Do One Better with Alberto Lidji in Philanthropy, Sustainability and Social Entrepreneurship

Shloka Nath, Chief Executive Officer of the India Climate Collaborative (ICC), offers an in-depth look at the launch of the HCL ClimaForce Fund, a new initiative designed to bridge the critical gap between promising climate innovations and wide-scale adoption. The fund marks a notable evolution in Indian philanthropy, particularly in the climate mitigation space — an area that has historically received limited domestic funding. Until now, Indian philanthropic capital has largely been directed toward adaptation strategies, focusing on helping communities withstand the impacts of climate change. The HCL ClimaForce Fund, by contrast, shifts the focus to emissions reduction, enabling India to not only respond to climate change but lead on the development and deployment of climate solutions. At the heart of the initiative is a groundbreaking partnership between ICC and HCL, with visionary leadership from Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Chairperson of HCL Technologies. The fund targets three high-impact sectors: sustainable buildings, cooling, and freight — all of which are major contributors to India’s future emissions profile and simultaneously ripe for innovation. India’s building stock, for instance, is expected to double by 2040, and nearly 70% of the buildings that will exist in 2050 have yet to be constructed. Cooling demand is also set to triple by mid-century, while freight continues to be a critical area of economic and environmental concern. These sectors present a rare window to influence the direction of India’s development — and by extension, its climate trajectory. The fund is designed to address what is often referred to as the “valley of death” — the stage where early-stage innovations struggle to gain traction due to a lack of commercial viability, limited data on effectiveness, and high perceived risk. By supporting pilot projects, demonstration initiatives, and capacity-building efforts, the HCL ClimaForce Fund provides the early, high-risk capital that most private investors are unwilling to commit. In doing so, it lays the groundwork for private sector investment and accelerates the scaling of climate solutions that are both affordable and suited to India’s socio-economic realities. What distinguishes this effort is not just its technical sophistication, but its collaborative ethos. The India Climate Collaborative brings together a wide network of stakeholders — from policymakers and research institutions to real estate developers, logistics companies, and civil society actors. Rather than operating in silos, the fund is embedded in a broader ecosystem that understands both the scientific imperatives of climate action and the structural and behavioral shifts needed to enable adoption. It also signals a new model of philanthropy in the Global South: one that is strategic, catalytic, and deeply rooted in local leadership and priorities. The fund’s structure and strategic focus reflect years of development, trust-building, and alignment between ICC and HCL. According to Nath, success will be measured not only in terms of the specific innovations supported, but in the broader transformation of India’s climate finance ecosystem. By de-risking innovation, creating proof points, and fostering cross-sector collaboration, the HCL ClimaForce Fund has the potential to drive system-level change — not just in India, but across the Global South, where similar barriers to climate innovation persist. As India races toward 2030, Nath emphasizes the need to integrate climate action into the country’s core development agenda. The ClimaForce Fund is one part of that larger vision: a pathway to scale homegrown, climate-smart solutions that can help define a new model of sustainable development. In her view, leadership today is less about having all the answers and more about enabling others to act — through trust, humility, and a shared commitment to transformative change. Thank you for downloading this episode of the Do One Better Podcast. Visit our Knowledge Hub at Lidji.org for information on 300 case studies and interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.

Nicole Rycroft, Founder and Executive Director of Canopy, shares a comprehensive view of how her organization leverages the global marketplace to catalyze large-scale forest conservation. Founded in 1999, Canopy is a solutions-driven nonprofit dedicated to safeguarding the world’s ancient and endangered forests by working with diverse stakeholders, including key corporate actors to reform supply chains traditionally reliant on forest degradation. Today, Canopy collaborates with over 1,000 brands, including major names like H&M, LVMH, and Penguin Random House, to help shift the fiber sourcing for packaging, paper, and textiles toward more circular, low-carbon alternatives. At the heart of Canopy’s strategy is an understanding that forests are deeply intertwined with the global economy. Each year, more than five billion trees are cut down for consumer products, many from high-carbon, biodiverse ecosystems critical for climate stability. Recognizing that supply chains are a major driver of deforestation, Canopy works directly with corporations to develop robust environmental policies and to pressure suppliers to move away from sourcing from vital forests. Moreover, Canopy engages companies in advocating for systemic policy changes and creating space at decision-making tables for Indigenous and local community leaders. Rycroft emphasizes the profound evolution of corporate attitudes toward sustainability over the past two decades. Where once sustainability registered as a low-level concern, today it sits as a strategic priority at the C-suite level. Companies are increasingly driven by the need for resilient supply chains, regulatory compliance, and achieving climate targets. The volatility of traditional supply chains—exacerbated by climate change, wildfires, and resource scarcity—has pushed executives to seek more circular and sustainable models. An integral part of Canopy’s work is building bridges between the corporate sector and Indigenous communities, whose stewardship has preserved much of the world's remaining biodiversity. Through storytelling and direct engagement, Indigenous leaders have been effective at connecting with corporate audiences, making the case for conservation through a deeply human lens that complements economic and regulatory arguments. A significant current initiative is Canopy’s work in India, aimed at scaling "next generation" (Next Gen) fiber solutions—transforming agricultural waste and recycled textiles into paper, packaging, and clothing. India’s vast agricultural residue problem, coupled with its global leadership in textile manufacturing, presents a major opportunity. In response, Canopy is developing a $2 billion blended finance platform to catalyze investment in this emerging sector, with plans to replicate this model in other regions of the Global South. The initiative reflects a broader shift toward blended finance mechanisms that leverage grants, concessional capital, and private investments to accelerate sustainable industrial transformation. Rycroft concludes by emphasizing that the solutions needed to safeguard forests and transition to circular supply chains already exist and are ready to scale. Bold corporate leadership and smart capital deployment will be key in the decisive decade ahead. With a growing coalition of committed brands and an urgent ecological timeline, the momentum for systemic change is tangible—and Canopy stands at the forefront of this effort. Thank you for downloading this episode of the Do One Better Podcast. Visit our Knowledge Hub at Lidji.org [https://www.lidji.org/] for information on 300 case studies and interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.

In this episode, Jordana Barrack, Executive Director of the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation, offers a compelling perspective on how funders can rethink philanthropy by centering empathy, trust, and long-term relationships in their work. The foundation, established by Kim Jordan, co-founder of New Belgium Brewing Company, is a family-led philanthropy focused on climate change, food systems, land and water stewardship, and social justice. With an annual disbursement of approximately $3.5 million and a planned sunset in 2040, the foundation aims to deploy its resources intentionally and meaningfully during its limited lifespan. A central focus of the conversation is the foundation’s recent initiative, the Mighty Partners Report, which reflects a deep learning journey undertaken to better understand the lived experiences and needs of its grantees. Rather than adopting standard philanthropic norms, the foundation opted for direct engagement and honest dialogue with its partners. Through surveys and interviews, they uncovered high rates of burnout and a strong desire among grantees to connect and collaborate with one another—insights that shaped the launch of two new grant programs. The first, Nurturing Leadership Grants, offers flexible capacity-building support specifically focused on people, rather than projects, within grantee organizations. The second, Transformational Capacity Grants, is structured around referrals—grantees are invited to nominate other organizations that might benefit from similar support. This peer-referral model not only decentralizes the application process but also broadens the foundation’s network in a way that is organically diverse and mission-aligned. Barrack emphasizes the value of proximity to grantees and fostering candid, human connections. Simply asking nonprofit leaders how they’re doing on a personal level, she notes, can often be unexpectedly powerful, especially in a sector where funders rarely engage with grantees as whole people. The foundation’s approach underscores the idea that genuine partnership requires both trust and a willingness to step away from traditional, transactional funding models. Thank you for downloading this episode of the Do One Better Podcast. Visit our Knowledge Hub at Lidji.org [https://www.lidji.org/] for information on 300 case studies and interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.

Christopher Coritsidis, Founder of the Opus 1 Foundation, presents a vision for how the arts can play a practical and effective role in driving social impact. His work focuses on leveraging the power of creative expression to address real-world challenges such as economic inequality, social injustice, and environmental sustainability. The Opus 1 Foundation brings together a wide-ranging network of artists, academics, advocates, policymakers, and organizations committed to using the arts as a tool for change. The foundation’s approach is based on the belief that creative practices can go beyond personal expression — they can be used to foster social connection, promote well-being, and strengthen communities. Coritsidis draws on a combination of professional experiences — from his background as a violinist to his MBA from MIT — to develop initiatives that combine artistic creativity with strategic impact. A key focus of the Opus 1 Foundation’s work is exploring how the arts can help address disconnection and isolation, which are growing challenges in many societies today. Whether through music, visual arts, or performance, creative projects have been shown to foster a sense of belonging and improve mental and emotional well-being.  Thank you for downloading this episode of the Do One Better Podcast. Visit our Knowledge Hub at Lidji.org [https://www.lidji.org/] for information on 300 case studies and interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.

In a wide-ranging and thought-provoking conversation, Pia Rebello Britto, Global Director of Education and Adolescent Development at UNICEF, unpacks the sobering reality of education in the face of accelerating climate change and systemic inequality. Drawing on her extensive global experience and UNICEF’s latest report, "Learning Interrupted: Global snapshot of climate-related school disruptions in 2024", she provides a clear-eyed analysis of the intersecting crises that threaten the educational futures of hundreds of millions of children worldwide. At the heart of the discussion is an alarming statistic: in 2024 alone, climate-related disruptions affected nearly 250 million children. Across 85 countries, extreme weather—floods, heatwaves, storms, and air pollution—upended school calendars, damaged infrastructure, and derailed learning. Yet climate is only one part of the broader learning crisis. Britto highlights three distinct yet interconnected challenges: children being denied access to school altogether; those enrolled but receiving substandard education; and those whose education is interrupted by crises. Each of these systemic failures contributes to the shocking global reality that 7 in 10 ten-year-olds cannot read a simple sentence.  Despite the scale of the challenge, Britto remains deeply committed to transformative solutions. She calls for immediate investment in climate-smart learning environments—resilient, adaptive infrastructure designed to withstand future shocks.  Central to these reforms is the recognition that teachers are the keystone of educational quality. Britto makes a compelling case for a global reboot of teacher preparation and professional development, describing it as one of the most efficient and scalable pathways to improving learning outcomes. At the same time, she warns against the seductive appeal of “shiny” EdTech solutions that lack evidence of impact. Effective integration of technology must be grounded in pedagogy, not novelty. She also highlights two often overlooked groups: girls and children with disabilities. Both face compounded barriers to education, and despite advances in assistive technology, inclusive learning remains vastly under-prioritized. It is here, Britto suggests, that funders and innovators could make some of the most catalytic interventions. For philanthropists, policymakers, and advocates, Britto offers a clear call to action: do your homework, invest in what works, advocate vocally for education as a fundamental right, and act locally as well as globally. Her vision is pragmatic yet optimistic. Education, she reminds us, is not merely a public service—it is a social contract. It is the most powerful instrument we have to unlock potential, and shape a sustainable future. Thank you for downloading this episode of the Do One Better Podcast. Visit our Knowledge Hub at Lidji.org [https://www.lidji.org/] for information on 300 case studies and interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.