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The Schmidt Family Foundation, established in 2006 by Wendy and Eric Schmidt, brings philanthropic resources to some of this century’s greatest challenges across the globe. Applying new knowledge and innovation is our model for problem solving and for advancing original research in science, energy and the sustainability of the world’s biosphere.
The Schmidt Family Foundation supports efforts, using best expert information, to help transform the world’s environmental and energy practices in the 21th century. Our mission, at its broadest, is to advance the creation of an increasingly intelligent relationship between human activity and the use of the world’s natural resources.
With this as our fundamental goal, we work strategically, and often in collaboration, to create successful models of our vision. This includes the restoration and protection of vulnerable historic places while improving their environmental profile, using new technologies and the growing knowledge about the impact of the built environment on the Earth’s climate system. We support efforts around the world to improve health, education, transportation and communications through investing in a pattern of economic development that includes green, sustainable environmental practices and design. In addition, we support public education around issues of energy and the environment and promote public understanding of the science of climate change.
While the specific areas of activity which the Foundation will support are likely to vary over time, the Foundation’s vision is long-range and is initially focused on two interrelated areas: environmental preservation and education. Supporting scientific environmental research and other related efforts, and at the same time working to improve the quality of education, will help to ensure that the work the Foundation undertakes today will be safely entrusted to tomorrow’s leaders. In the future, the Foundation will likely expand its charitable activities beyond the environment and education.
The Foundation’s environmental interests include sustainability, filling the information gap to people who remain uninformed about issues of environmental degradation, responding to the threats of global warming, and empowering individuals to take actions to reduce emissions. Its environmental program will initially focus on promoting the transition from an oil-dependent society to one that operates on renewable and sustainable sources of energy. At current rates, the earth’s average temperature is expected to rise anywhere from three to ten degrees over the next 100 years. This will result in a rise in sea levels that, among other things, will erode the coasts, entirely submerge agricultural resources in low-lying countries, decrease crop production, and cause a dramatic increase in annual river flooding. The human contribution to global warming through greenhouse gas emissions is well documented, yet many people remain uninformed about this issue and what specifically they can do to reduce emissions. The Foundation intends to fund research and other activities to ensure the availability of high-quality unbiased data on global warming and potential solutions.
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"Applying new knowledge and innovation is our model for problem solving and for advancing original research in science, energy and the sustainability of the world’s biosphere."
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