5 Moments of Progress We’re Proud Of

Every year at Founders Pledge matters, but 2025 felt different.

This year marked ten years since our work began. That milestone gave us a reason to pause and really look at what this community has built together, not just in numbers, but in how we show up when it counts.

10 Years of Impact

To mark our anniversary, we published our 10 Year Impact Report. It brings together what our members have given, who that support has reached, plus what has been made possible because people chose to give with intention.

Today, Founders Pledge is a community of more than 2,200 members. Together, they have donated over $2 billion to areas where funding can meaningfully change lives.

That didn’t happen overnight. It came from people committing early, sticking with it, and learning how to give more thoughtfully over time. Seeing that kind of impact compound is one of the clearest reminders that consistency matters.

Standing Up When Urgency Called

Early in the year, global development organizations were hit with sudden foreign aid cuts. Programs that millions of people rely on were at risk.

In response, our community moved quickly. Through the Rapid Response Fund, built in partnership with The Life You Can Save, members raised and granted more than $13 million to help organizations keep critical work going during a deeply unstable funding moment.

The Rapid Response Fund has now closed. But, the urgency behind it didn’t disappear. It pushed us to think more seriously about what comes next.

The Catalytic Impact Fund

That reflection led to the launch of the GHD Catalytic Impact Fund (CIF).

The CIF shifted our focus from responding to short-term funding shocks to supporting work that builds long-term resilience. It is designed to strengthen institutions and programs that can adapt and keep serving communities year after year.

If you watch the CIF video, you can see how this approach works in practice and why it matters.

A Historic Investment in Climate Impact

This year, we also received a $50M anonymous donation to the Climate Fund. It is the largest single gift in Founders Pledge history.

The size of the gift matters. But the trust behind it matters just as much.

At a moment when climate progress feels fragile, someone chose to place a significant bet on intentional evidence-based climate philanthropy. Those resources allow us to support work that is often overlooked, protect vital policy infrastructure, strengthen innovation ecosystems, and move capital toward opportunities that shape decarbonization outcomes at scale.

A Story That Starts With a Promise

Alongside the report, we released a new video, "It Starts with a Pledge." It tells a simple story about how personal commitments turn into real-world change.

A pledge becomes a decision. A decision becomes action. Also, how action becomes impact that lasts well beyond a single moment of giving.

For many members, signing the pledge is not a symbolic gesture. It is the start of a learning process. One that helps them figure out how to give in ways that actually solve meaningful problems.

Looking Ahead

Ten years in, one thing is clear. Impact grows when knowledge deepens on more strategic giving and when people learn together.

This year showed that when urgency appears, this community responds. And when challenges shift from immediate to systemic, we are willing to evolve our approach to meet them.

There is still a lot of work ahead. But we move into the next decade with momentum, clarity, and a community that knows how to put resources where they matter most.

Here’s to what comes next, and to every member who helped make this year what it was.