Publications
Publications
- April 2008
- HBS Case Collection
The Energy Foundation
By: Jane Wei-Skillern and Alison Berkley Wagonfeld
Abstract
The Energy Foundation, a philanthropic foundation established through a partnership among major donors with a mission to promote clean energy technology, is the largest funder in the U.S. focusing on the energy sector. The $60 million foundation operates through a range of networks, among funders and grantees, to achieve broad impact. Funder networks and foundations that work through a network approach are relatively uncommon in the philanthropic sector. Eric Heitz, EF's president, seeks to build the broader field of energy philanthropy, scale EF to meet the sector's needs, and utilize the strengths of its grantees and their networks. He must determine how the foundation can achieve greater impact by leveraging not only its own resources, but also those of others in the field.
Keywords
Entrepreneurship; Investment Funds; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Networks; Expansion; Energy Industry; Green Technology Industry; United States
Citation
Wei-Skillern, Jane, and Alison Berkley Wagonfeld. "The Energy Foundation." Harvard Business School Case 308-078, April 2008.