Our Approach

Since 1988, the Mott Foundation has supported efforts to make international finance more transparent, accountable and sustainable.

Today, international public and private finance play a central role in shaping energy systems and development pathways in many developing countries. Yet, too often, financial decision-making lacks transparency and meaningful public participation. These decisions carry significant social and environmental risks and prioritize large-scale infrastructure that fails to meet the needs of communities most affected by climate change and the energy transition. These dynamics are shaped in large part by international financial institutions and global agreements that influence how public and private capital is allocated and governed worldwide.

Our approach addresses these challenges by increasing the quantity and strengthening the quality of finance. We help advance robust environmental and social safeguards, support climate-aligned fiscal strategies and redirect private finance away from fossil fuels.

We have three strategies to achieve our goals:

Shifting public and private funding flows from fossil fuels to renewables.

Our grant funding supports:

• Efforts to increase investment in low-carbon energy and phase out support for fossil fuels worldwide.
• Efforts to create more fiscal space for climate and development objectives at the International Monetary Fund, a key institution shaping global financial stability and lending.
• Advocacy to align commercial banks with the Paris Agreement and end new fossil fuel investments.

Advancing transparent and accountable climate finance that protects ecosystems and communities.

Our grant funding supports:

• Stronger social and environmental safeguards and efforts to ensure that they govern all development policy and climate financing.
• Local engagement that prevents new energy infrastructure from harming communities.
• Reforms of accountability mechanisms to repair harms that do occur.
• Capacity-building for civil society organizations to improve effective monitoring and engagement.

Ensuring national platforms deliver a just and equitable energy transition.

Our grant funding supports:

• Research and coalition-building in Brazil and South Africa to develop accountability frameworks for national platforms.
• Advocacy that places human rights, environmental protections and community priorities at the center of national energy transition policy and financing processes.