The Sunrise Project

The Sunrise Project
Name	The Sunrise Project
Formation	2010s
Type	Nonprofit advocacy organization
Headquarters	Australia
Region served	Global

Contents

Overview
History
Mission and Activities
Organizational Structure
Funding and Partnerships
Impact and Criticism
See also

The Sunrise Project is a philanthropic initiative and advocacy organization focused on accelerating the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy through strategic grantmaking, campaigning, and policy engagement. It operates internationally with teams working on climate policy, energy systems, public campaigns, and just transition issues across Australasia, Europe, North America, and Asia. The Project collaborates with a wide array of civil society actors, philanthropic foundations, research institutions, and grassroots movements to influence public debates, corporate behavior, and policy pathways.

Overview

The Sunrise Project engages in coordinated interventions that combine strategic communications, policy research, and movement organizing to shift public narratives and decision-making on coal, oil, and gas. Its work intersects with efforts by Sierra Club, Greenpeace, 350.org, World Wildlife Fund, and Friends of the Earth while drawing on research from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, International Energy Agency, and academic centers at Oxford University, Harvard University, and Stanford University. The organization emphasizes scalable campaigns that connect local struggles such as the opposition to coal plants in Australia and campaigns against LNG projects in the United States with international norms advanced by institutions like the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and treaty processes such as the Paris Agreement.

History

Founded in the 2010s by climate-focused philanthropists and campaign strategists, the Sunrise Project emerged amid growing transnational activism against coal and fossil fuel finance. Early efforts paralleled high-profile campaigns by 350.org and media coverage from outlets such as The Guardian, New York Times, and BBC that elevated public scrutiny of Coal-fired power stations and multinational energy firms including ExxonMobil, Chevron, and BP. The organization scaled through partnerships with major funders like the Bloomberg Philanthropies, Rockefeller Foundation, and regional philanthropies, and by coordinating with advocacy networks including Climate Action Network, Power Shift, and the Global Witness investigations into extraction-sector corruption. Over time it broadened from coal-focused campaigns to include gas divestment, abatement strategies, and supply-side policies informed by research from Carbon Tracker and Energy Transitions Commission.

Mission and Activities

The Sunrise Project's stated mission centers on accelerating the end of fossil fuel dependence and advancing equitable clean energy solutions. Core activities include strategic grantmaking, campaign design, policy advocacy, and capacity-building for partner organizations. Campaign priorities have included efforts to phase out coal plants, block new LNG projects, shift financial flows away from fossil fuel assets with groups like ShareAction and Rainforest Action Network, and promote electrification agendas supported by research from National Renewable Energy Laboratory and International Renewable Energy Agency. The Project conducts communications campaigns leveraging networks such as Common Cause and Avaaz and supports litigation and regulatory challenges alongside groups like ClientEarth and Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund.

Organizational Structure

The Sunrise Project is organized with regional teams and programmatic leads overseeing campaigns in Australia, the United States, Europe, and Asia. Governance typically includes a board of directors drawn from philanthropy, environmental advocacy, and policy research sectors, and an executive leadership team coordinating strategy, research, and operations. It partners with local NGOs, community groups, and research institutions, maintaining relationships with actors such as Australian Conservation Foundation, California Air Resources Board, and universities including University of Melbourne and University of British Columbia. Operational practices often feature collaborative campaign hubs that integrate communications, legal, and policy expertise.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding for the Sunrise Project has come from a mix of philanthropic foundations, high-net-worth donors, and program-related investments. Notable funders and partners have included foundations and intermediaries such as Bloomberg Philanthropies, Rockefeller Foundation, Children's Investment Fund Foundation, and regional trust funds. Strategic partnerships extend to NGOs, trade unions, faith groups, and policy organizations including Australian Council of Trade Unions, Friends World Committee for Consultation, Center for American Progress, and think tanks like Grattan Institute and Chatham House. The Project coordinates with philanthropic networks such as Effective Philanthropy initiatives and collaboratives that direct climate-related grantmaking.

Impact and Criticism

Advocates credit the Sunrise Project with contributing to the closure of coal plants, delaying or cancelling fossil fuel projects, and shifting investor behavior toward divestment strategies promoted by groups like Norway Government Pension Fund Global and BlackRock. Its campaigns have been linked to policy shifts in jurisdictions from Australian states to European capitals and have supported litigation outcomes involving regulators and corporations. Critics, including some labor organizations, industry groups, and political figures, argue that rapid transitions risk job losses in sectors such as coal mining and LNG export and call for stronger just transition measures similar to those advanced by International Labour Organization frameworks. Other critiques focus on the influence of large philanthropic donors in setting campaign priorities, raising debates reminiscent of controversies involving Open Society Foundations and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation over agenda-setting in civil society.