McKnight Foundation

This submission reflects this organization's contribution to the climate effort, representative of their current actions and commitments as well as the ways in which they intend to step up and collaborate with others.

McKnight Foundation's Climate Action Contribution

About McKnight Foundation's Climate Efforts

Our foundation makes grants to organizations that are helping lead the national transition to a low carbon economy. We make approximately $16 million in grants that support Midwest climate and clean energy leadership each year. We also have a commitment to invest at least 10% of our endowment in high impact investments -- a large portion of which are related to clean energy. We vote our proxies in favor of climate change, join other institutional investors to advocate for RE100 and CDP and engage all of our fund managers to advocate for clear economic policies around climate change.

Climate Action Commitments

Current Climate Actions McKnight Foundation Is Taking:

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Commit to Responsible Corporate Engagement in Climate Policy

Join companies and investors that are helping to shape government policy on climate, taking early action and leadership, and showcasing their commitment to a safer and more prosperous economy.

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Sign the Investor Statement of Support for Low Carbon Investment

Signatories of the Low Carbon Investment statement declare their support for the continued development of the green bond market, in line with global best practice, and will invest in green bonds when investment characteristics are comparable and consistent with investment objectives.

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Support CDP’s Disclosure and Action Requests

Investors commit to supporting CDP’s annual disclosure request to over 5,000 companies. Investors also commit to supporting CDP’s Investor Action request to over 1,000 high impact companies which asks these companies to:

  • Use climate-related scenario analysis to inform their business strategy
  • Make emissions reductions, including via projects with positive returns
  • Consider committing to relevant parts of the We Mean Business coalition ‘Take Action’ campaign (including adopting science-based emissions reduction targets and implementing the recommendations of the TCFD).
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Sign on to the Climate Action 100+ initiative

Investors commit to supporting the Climate Action 100+ initiative with the aim of securing commitments from boards and senior management to:

  • Implement a strong governance framework which clearly articulates the board’s accountability for and oversight of climate change risk and opportunities.
  • Take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across their value chain, consistent with the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global average temperature increase to well below 2-degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
  • Provide enhanced corporate disclosure in line with the final recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and sector-specific Global Investor Coalition on Climate Change Investor Expectations on Climate Change (when applicable) to enable investors to assess the robustness of companies’ business plans against a range of climate scenarios, including well below 2-degrees Celsius scenarios, and to improve investment decision-making.
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Integrate Climate Change into Portfolio Analyses and Decision-Making

Commit to integrate climate change-related risks and opportunities in portfolio analysis and decision-making processes through one or more of the following:

  • Analyzing and assessing climate change-related risks and opportunities (e.g. through carbon footprinting, scenario analysis).
  • Making commitments and setting targets (e.g. to carbon footprint reduction, to enhanced portfolio resilience, to decarbonization, including via the Portfolio Decarbonization Coalition).
  • Investing in low carbon investment funds and other products (e.g. low carbon indices, climate-aligned bonds).
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Make and Report New Low Carbon Investments

Investors commit to increasing investments in appropriate low carbon opportunities such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, low carbon transportation, energy storage and energy efficient buildings. Investors commit to reporting and sharing those commitments and those investments.

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Report Existing Low Carbon Investments

Investors commit to report on existing investment allocations to low carbon investments and on existing targets and commitments to making additional low carbon investment.

Areas For Collaboration

We are interested in collaborating on the following:

Efficient Buildings
  • Encouraging more aggressive state energy efficiency policies
  • Improving efficiency in existing buildings through real estate transactions
  • Supporting building thermal decarbonization and electrification

Electric Vehicles
  • Encouraging more aggressive state targets for electric vehicles and GHG standards
  • Promoting increased charging infrastructure

Local Collaboration
  • Collaborate on climate and clean energy action, and to advocate for stronger climate policy at the local level

Natural Lands
  • Developing in measurement and monitoring systems to target efforts and track progress
  • Encouraging states to adopt incentive programs for forest management, tree cover expansion, and soil health
  • Promoting science-based targets for GHG emissions and removals in agricultural supply chains

Utility Sector
  • Encouraging more aggressive state renewable energy policies
  • Supporting states, cities, and utilities in decarbonizing their energy supply
Other collaborations
We already work on many of the issues above in partnership with dozens of nonprofit groups. We are interested and take action on many of the above priorities including RPS, electric vehicle adoption, new utility business models etc etc.

Organization details

The McKnight Foundation, a Minnesota-based family foundation, seeks to improve the quality of life for present and future generations. We use all our resources to attend, unite, and empower those we serve.
Sector
Investor
Location
Minneapolis, MN