RF111: Big Bets for Climate Action

The Rockefeller Foundation is celebrating its 111th year of promoting the well-being of humanity. To celebrate these milestones, we hosted an event on Big Bets for Climate Action, in partnership with CNN, on Thursday, May 30, 2024, from 2:00-5:00 pm ET. The event featured fireside chats and remarks providing valuable insights into the intersection of climate change, diplomacy, policy, creativity, and intergenerational collaboration.

Watch the RF111 Livestream

Agenda:

2:00-2:10 PM
Opening Remarks and Welcome
Speakers: Dr. Raj Shah (The Rockefeller Foundation) and Becky Anderson (CNN)

2:10-2:40 PM
Public Diplomacy Fit for the 21st Century
Speaker: Ambassador Linda Thomas Greenfield (U.S. Mission to the United Nations)
Moderator: Dr. Raj Shah (The Rockefeller Foundation)

2:40-3:15 PM
Funding a Green Future Beyond COP28
Speakers: Ambassador Majid Al Suwaidi (COP28 Presidency/ALTÉRRA),Maryanne Hancock (Y Analytics) and David Giordano (BlackRock)
Moderator: Becky Anderson (CNN)

3:15-3:20PM
Building a Climate Movement with Project Dandelion
Speaker: Pat Mitchell (Connected Women Leaders)

3:20-3:30 PM
Break

3:30-3:50 PM
Empowering African Climate Pioneers
Speakers: Ledama Masidza (CNN Academy) and Kate Kallot (Amini AI)
Moderator: Bill Weir (CNN)

3:50-4:20 PM
A Seat at the Table and the Voice of a Generation
Speakers: Nile Rodgers (We Are Family Foundation), Sneha Revanur (Encode Justice), and Peter Selfridge (SAP)
Moderators: Becky Anderson (CNN) and Julia Chatterley (CNN)

4:20-4:55 PM
Making Green Good for All
Speaker: Vice President Al Gore
Moderator: Bill Weir (CNN)

4:55-5:10 PM
LIVE Performance by Nile Rodgers

Featured Speakers:

H.E. Majid Al Suwaidi
Director-General, COP28

Becky Anderson
Managing Director of CNN Abu Dhabi and Host of Connect the World with Becky Anderson

Julia Chatterley
CNN International Anchor and Correspondent and Host of First Move with Julia Chatterley

David Giordano
Managing Director and Global Head of Climate Infrastructure, BlackRock

Al Gore
Former Vice President of the United States

Linda Thomas-Greenfield
Representative of the United States to the United Nations

Maryanne Hancock
CEO of Y Analytics and Partner, TPG

Kate Kallot
Founder and CEO of Amini

Ledama Masidza
Marine Conservationist, Indigenous Food Systems Advocate, and CNN Academy Fellow

Pat Mitchell
Editorial Director at TEDWomen and Co-Founder of Connected Women Leaders

Sneha Revanur
Founder and President of Encode Justice

Nile Rodgers
Grammy-Winning Musician, Producer, and Co-Founder of the We Are Family Foundation

Peter Selfridge
Global Head of Government and Public Affairs for SAP

Dr. Rajiv J. Shah
President of The Rockefeller Foundation

Bill Weir
CNN Chief Climate Correspondent

Download the full list of speakers and their bios here.

Lasting Impact

From our very first grant — to the American Red Cross more than a century ago — through to today’s vast array of initiatives, The Rockefeller Foundation has built a reputation for making big bets that spur breakthroughs in science and understanding and leverage unlikely partnerships to deliver transformative change. Our list of achievements over the last 110 years is long.

Since 1913, we have worked with grantees and partners in: