NextGen Climate

NextGen Climate is an American environmental advocacy organization founded in 2013 to advance policies addressing climate change through political engagement, grassroots organizing, and public campaigns. It has operated at the intersection of philanthropy, electoral politics, and policy advocacy, engaging with a range of civic actors, political candidates, and institutions to influence public debate on energy and climate. NextGen Climate has been active in national and state-level campaigns and has drawn attention from media, policymakers, and critics across the political spectrum.

History

NextGen Climate was launched in 2013 by philanthropist Tom Steyer after his earlier involvement with the TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy and philanthropic activity tied to environmental causes. The organization grew alongside contemporaneous movements such as Sierra Club's political efforts, the League of Conservation Voters' electoral strategies, and advocacy coalitions that formed following the 2010 United States elections. Early activity included engagement with high-profile political events like the 2014 United States elections and coordination with state-level efforts similar to those of Environmental Defense Fund and Natural Resources Defense Council. Over subsequent cycles, NextGen Climate expanded its presence in battleground states involved in the 2016 United States presidential election and the 2018 United States elections, aligning tactics with other progressive networks including MoveOn.org and Planned Parenthood Action Fund on shared electoral objectives.

Mission and Advocacy

The organization's stated mission emphasizes reducing carbon emissions, accelerating clean energy adoption, and mobilizing younger voters and suburban constituencies ahead of key contests such as the 2020 United States presidential election. NextGen Climate has advocated for federal policies reflective of international frameworks like the Paris Agreement and domestic legislative approaches including proposals analogous to provisions debated in the context of the Green New Deal and proposals considered during deliberations in the United States Congress. The group has engaged with presidential administrations, members of the Democratic Party (United States), and allied civic organizations to promote regulatory actions by agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and state-level public utility commissions.

Programs and Campaigns

NextGen Climate has run voter-registration drives, advertising campaigns, and grassroots outreach comparable to mobilization efforts by Organizing for Action and Priorities USA Action. It has produced media across television, digital platforms, and direct mail to influence races for offices including seats in the United States Senate and gubernatorial contests like those in Florida and Pennsylvania. The organization has supported candidates and ballot measures through coordinated independent expenditures analogous to mechanisms used by groups such as AFL–CIO-backed committees and state-level advocacy like the campaigns for renewable portfolios in California and Michigan. Programs have also included policy research collaborations with think tanks resembling work by the Brookings Institution and the Center for American Progress.

Funding and Organization

Primary funding for NextGen Climate has come from major individual donors, most prominently Tom Steyer, placing it among high-dollar political philanthropies alongside patrons linked to entities like the Open Society Foundations and the Bloomberg Philanthropies. Organizational structure has included a 501(c)(4) advocacy arm for independent expenditures and companion entities for issue education, mirroring organizational models used by groups such as American Crossroads and Priorities USA. Leadership has engaged advisors and board members drawn from civic, legal, and political spheres with ties to institutions including the Democratic National Committee and advocacy networks that encompass actors like Sierra Club and League of Conservation Voters.

Impact and Criticism

NextGen Climate has been credited by allies with influencing discourse on climate policy, contributing to voter turnout in targeted demographics, and shaping the platforms of candidates in cycles such as those culminating in the 2016 United States presidential election and 2020 United States presidential election. Critics have raised questions about the role of wealthy donors in electoral politics, drawing comparisons to debates surrounding funding by figures associated with groups like Americans for Prosperity and exchanges about campaign finance law adjudicated in cases like Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. Other critiques have focused on tactical decisions, the effectiveness of advertising buys, and transparency consistent with scrutiny faced by nonprofit advocacy organizations across American political life. Supporters counter that NextGen Climate mobilized constituencies and elevated climate policy in a period that included international negotiations at events like the United Nations Climate Change Conference.

Category:Environmental organizations based in the United States