DGA has worked with non-profit organizations of all kinds, from small advocacy organizations to large foundations.

• For the Pew Charitable Trusts, DGA conducted a detailed evaluation of the Trusts’ efforts to gain protection for and improve the management of old growth forests and wilderness in the boreal region of Canada. DGA interviewed key persons both inside and outside of the campaign, conducted an independent verification of key indicators of success of the campaign, analyzed the media initiatives undertaken by the campaign and supporting groups, and conducted a legal analysis of key questions pertaining to the Trusts’ work. In an internal report for the Trusts, DGA evaluated the contribution of the Trusts and its grantees to boreal protection in Canada and made recommendations to the Trusts to improve the success of their campaign.

• For Ceres, a national network of investors, environmental organizations and other public interest groups working with companies and investors to address sustainability challenges such as global climate change, DGA has produced more than fifteen public reports on the impacts of climate change on investors and key industries. For example, DGA’s 2006 report “Climate Risk and Energy in the Auto Sector, Guidance for Investors and Analysts on Key Off-balance Sheet Drivers,” used to train investors and Wall Street analysts in a briefing and roundtable sponsored by Ceres, JPMorgan, and the Natural Resources Defense Council, amongst others. In “The Future of Oil,” released in 2007, DGA analyzed the impact of climate change, geopolitical instability, and diminishing oil reserves on oil markets, and the import of these changes for investors, companies, and governments. In the Practical Climate Change Toolkit for Corporate Leaders, DGA detailed a ten-step plan to help successful corporations engage with concerned stakeholders, disclose their strategies to investors, and take concrete actions to manage climate change risk and capitalize on opportunities it presents. See our Publications page for more information about the reports we have written for Ceres.

• The Edwards Mother Earth Foundation, a small family foundation in Seattle, decided it wanted to focus its giving on the single issue of climate change and came to DGA for assistance in developing a portfolio of grants to support that focus. Recognizing that climate change represents a long-term challenge, EMEF’s goal was to make a measurable difference on the issue within five years with a program of approximately $1 million a year. DGA guided EMEF throughout the entire funding process, beginning by helping the Foundation select from among four different options for a specific focus and working with the members of the board to develop a policy approach to guide its granting. DGA then helped EMEF select states where its funding would make a real difference, evaluate organizations active in those states, and solicit grant proposals to affect change in state-level electric utility energy efficiency policy. DGA continues to support EMEF’s efforts, working to ensure that the Foundation’s efforts are as successful as possible.

• DGA works with the American Public Transit Association on an ongoing basis to publicize the role that transit plays for communities and individuals seeking to reduce their carbon emissions. DGA provides APTA with strategic guidance about the best opportunities to incorporate transit issues into the climate debate, helps APTA continue to publicize its work in the climate arena, and works to build bridges between APTA and prominent organizations in the environmental community.

• DGA assists the Energy Future Coalition, a non-partisan public policy initiative, with its efforts to shift state-level electric utility policy and modernize the electric grid in the United States. DGA has been a key player in the Energy Future Coalition’s activities, providing strategic guidance, bringing key environmental, business, and labor voices to the table and involving them in EFC’s work, and working directly with EFC’s partners to effect change at state Public Utilities Commissions. DGA has also been a key part of EFC’s “25 x 25” campaign — an effort to harness the public support for the goal of producing 25 percent of America’s energy from renewable sources like wind, solar, and ethanol by 2025. DGA helped EFC develop a strategic plan for the campaign, recruited organizations to support the effort, and assisted in developing the policies needed to achieve the campaign’s goal.

• For the Northeast Regional Biomass Program, DGA identified and analyzed the applicable laws, regulations, and policies that could act as a potential impediment to the distribution, use, or sale of bioheat (biodiesel-blended heating oil) in 11 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states and four major urban areas (Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore). NRBP, which is administered by the CONEG Policy Research Center and which is one of five Regional Biomass Energy Programs established and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, asked DGA to investigate state and municipal polices that might act as the obstacles to the use of bioheat in these Northeast states and major urban areas.  The DGA analysis looked at fire codes, building and housing codes, consumer protection regulations, tax policies, environmental and public health laws and regulations, transport and trucking regulations, and weights and measures regulations.

Other non-profit organizations with whom DGA has worked include Clean Air – Cool Planet, the Council on Competitiveness, Environmental Defense, Global Green, the Land Trust Alliance, the Merck Foundation, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Western Resource Advocates, the World Wildlife Fund, and the United Nations Environment Programme Financial Initiative.

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