A challenge for people with promising ideas is to have someone believe in their work and offer the first grant. Philanthropy has the freedom to provide this risk capital, and small foundations excel in early-stage funding, backing ideas that later attract the attention of large foundations and government. Meet a small funder whose purpose is to find creative entrepreneurs in the environmental and energy fields, and provide early support -- plus the encouragement -- to begin turning powerful ideas into reality. 
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Bio: John is the founding executive director of Blackstone Ranch Institute, which provides early seed grants and strategic advice to emergent initiatives across a broad array of environmental and sustainability fronts. During the 1990s he was a global troubleshooter for UNICEF, where he investigated the effectiveness of their role in the world’s most complex humanitarian relief operations.

John's blogs:
Making the Early Grant, and Very Often the First
How You Can Discern and Inspire Promising New Ideas—Before Anyone Else

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