Honnold Foundation's Executive Director, Emily Teitsworth, on Turning Small Grants into Scalable Climate Solutions
- Apr 17
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 20
In this episode of the Do One Better Podcast, Alberto Lidji speaks with Emily Teitsworth, Executive Director of the Honnold Foundation, about a powerful and often overlooked approach to climate philanthropy.
Founded by professional climber Alex Honnold, the Honnold Foundation focuses on expanding access to solar energy in underserved communities around the world. But its impact goes far beyond clean energy. The organization identifies and supports grassroots leaders who are frequently invisible to larger funders, helping them develop, grow, and ultimately access greater resources.
Emily shares how the foundation operates as both a funder and an intermediary, providing not only grants but also hands-on capacity building. This includes support with strategy, financial management, communications, and storytelling. By strengthening organizational foundations, these small, locally led groups become better positioned to scale and engage with larger institutional funders.
A central theme of the conversation is trust-based philanthropy. Rather than imposing rigid frameworks, the Honnold Foundation meets partners where they are, offering flexible funding and long-term support. This approach allows unexpected and transformative outcomes to emerge. From solar-powered internet access in remote Brazilian communities to solar boat fleets in the Ecuadorian Amazon, the ripple effects extend far beyond energy access.
Emily also discusses the importance of patience in philanthropy, especially when working with grassroots organizations navigating complex regulatory and operational environments. She highlights the foundation’s role in bridging the gap between early-stage innovation and large-scale funding, helping surface high-potential projects that might otherwise go unnoticed.
The episode explores the broader funding landscape, where billions flow into large-scale energy infrastructure while relatively little reaches community-led initiatives. The Honnold Foundation accounts for a meaningful share of global community solar funding, underscoring both the scale of need and the opportunity for more funders to engage.
Ultimately, this conversation challenges traditional notions of scale and impact. It makes a compelling case for investing in small, locally rooted solutions as a pathway to meaningful, lasting change.
Key topics include:
Expanding solar energy access as both a climate and development solution
Identifying and supporting overlooked grassroots organizations
Trust-based philanthropy and unrestricted funding
Capacity building as a pathway to scale
Bridging grassroots innovation with institutional capital
The concept of emergent impact in climate work
About Emily Teitsworth
Emily Teitsworth is the Executive Director of the Honnold Foundation and a passionate advocate for equity and environmental justice. She has over two decades of experience growing and evolving organizations in the nonprofit and philanthropic fields and has worked in Central America, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and the U.S., with a focus on sustainability, gender and racial equity, public health, and community development.
Emily holds a Master’s Degree in Sustainable International Development from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, and graduated from Wesleyan University with a B.A. in Philosophy and Psychology. Prior to joining the Honnold Foundation, Emily was the Executive Director of GirlVentures, and a co-founder of Rise Up and Project Aruna. Her writing has been featured widely, including in Stanford Social Innovation Review, the Guardian, Inside Philanthropy, and Alliance Magazine.