World Resources Institute: Grantee Spotlight

Grantee spotlight: World Resources Institute

The Giving Green Fund plans to award a grant to the World Resources Institute (WRI) for its work on removing barriers to deploying clean firm technologies, supporting next-generation geothermal, and reforming siting and permitting. WRI is a global research organization.

WRI’s work falls within our philanthropic strategy of unleashing clean energy in the U.S.. Please see Giving Green’s strategy report for more information, including potential risks and co-benefits, recommended sub-strategies, theory of change, and key uncertainties.

Last updated: October 2025

What is the World Resources Institute?

Founded in 1982, WRI is a global research organization that works to improve lives, protect and restore nature, and stabilize the climate. It gathers and analyzes data to guide real-world action and expands its efforts across local, national, and global levels. WRI shares its knowledge through partnerships, publications, and tools to help others take similar actions.

What are we funding, and how could it help address climate change?

We are funding WRI’s work to accelerate clean energy deployment in three key areas:

• Removing barriers to deploying clean firm technologies by improving regional planning and electricity market design. These efforts will help states and reliability authorities better coordinate on bringing innovative, near-commercial technologies online. WRI will conduct research and convene experts to develop options for improved planning processes and market designs.
• Supporting next-generation geothermal by launching state-level initiatives focused on policy, regulation, stakeholder engagement, and innovative finance. Its work includes educating stakeholders, assessing regulatory gaps, briefing decision-makers, and identifying policy gaps, solutions, and best practices.
• Reforming state and local siting and permitting to reduce delays, build community support, and speed up clean energy and transmission projects. WRI will research the causes of opposition, identify what makes siting policies more effective, and explore how community benefit frameworks can lead to better outcomes. It will also help policymakers create practical rules and remove unnecessary barriers.

In our strategy report on unleashing clean energy in the U.S., we identified deploying and commercializing clean firm power and addressing barriers to clean energy deployment as promising approaches to decarbonizing the U.S. grid. Specifically, clean firm power can help complement renewables on the grid and provide reliable, always-on electricity. Additionally, good permitting reform can speed up deployment and de-risk critical clean energy projects by reducing costs and making project timelines more predictable. We believe that WRI’s proposed work is well-aligned with our strategy. In general, we think that WRI can help address climate change by speeding up the deployment of essential technologies and avoiding new fossil fuel buildout.

Why do we think the World Resources Institute will use this funding well?

WRI has a strong track record in all three focus areas, showing its ability to lead, convene, and deliver results. For example,

• Clean firm power: WRI has led a dozen NGOs over 2024-2025, developed strategies to accelerate deployment, and contributed to key market reform efforts in New York, the Southeast, and the West.
• Next-generation geothermal: WRI has built deep policy expertise, developed educational materials, and engaged a wide range of stakeholders (e.g., NGOs, industry, experts, and government representatives) to raise awareness and identify scalable solutions.
• Siting and permitting: WRI has supported hundreds of local governments through training, technical assistance, and peer learning.

We think WRI’s track record, credibility with diverse partners, and ability to turn research into action give us confidence that it will use this funding effectively.

Giving Green believes that additional climate donations are likely to be most impactful when directed to our top nonprofits. For several reasons, we may choose to recommend grants to other organizations for work that we believe is at least as impactful as grants to our top recommendations. We are highlighting this grant to offer transparency to donors to the Giving Green Fund, as well as to provide a resource for donors who are particularly interested in this impact strategy. This is a nonpartisan analysis (study or research) and is provided for educational purposes.

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