Salesforce has announced 15 new grantees as part of the expansion of its Catalyst Fund, providing capital to new and small nonprofits focused on increasing access to quality education and advancing climate justice.
With disparities in education quality still a significant challenge that is limiting socioeconomic opportunities for many, these grants aim to help smaller, younger organizations grow their programs and reach new audiences, innovate for solutions, test ideas and secure additional funding.
The Catalyst Fund was first launched by Salesforce in June 2022 to scale inclusive philanthropy and support 20 nonprofits, led by underrepresented leaders.
Motivated by this, Salesforce’s latest round of funding will allocate a total of $2m to nonprofits to support 15 organizations across the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.
In addition, the fund has also extended its reach to include three organizations with a specific focus on climate justice to build the next generation of climate leaders and advance a just transition to a green economy.
With these latest contributions, the Catalyst Fund will have awarded a total of $6m to 50 nonprofit partners since 2021.
Becky Ferguson, SVP of philanthropy at Salesforce and CEO of the Salesforce Foundation, said: “We’re proud to support these exceptional organizations, recognizing that getting access to philanthropic capital is often harder for younger and smaller nonprofits.
“We’ve seen the transformative impact of our education Catalyst Fund partners and we’re thrilled to broaden our reach to support climate justice organizations.”
Esther Morales, catalyst fund grantee and executive director at Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI), said: “The transition to clean energy is inevitable, but creating an equitable distribution of benefits takes intention.
“With unrestricted funding, I have greater capacity to focus on the most impactful work with young clean energy leaders instead of worrying about how to cover the core operations that are always so difficult for nonprofits.”
The 15 new Catalyst Fund grantees serve their communities as part of a few organizations among America On Tech, which grew its tech sector partnerships, resulting in over $1.5m in internship wages for students in the 2022-2023 school year and CELI, which equips young professionals with energy systems expertise and networks to accelerate the transition to a clean energy future.
Other organizations also include Coded By Kids, DeadlyScience, DREAMer’s Roadmap, Eight Million Stories, Football Beyond Borders, Kingmakers of Oakland, Profound Gentlemen, The Calculus Project and The Teachers’ Lounge.
