Application Themes

The Rockefeller Foundation is especially interested in supporting convenings aligned with the following themes:

• Universal Energy Abundance

  Expanding access to abundant, reliable, and affordable clean energy can transform opportunities for billions of people, especially in communities historically underserved by current energy systems. Accelerating innovation in renewable technologies, storage, and distribution can unlock new pathways for economic growth, climate resilience, and universal well-being.
• Food Systems and Nutrition

  Every person deserves healthy, nutritious food that is grown sustainably. While our food system delivers extraordinary benefits, it’s also one of the largest contributors to environmental destruction today. At the same time, people are becoming sicker from what they eat and from not having enough food, while farmers face increasing challenges from extreme weather events, water availability, and food insecurity. Together, we must work to create a food system that benefits all consumers, producers, and the planet on which we all depend. We know this is possible by evolving how we grow, produce, purchase, distribute, and consume food.
• Economic Mobility

  Economic mobility is the ability for people at or below the poverty line to move into stable, better-paying work and build lasting financial security. It’s shaped by the quality of jobs available, the practical pathways that help people access and keep those jobs, and the conditions in their communities, including childcare, training, transportation, employer practices, and local investment, that make work possible and advancement real.
• Health

  Global health is entering a period of significant strain as long standing systems confront growing pressures from climate change and other 21st century challenges. Extreme heat, now one of the most visible and costly climate driven health threats, is exposing system vulnerabilities, affecting livelihoods, and reshaping where people can live and work safely. Addressing these impacts will require reimagining health approaches and advancing science, coordination, and community informed action to support resilience in a rapidly warming world.
• Artificial Intelligence for Good

  The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence presents both significant opportunities and complex risks for societies everywhere. Harnessing AI responsibly can accelerate progress on global challenges — from education to public health — while ensuring transparency, equity, and accountability in its deployment.
• Catalytic Finance

  Meeting today’s global challenges requires new financial tools capable of mobilizing resources at scale for underserved communities and climate vulnerable regions. Innovative financing mechanisms — such as blended capital, catalytic investments, and outcomes-based financing models — can unlock funding for solutions that create long-term, equitable impact for these groups.
• Climate and Development

  Climate change is altering development trajectories worldwide, putting decades of progress in poverty reduction, infrastructure, and economic growth at risk. By embedding climate resilience into development strategies, we can strengthen communities, safeguard ecosystems, and secure sustainable, long-term progress in an increasingly unpredictable environment.