top of page
Giving Green Logo

ClearPath


Overview

The Giving Green Fund plans to award a restricted grant to ClearPath, a US-based nonprofit accelerating US innovation to reduce global emissions. We have restricted our grant to ClearPath’s work on either nuclear power or decarbonizing heavy industry.


Nuclear power: We are supporting an ecosystem of nonprofits working on policies supporting advanced nuclear innovation in the US given that the US is important for designing and demonstrating these technologies before they are exported elsewhere.


Heavy industry: This is one of a series of grants to support an ecosystem of nonprofits working to expand and decarbonize domestic industrial production through increased public and private investment, along with trade policy that favors cleaner industrial material imports. While most of ClearPath’s work is focused on US stakeholders, we think that since these efforts include trade policy, they can have a global impact.


ClearPath falls within our impact areas of nuclear power and decarbonizing heavy industry. Please see Giving Green’s deep dive reports on nuclear power and heavy industry for more information about the general impact area, including risks and potential co-benefits, philanthropic strategies, theory of change, funding need, and key uncertainties.


Last updated: October 2024


What is ClearPath?

ClearPath is a US-based nonprofit founded in 2014 to support global emissions reductions through US innovation. It focuses on right-of-center policies for decarbonization. Its focus areas include clean energy, carbon removal, clean manufacturing, and setting the US as a global leader in deploying clean energy technologies. We have looked specifically into its work on nuclear power and clean manufacturing.


What are we funding at ClearPath, and how could it help reduce emissions?

Nuclear power

Nuclear power can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by replacing or avoiding carbon-emitting energy sources. It can work alongside renewable energy by providing a steady electricity supply, regardless of the season or environmental conditions. The future of advanced nuclear reactors, which are designed to be lower cost to build than traditional nuclear reactors and have advanced safety features, depends on technological progress and political conditions.


ClearPath is promoting investment in nuclear projects by developing policies that reduce project financing risks and promote investment. It is also educating policymakers on the importance of support from U.S. financing institutions like the US International Development Finance Corporation and the Export-Import Bank. These efforts aim to remove key obstacles to building new nuclear projects both inside and outside the US, speeding up deployment overall.


Industry

Leading the Clean Industrial Technology Campaign (CITC): ClearPath runs a bipartisan coalition, CITC, focused on decarbonizing cement and steel production. Through educating policymakers and drafting legislation, the coalition highlights critical opportunities where US innovation meets industrial decarbonization. The coalition includes representatives from environmental groups, labor groups, and the private sector. 


Expanding its work to include chemicals and refining: ClearPath has focused its industry work on concrete/cement and iron/steel, however, it would like to expand its work to include chemicals and refining. In keeping with its focus on innovation, ClearPath, in coordination with key stakeholders, would like to identify and develop policies that would unlock public and private investment for research and development to decarbonize chemicals and refining.  


Why do we think ClearPath will use this funding well? 

ClearPath’s strong track record and its focus on US innovation enable it to build bipartisan support and reach a broad set of stakeholders. We think this is especially important for industrial decarbonization as it will largely be driven by the coordination of strategic policies and private-sector engagement. We are also excited to support its expansion into chemicals and refining, an area of heavy industry that has received relatively less philanthropic engagement. We're also excited about ClearPath's work on nuclear power because it has become a trusted and collaborative leader in crafting practical policies that tackle key obstacles.


 

For more on the difference between the grantees of the Giving Green Fund and our Top Nonprofits, please see this blog post on the Giving Green Fund.


ClearPath has 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) entities. As Giving Green is part of IDinsight, which is itself a charitable, tax-exempt organization, we are only offering an opinion on the charitable activities of ClearPath’s 501(c)(3) arm, and not on ClearPath’s 501(c)(4) entity. This is a non-partisan analysis (study or research) and is provided for educational purposes.

bottom of page