FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 22, 2024
Media Contact:
Matt Porter
617-514-1574
press@jfklfoundation.org
www.jfklibrary.org
JFK Library Foundation Announces the Earthshot Innovation Challenge: Northeast U.S. Edition
– The annual award will grant up to $100,000 in funding to solutions to combat climate change in September 2024 –
BOSTON – In celebration of Earth Day, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, in partnership with The Earthshot Prize, announced the Earthshot Innovation Challenge: Northeast U.S. Edition to ignite Northeast-U.S.-based innovations to address climate change. The annual award will fund solutions that promise to make meaningful positive change in one of the five Earthshots: Protect and Restore Nature; Clean Our Air; Revive Our Oceans; Build a Waste-Free World; and Fix Our Climate.
Founded by Prince William in 2020 and inspired by President Kennedy’s Moonshot speech at Rice University, The Earthshot Prize is an ambitious global environmental prize which aims to discover and help scale the world’s most innovative climate and environmental solutions to protect and restore our planet. In 2022, the JFK Library Foundation was proud to partner with The Earthshot Prize to bring the award ceremony to Boston and highlight the city’s global standing as a pioneer in innovation. The Earthshot Innovation Challenge: Northeast U.S. Edition harnesses the energy from the Boston ceremony and President Kennedy’s vision to catalyze U.S.-based, game-changing solutions to repair the planet.
In 2024, three Earthshot Innovation Challenge winners will receive grant funding of up to $100,000 to accelerate the development and scale of their solutions. The awards will be presented during a ceremony at the JFK Presidential Library on September 12, 2024 commemorating the anniversary of President Kennedy’s Moonshot speech.
Potential applicants can learn more about the program and apply online.
“Addressing climate change and environmental damage, and doing so in a way that advances justice, equality, and a habitable planet, is the most urgent issue of our time. As a journalist, I have seen the innovation, courage, and determination of climate and environmental scientists, entrepreneurs, and activists around the world and in the Northeast U.S. on display, and I am proud that the JFK Library Foundation is recognizing and helping their efforts with this award,” said Tatiana Schlossberg, granddaughter of President John F. Kennedy and member of the JFK Library Foundation Board of Directors. “I am proud of my grandfather's leadership and legacy on the issue of environmental protection and its connection to justice and equality, and I am sure he would be honored to know that his words inspired Prince William and the Royal Foundation to lead in this effort.”
The JFK Library Foundation, The ‘Quin Impact Fund and The Earthshot Legacy Partners will provide grant funding to the award winners each year to accelerate the development and scale of these solutions. The Earthshot Legacy Partners group is chaired by inaugural supporters Sandy and Paul Edgerley and also recognizes leadership contributions from Giving | Grousbeck Fazzalari and Karen and Rob Hale.
“It was an honor to host The Earthshot Prize 2022 ceremony in Boston, and we are thrilled to continue to showcase the unparalleled talent and creative spirit that make this region a world-class hub of innovation and human achievement,” said Sandy and Paul Edgerley, founding partners of The Earthshot Prize and co-chairs of the Earthshot Legacy Partners. “As co-founders of The ‘Quin Impact Fund, we look forward to supporting the most innovative solutions that the Northeast has to offer to drive progress on the critical issue of climate change.”
“In 2022, Boston opened its arms to The Earthshot Prize, inviting and partnering with us to bring our work to the US for the first time, and unlocking a world of possibility for our Earthshot Prize finalists,” said Hannah Jones, CEO of The Earthshot Prize. “At the conclusion of our time in Boston, we issued a call to action – that The Earthshot Prize would continue to drive impact and opportunity across the community and beyond. Our dedicated partners have carried on this legacy with the Earthshot Innovation Challenge, and we are incredibly grateful for their efforts as we collectively work to, by 2030, reduce CO2 emissions by over 40 percent, and protect 30 percent of nature, oceans, and freshwater.”
About the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation:
The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation is the non-profit partner and creative collaborator of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, which is administered by the United States National Archives and Records Administration. Over the past forty years, this partnership has produced world class exhibits, the largest, most advanced digital archive created by a presidential library, award-winning educational and digital resources, and public programs that make the Library the largest convener of public dialogues in the Boston area. Grounded in the archival evidence, these activities promote a greater appreciation of America’s political and cultural heritage, help people understand the major challenges facing democracy today, and inspire new generations to engage with the issues at the heart of contemporary life that relate to the legacy of President John F. Kennedy.
About The Earthshot Prize:
For more information about The Earthshot Prize, visit: www.earthshotprize.org.
Follow The Earthshot Prize on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok.
Founded by Prince William and incubated in the The Royal Foundation in 2020 for a year before becoming an independent platform/organization, The Earthshot Prize is a global environmental prize and platform designed to discover, accelerate and scale ground-breaking solutions to repair and regenerate the planet. Inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot, which united millions of people around the goal of reaching the moon, The Earthshot Prize aims to catalyse an Earthshot challenge to urgently encourage and scale innovative solutions that can help put the world firmly on a trajectory towards a stable climate, where communities, oceans and biodiversity thrive in harmony by 2030. The five challenges are: Protect and Restore Nature; Clean Our Air; Revive Our Oceans; Build a Waste-Free World; and Fix Our Climate.
The Prize aims to turn the current pessimism surrounding environmental issues into optimism by championing inspiring leadership and helping to scale incredible cutting-edge solutions. It will discover 50 winners over 10 years with the power to repair the planet. More than an award, The Earthshot Prize works in partnership with a Global Alliance of Partners to support the scaling of the solutions discovered and selected each year.
The Global Alliance Founding Partners are a group of leading global organizations and philanthropists, which act as strategic funding partners to the Prize, including Aga Khan Development Network, Bezos Earth Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Breakthrough Energy Foundation, Coleman Family Ventures, DP World in partnership with Dubai EXPO 2020, Eleven Eleven Foundation, Giving Grousbeck Fazzalari, Holch Povlsen Foundation, Jack Ma Foundation, Law Family Charitable Foundation, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, Marc and Lynne Benioff, Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Rob Walton Foundation, Sandy and Paul Edgerley, Standard Chartered Bank, Temasek Trust and Uber.
Global Alliance Partners are non-profit environment and sustainable development organizations that bring expertise, global reach and serve as nominating organizations each year. For a full list of our Global Alliance Partners, visit: www.earthshotprize.org/global-alliance. Global Alliance Members are some of the world’s largest and most influential companies and brands that will support The Earthshot Prize, implement ambitious changes within their businesses and accelerate the advancement of the solutions of Prize Finalists and Winners. They are: Arup, Bloomberg L.P., Deloitte, Herbert Smith Freehills, Hitachi, Ingka Group (IKEA), Microsoft, The Multichoice Group, Natura &Co, Safaricom, Salesforce, Unilever, Vodacom Group and Walmart.