About the webinar... 

As founder and executive director of Giving Green, Dan Stein, Ph.D., and his team of climate researchers are focused on a growing and constantly evolving body of research into the most effective philanthropic strategies addressing climate change. Guided by this research, Stein and the organization provide climate actors with the tools and evidence they need to make more informed, cost-effective decisions about supporting climate action. Giving Green’s research focuses on highly effective, evidence-backed strategies taking a systemic approach to lowering emissions, e.g. via policy advocacy, technology development, market shaping, and building a social license to operate. Each strategy is evaluated using Giving Green’s “Scale, Feasibility, Funding Need” framework, which looks at the scale of the problem, how feasible it is to solve it, and the need for funding. At the end of each year, this research culminates in a list of Top Nonprofits that funders should consider giving to. It is also used to allocate money from the Giving Green Fund, a grantmaking facility hosted by Giving What We Can on track to disburse over $13 million to highly effective climate nonprofits in the two years since its inception. 

In this presentation, Stein will demonstrate how philanthropists can maximize the impact of their climate giving and affect systems-level change with philanthropic strategies that don’t just win the race against time but change the rules of the game entirely. He will walk the audience through how to identify high-leverage giving opportunities, including specific strategies Giving Green’s research deems to have the greatest potential for impact and need for funding today. Stein will also provide a high-level rundown of the current state of climate philanthropy under the new U.S. administration, and where opportunities exist for philanthropists to meet the current moment, maintain momentum towards progress, and fill gaps left by the government. 

Dan Stein, Ph.D. Founder and Executive Director, Giving Green Dan Stein, Ph.D., is the founder and executive director of Giving Green, where he leads a team of climate researchers in their efforts to help organizations and individuals make more informed, evidence-based decisions about supporting climate action and maximizing their impact. Stein has a deep passion for tackling the climate crisis by advancing and publicizing research about effective and cost-efficient solutions and has 15+ years of experience assessing impact strategies and interventions.  Stein’s work has been uplifted by The Associated Press, Vox, The Atlantic, The New York Times, Forbes, The Telegraph, among other publications. He has spoken at industry events and conferences including New York Climate Week 2024, San Francisco Climate Week 2024, The Center for Effective Philanthropy Conference 2023, and Effective Altruism Global 2022.  In addition to his role at Giving Green, Stein serves as a senior advisor to IDinsight. Before transitioning to Giving Green full-time in 2025, Stein served as IDinsight’s chief economist, where he ran large research initiatives, developed new projects and partnerships, and managed a team of technical specialists. Prior to IDinsight, Stein worked as an Economist at the World Bank, where he launched a program of impact evaluations in energy and environment.  Stein holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the London School of Economics, and a B.A. in Physics and Political Economy from UC Berkeley.