Togami, Chie L.
(2024)
Funding Climate Action: New Grassroots Social Movements, Resource Mobilization, and the Role of Philanthropic Patronage.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
The year 2018 marked a pivotal moment for the global climate movement. The emergence of new grassroots groups like Fridays for Future, Extinction Rebellion, and the Sunrise Movement inspired hundreds of thousands of people to participate in diverse forms of climate activism. Resource mobilization theory (RMT), a key theory within social movement scholarship, stresses the importance of resources (e.g., time, money, skills, and organizational capabilities) in the emergence, development, and success of social movements. While a number of studies have identified resources as critical to environmental movements’ survival and influence, existing scholarship is relatively silent on how, and from where, new grassroots climate movements derive the financial resources necessary to support their mobilizations. Even less attention has been paid to the role and impact of philanthropic foundations in bankrolling climate activism. This study addresses this gap, asking: (1) How do recent climate change movement organizations secure the financial resources to sustain their activities? (2) What are the primary barriers that grassroots movements face when seeking funding from philanthropic foundations? (3) What are the implications of foundation patronage of grassroots climate change movements? Focusing on two climate movement cases (Extinction Rebellion UK and the Sunrise Movement), this study uses qualitative methods to analyze a number of data sources including 36 original, in-depth semi structured interviews with climate activists and foundation staff; ethnographic participant observations of climate activism in the UK and US; and a variety of secondary sources on climate movement funding. The findings demonstrate that philanthropic foundation funding played a significant role in the development of two of the most consequential grassroots climate movements to emerge in the climate wave of 2018. Regarding barriers to grassroots movement funding, I identify and detail a number of ‘foundation-social movement mismatches,’ that fall into three broad categories related to: (1) structure (legal status, organizational structure, grant size, timing, fluctuating interest in certain issue areas, as well as accessibility); (2) capacity and culture (human resource, labor, skills and expertise); and (3) theories of change (conflicting strategic and ideological orientations towards social change). I conclude by discussing potential pathways for overcoming these funding barriers.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
27 August 2024 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
1 August 2024 |
| Approval Date: |
27 August 2024 |
| Submission Date: |
15 August 2024 |
| Access Restriction: |
2 year -- Restrict access to University of Pittsburgh for a period of 2 years. |
| Number of Pages: |
195 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Sociology |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
climate change, social movements, resource mobilization theory, philanthropy, foundations, Sunrise Movement, Extinction Rebellion |
| Date Deposited: |
27 Aug 2024 12:59 |
| Last Modified: |
27 Aug 2024 12:59 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/46940 |
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