This story features content from “Ideas Into Action,” a newsletter on social impact brought to you by the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI).

PROFILES IN PARTNERSHIP

New fund supports cleantech startups from underrepresented communities

This month, the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) launched a $6 million fund to support cleantech startups from underrepresented communities. The LACI Cleantech Debt Fund, first announced at a CGI event in 2019, is built to support 100 early-stage startups from underrepresented communities – particularly women-led, Black, and Brown founders – who often face institutional and historical barriers to accessing capital. (Read)

SPOTLIGHTING SOLUTIONS

Expanding Community-Led Conservation

Conservationist Resson Kantai Duff says now is the time for local Africans to lead conservation efforts on their own ancestral land. In her home of Nairobi, Kenya, women and local farmers are leading education and preservation work with great results, showing that the people closest to the land are often the best ones to conserve it. (Read).

Investing in clean energy projects

Local governments across the U.S. are investing in clean energy projects, and in 2021, the number of brightfields – landfills that have been repurposed as solar farms – increased tenfold, generating a combined 207 megawatts of clean energy and a possible second life for local landfills. (Read)

Creating economic opportunities for women in business

Investment group BlackRock and UN Women have launched a new partnership to create economic opportunities for women in business through “gender lens investing” – allocating capital and investing strategically in ways that advance women’s empowerment objectives. (Read)

COMMUNITY IN ACTION

Launching New climate adaptation solutions

As more communities face the effects of climate change, investing in innovative climate adaptation solutions is more important than ever. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and CGI Commitment-Maker BRAC are partnering to launch the Climate Resilience Early Warning System (CREWSnet) as part of MIT’s Climate Grand Challenges. CREWSnet is a novel forecasting system that gives underserved communities more data and tools to interpret local weather risk, minimize loss, and plan for their futures.

President Clinton on The Late Late Show

President Bill Clinton was a guest on The Late Late Show with James Corden, discussing why he’s bringing back CGI, his worries about the future of U.S. democracy, and much more. (Read)

NextUp: Taking Action Together

We recently sat down with Gregory Milne, Chief Executive Officer of CGI, and Luke Schiel, Managing Director of CGI, to learn more about what inspires them, their dream social change Avengers, and their hopes for the future in the Clinton Foundation’s annual Impact Report. Check out what’s inspiring their work here. (Read)

WATCH CLUB

Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen

“Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen” is an in-depth look at Hollywood’s depiction of transgender people and its impact on trans lives and American culture. Featuring transgender actors like Laverne Cox, Jen Richards, Alexandra Billings, and more, “Disclosure” asks its audience to redefine their understanding of trans people and their lived experiences. “Disclosure” is currently streaming on Netflix.

TELL US YOUR STORIES!

Is your organization making a difference in the community? Do you have an amazing story just waiting to be told? Well, we want to hear it! You can send all story suggestions, news clips, and other CGI community news to Kelsey Samuels at ksamuels@clintonfoundation.org.