guardian] 🍎 In Washington’s Yakima River Basin, three years of drought are forcing farmers to rip out apple orchards as reservoirs sit at 7% capacity. Water rights are becoming more valuable than land itself. [Seattle Times] The question is no longer whether adaptation will scale; it’s who builds the models that actually work. 🔗 In first comment

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Just came across this funding opp for those doing climate resilience work in the US. They say: The Climate Smart Communities Initiative (CSCI) is pleased to announce the launch of the 2026 CSCI grants opportunity for US-based climate resilience projects. CSCI awards provide funding and technical assistance to advance community-based climate resilience in US communities or regions that are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The total grants budget is $1.5-2 million, and grants typically range from $75,000 to $115,000 based on the scope of work proposed in the application. CSCI anticipates awarding between 16-20 grants for the 2026 cycle. The program prioritizes funding for communities that include historically disinvested populations at increased risk to climate-related impacts. It is open to US-based project teams composed of a climate adaptation practitioner and representatives from a local or regional government entity and a community-based organization. More info: https://lnkd.in/gtkztCMx

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Episode 57 of The Social Impact Journal podcast is out now with Gigi Susan Danziger! Gigi is an impact investor, exited founder and champions a number of community-led innovation projects in Hudson, New York. In the episode, we covered so many things including the story of the HudsonUP initiative — the first small-city Universal Basic Income (UBI) pilot in the U.S. — and reflected on the evidence and lessons learned so far. Listen to the episode wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube by searching for “The Social Impact Journal.” The show is produced by SIJ Media, which is also the home of the Financial Inclusion Unlocked podcast. —————————————————————- Hi, I’m Jack 👋 I’m the CEO of Rural Inclusion Labs, a social enterprise delivering digital learning solutions across 12+ countries to advance climate insurance awareness, digital financial literacy, and sustainable agriculture in rural communities. I also run SIJ Media, a new agency currently producing two podcasts: The Social Impact Journal and Financial Inclusion Unlocked.

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A new fund focused on preventing extinction? Music to my ears. 🇺🇸 Superorganism closes $25.9M Fund I for biodiversity startups This San Francisco VC closed its first fund from Cisco Foundation, AMB Holdings, Builders Vision, a16z partner Jeff Jordan, and others. Managing Directors Tom Quigley & Kevin Webb are backing startups working on extinction prevention and conservation technology —a thesis that's been underinvested despite the urgency. The firm writes checks of $250k - $500k for pre-seed and seed companies and donate, with portfolio including Spoor (computer vision for bird tracking around wind farms) + They commit 10% of profits to future conservationist efforts. Biodiversity isn't just environmental—it's infrastructure for planetary resilience. Learn about the moves shaping deep tech in this week's Conscious Tech intel linked below. Congrats to the team! 👏 _____ Hi, I'm Sera Tajima, angel investing alongside EQT Foundation & Hoxton Ventures. 🤙

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#interview alert 🌍 The latest Climate Voices with Bill Weihl features Danielle Lee, founder of Climate Action Club—a Bay Area nonprofit building something many in climate circles still overlook: in-person, heart-forward, community-led infrastructure for Gen Z. Danielle left her role in climate tech to create the kind of space she couldn’t find: one where young people can talk honestly about climate anxiety, learn the systemic roots of the crisis, and take meaningful local action together. In just a year, Climate Action Club has hosted 1,300+ guests across 30 events—and just launched its first cohort of community leaders. What you’ll take away: 💡 Why relationships, not resumes, are the starting point 💡 How structured conversations can build unstructured friendships 💡 Why civic action feels possible when you’re not doing it alone 💡 And yes—why sometimes, you have to stir the pot to get things moving Danielle is building what Gen Z wants most: connection with purpose. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gn-EDgVj

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I left #ClimateWeek and #UNGA inspired, refueled, and grateful for my network. If I learned anything last week, it’s that we’re long past incremental change—what’s needed now is innovation at scale. The future will be defined by those who build, measure, and share real impact—not just intentions. Let’s lead with collaboration, innovation, and transparency. Main takeaway (tl;dr): - Climate Week and UNGA 2025 made it clear that climate action must be woven into the fabric of business, policy, and tech—powered by youth, new materials, digital solutions, and true collaboration. 88% of CEOs now say climate is more urgent than ever, but only half are talking about it. We have to do more, and talk more, too. Here’s what I’m seeing and focused on: - Performance > Promises: It’s time for organizations to move from bold pledges to measurable results. That means climate goals aren’t just a sustainability team priority—they’re a business-wide mandate. Progress needs to be measured, shared, and improved upon constantly. Accountability matters as pressure and expectations increase. - Empowering New Voices: Young professionals and frontline communities must help shape strategy, policy, and execution. Their lived experience is crucial—not just for social impact but for long-term business resilience. - Circularity, Everywhere: The shift to regenerative and recycled materials is well underway, but brands need to go further. Circular supply chains, repair, resale, and material transformation are driving innovation from pilot projects to mainstream operations. - Real Climate Solutions: Top priorities: methane reduction, carbon removal tech, urban carbon sinks, and new financing mechanisms. Even small investments—removal credits, scalable pilots—make a big difference in catalyzing market maturity. - Digital Transformation: AI, data analytics, and real-time risk mapping are giving leaders new tools to quantify impact, identify opportunity, and manage risk. Transparency starts with robust, digital-first reporting and impact measurement. - Collaboration (no silos!): More than ever, sustainability calls for cross-sector alliances. Industry, government, finance, and social sector leaders are forging new coalitions and co-investing to power change at scale. How will you help move climate action from talk to transformation? #ClimateWeek2025 #UNGA #Sustainability #CircularEconomy #Leadership #ClimateTech #Impact Anisa Kamadoli Costa Karimah Hudda Christine Boyd Kathy Kearns Rebecca Villalobos Cheryl Baldwin Dr. Kerstin Waltenberg Anna Andreis Annika Dubrall Michelle Lapinski Catherine Coteus Catherine Harris Louise Wilson Jennifer Owens Nidhi Chadda Jean Z. Poh Elizabeth Dove Rumina Dhalla Anna Zaleski Mori Indrani de Silva, MBA Cristina Maria Villegas

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Incredibly grateful for continued support from the Giving Green Fund! If you're curious what we've been up to, the GG write-up is a great summary: https://lnkd.in/dYEA9YvD TL;DR -- 💸 "We are funding CRSI to support its work on developing and shaping standards for CDR outside the context of the carbon market. 🤝 "Given that current demand for CDR is driven by credit-based carbon markets, the development of standards and quantification frameworks has so far largely reflected the needs of buyers and sellers on these markets. 🛠️ "However, these tools may not be directly transferable or applicable to more policy-driven approaches, and creating fit-for-purpose standards will help to unlock demand outside of existing market regimes. 🏭 "CRSI works to find carbon removal opportunities inside existing industries and sectors, match these opportunities with regulation or financial incentives, and create standards and monitoring infrastructure to ensure accurate reporting." Find. Match. Measure. That's us! 😅

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How do you make strategic decisions for your nonprofit in a rapidly changing landscape? At the Nonprofit Association of Oregon's (NAO) webinar "Strategic Decision Time: Sunset or Sustainability," Anna Young and Myriam Khoury tackled the strategic questions facing organizations amid significant funding cuts and other volatility in the sector, and provided practical tools and templates for deliberate decision-making. Some key insights and tools from this session: ✏️ Use Assumption Mapping to focus your energy. It can feel like everything is unknown some days, but clarifying what's certain helps you stop spinning. NAO's downloadable Assumption Mapping chart lets you plot what's Known vs. Unknown and High Importance vs. Low Importance so you can focus your time where it matters. 📈 Try scenario planning for your biggest risks. Use tools like Bridgespan's Risk Analysis framework (designed specifically for nonprofits navigating disruption) to map out best case, moderate case, and worst case scenarios. You may not have perfect predictions, but you will have something to fall back on. ⏸️ Pause before deciding. Quick decisions feel productive during disruption, but pausing to be strategic pays off. Take time to decide who makes which decisions and communicate the "why" behind every choice. ❓ Build adjustments into your culture. Create daily, weekly, or monthly "pause" moments to ask: What's changing? What new information do we have? What needs to shift? Then use NAO's Pivoting Strategy Worksheet to map your top priorities, identify risks, clarify non-negotiables, and assign next steps. 🧠 Know your brain and have compassion for yourself. Our brains can be our worst enemies in crisis mode, but knowing what’s happening when your brain navigates uncertainty can help you handle it. When fight-or-flight kicks in: slow down, engage others who have your back, and delegate deliberately. Thank you, Anna and Myriam, for equipping nonprofit leaders with practical resources to navigate disruption with courage and care. Access the webinar recording and downloadable tools, as well as the rest of NAO’s five-part series: https://bit.ly/45FK11H #nonprofitresources #nonprofitleadership

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Thanks for this post, Lili Gangas! Hot take: Most of philanthropy say they care about equity, but ignore the tech industry, the biggest driver of inequity and opportunity today. We’ve seen this firsthand... many philanthropic institutions don’t even know how to engage with equity-centered tech orgs like One Degree | 1degree.org, let alone fund them effectively. And let’s be real: some philanthropy isn’t just ignoring tech equity... some of them are actively undermining it by funding for-profit companies that extract value from communities, or by aligning with right-wing ideologies that contradict their public values. This piece pairs well with Kevin Starr's recent post on Skoll Foundation.: https://lnkd.in/gdrHAGFM  

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What if the trees we plant to save us are unintentionally leaving some of us behind? Yesterday late in the day, I attended a virtual event titled Climate Equity LA Series: Advancing Shade Equity for a Cool, Healthy LA, featuring expert speakers Edith de Guzman, Monica Dean-Millman, Rachel Malarich, and Marta Segura. It was phenomenal, engaging, and I gained some nuggets. Here are some of them: 🌴 Not all trees do the same thing. For example, palm trees—beautiful as they are—don’t actually provide shade. That fact shocked me. I’ve seen so many Hollywood movies where a woman is draped in white, acting as a human fan by waving furiously back and forth with giant palm leaves to shield someone from the heat, while simultaneously batting away flies. Iconic, yes—but functionally inaccurate! 🌳 Oak trees, on the other hand, are among the most effective at providing shade. Tree shade can reduce surface temperatures by up to 40 °C (72 °F) and lower summer air temperatures by 0.5–2 °C (0.9–3.6 °F). Trees aren’t just ornamental—they’re vital infrastructure for heat mitigation. While I already knew that extreme heat impacts low-income communities, communities of color, and the elderly most, this event emphasized how we can make a real difference by rethinking how and where trees are planted. And we need to consider the type of tree. Our current urban forests are not equitably distributed—due to zoning decisions, roadways, infrastructure, and outdated policies. Some of the community-generated questions were spot on: Where can we find out about free trees—and are certain communities prioritized? Are there limits on how many are distributed? What local projects exist to tackle extreme heat in our own neighborhoods? They shared two resources I’ve started exploring: 🌐 City Plants – FAQ https://lnkd.in/gkaYUsuq 🌐 Neighborhood Council Sustainability Alliance https://www.ncsa.la/ Of course, there were a few questions that didn’t get answered—one of them was mine: How do we balance the undeniable benefits of urban tree planting with the unintended financial consequences—especially in frontline communities? And how do we ensure that as we tackle the climate crisis, we’re not creating new burdens in our homes and personal spaces for the very people we’re trying to protect? I asked this as someone who paid over $25,000 to replace sewage pipes damaged by tree roots near my home in Los Angeles. The repair extended to the public street—an unexpected and costly burden that made me wonder how many others in climate-conscious communities are facing similar challenges. In the end, I left the session with more curiosity than answers. But also with hope. Because we move forward by asking better questions, listening to lived experience, and shaping solutions—starting in our homes, in our communities, and in the cities, we call home. #ShadeEquity #ClimateJustice #CommunityResilience

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So great to work alongside Katie McKenna, MSc, DPNL on this project for the Trottier Family Foundation and to be releasing this report together. Key message to funders: Supporting community-rooted (typically Black, Indigenous and racialized) leaders is a strategic move, not just a moral imperative. This report outlines the why and how to engage your traditional networks as part of a winning climate funding strategy.

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Our COO Julia Holmertz is co-facilitating an important conversation at TheSidebar NYC during UNGA week: Trust-Based Philanthropy: Power, Resources, and Grassroots Impact At Unlocking Communities, we believe that sustainable change happens when communities lead their own development. This means rethinking how resources flow - from top-down grant-making to trust-based partnerships that center community knowledge and leadership. Julia will explore these themes alongside Wambui M Karanja BBA, Msc and Satyam Vyas, bringing diverse perspectives on how to build more equitable funding ecosystems. Key focus areas: - Moving from compliance-heavy to trust-based giving - How regranting models can democratize resource access - Building authentic funder-community partnerships - Shifting power dynamics in philanthropy Tuesday, September 24 | 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM The Sidebar NYC For funders, impact investors, and ecosystem builders ready to challenge traditional approaches: https://luma.com/tcwkqdcx #TrustBasedPhilanthropy #CommunityLed #EquitableFunding #UNGA2025

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Here's how things are going at Raft Foundation: - Since we started in January, we recruited more than 30 projects across mutual aid, regenerative agriculture, civic tech, and alternative tech (among other focuses) that have raised more than $1.5M so far - In collaboration with 11th Hour Project, we're running Float, an innovative open agroecological technologies participatory regranting program that is about to make its first distribution - We host lovely monthly gatherings where projects get to know one another - 10% of our operational funds (i.e., fiscal sponsorship fees) are set aside for cobudgeting with the projects, which we are about to do for the first time (and will iterate on in the future) - Next year, we'll begin the transition to sortition-based project governance of the entire shared structure - Through it all, providing a robust, efficient, values-aligned fiscal sponsorship services It isn't perfect, but we're making a lot of progress. Turns out, under the surface there seems to be a real desire for strong values, shared governance, tech-enabled services, and a relationship-focused philosophy. Okay, that's the update. See you in a few months. (Onward, with love.)

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Here’s the full line up for this great conference on investing in the green economy. I’ll be unveiling our new One Earth #climate model that charts 100% decarbonization (97% renewables) by 2055 across all sectors with large-scale #nature CDR to achieve the 1.5C goal of the Paris Agreement.

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Being part of this evaluation process with Northwest Area Foundation was interesting and educational. It’s a big shift in approach for a lot of foundations, and I think a good one. We’re lucky that several of our Dakota Resources funders are finding ways to check the impact of their investments without putting extra pressure and stress on their grantees to put numbers on things where numbers are a small part of the impact story. If you want to understand more about program related investments (PRIs), here’s a good explainer from Venn Foundation. (Be sure to also click on “FAQs.”) https://lnkd.in/gS8kUd4x

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