Frequently Asked Questions

November Applications Open Spring 20 Finalists Announced February Applications Close Summer 10 Winners Announced

One of the ways that the Keeling Curve Prize is unique and wonderful is that we accept applications from a broad range of innovators and climate thinkers, ranging from those elevating tried and true traditional solutions to those pursuing new high-tech frontiers. Whether you are an entrepreneur/startup, a university research group, a non-profit or community leader, or an intrapreneur at a large company or organization, we want to hear about the best initiatives to reduce emissions or increase uptake of greenhouse gases. We want to activate and accelerate climate solutions from many different corners of the world and voices.

It can be hard for a project or pilot program in a single location to be competitive. However, if a single installation or local project is an incremental component of a broader strategy, of a scale that can compete with programs delivering a broader application, or will be scalable in the future, it may be competitive. You must be able to answer; why does your local or single-installation project have the potential to be transformative beyond its current use?

Applicants can contact the Global Warming Mitigation Project with questions regarding their application by emailing kcp@kcurveprize.org. To protect the integrity of the scoring process and the prize, applicants should not communicate directly with Analysts, Judges, Advisory Council Members, Board Members, or certain Staff regarding their application.

No. The scoring matrix is kept confidential.

Yes. If you applied for the prize and did not win, you are encouraged to re-apply, so long as your project is still active.

Only check additional categories on your application if you feel that your solution can show a tangible impact to emissions reduction or uptake across multiple categories. It is useful for our team to know whether your solution applies to one or multiple categories, but more categories are not always better if they are not relevant to your solution and its impact.

No. Applications that are not complete will not be considered. We need you to answer all questions as thoroughly and accurately as possible.

The Keeling Curve Prize welcomes applications from all over the world. We believe that the accurate translation of responses is critical and best left to you, the applicant, and the translation resources available to you. This keeps our process equitable and eliminates any risk of inaccurate or improper translations. If you choose to submit a video as an optional attachment to your application and wish to provide it in your own language, we will happily accept it with English subtitles.

The carbon accounting may not be as straightforward for some projects, particularly in the Social & Cultural Pathways category, but the most successful applicants will be those who can show that behavioral change has occurred as a result of their actions, and that those behavioral changes have produced quantifiable emissions reductions or increased carbon uptake. Sometimes, these can be estimates, but with a logical calculation methodology and clearly stated assumptions. So if a social or cultural initiative's participants are X% less likely to engage in a certain carbon-emitting activity or have attested that they have reduced their carbon emissions activities in some concrete way as a result of participating in the initiative, and there are generally known estimates for those carbon-emitting activities, Social & Cultural Pathways applicants can provide estimates of how they feel that their actions are helping reduce emissions or increase carbon uptake to solve the climate crisis. This is just one example. There are other ways to quantify as well.

Although the KCP does not explicitly endorse any specific method or guide for quantifying GHG emissions impacts, below we provide a list of some resources that may help applicants (in no particular order): CRANE Tool: CRANE is a tool built to help assess the emissions reduction potential of different technologies. Greenhouse Gas Protocols: GHG Protocols has compiled a list of Life Cycle Databases offering available third-party databases to assist users in collecting data for product life cycle and corporate value chain (scope 3) GHG inventories. ICAT Series of Assessment Guides: This collection of resources on assessing the impacts of climate policies and actions includes guides on renewable energy, buildings, agriculture, forests, transport, sustainable development and transformational change, a category that may of particular interest to applicants seeking to quantify emissions reductions in the Social & Cultural Pathways category. Do you know of other resources that have helped you quantify the emissions reductions or greenhouse gas uptake of your solution? Share them with us at info@kcurveprize.org.

You can find more information about this conversion on theEnergy Information Administration orEPA pages.

All Keeling Curve Prize staff, analysts, judges, Advisory Council members, and Stratosphere partners sign confidentiality agreements and are committed to not sharing private information about applicants.

The Keeling Curve Prize was established in recognition that the world needs to act quickly on climate and that there are effective solutions being implemented right now all across the globe. The KCP's aim is to accelerate and celebrate these solutions by honoring the very best climate actions worldwide and enhancing their efforts. We do this by providing not only financial resources, but exposure, promotion, and a supporting network to elevate their success.

The needed solutions for our climate challenge are broad in scope and scale, and the Keeling Curve Prize is equally dynamic.

The Keeling Curve Prize is a program of the Global Warming Mitigation Project, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.

The Keeling Curve Prize is currently funded by private donations.

The Global Warming Mitigation Project began with a simple question: what are we waiting for? The global temperature is rapidly rising— caused by greenhouse gas emissions— and the technologies we need to curb the problem already exist. If we can simply scale and apply these technologies, we can mitigate the warming of the planet and restore balance to our biosphere. But there is one major obstacle: we have no time to waste. So how can we get more money and resources flowing to decarbonize the planet? During her Master’s program in Energy Policy and Climate at Johns Hopkins University, Jacquelyn Francis wrestled with these issues and decided that the solution was to find, fund, and elevate climate leaders and entrepreneurs around the world. After securing initial funding, she assembled a global team of brilliant climate experts and founded the Keeling Curve Prize. This internationally recognized prize is much more than a financial award: it is an engine to fuel climate solutions. Applicants undergo one of the most scientifically rigorous vetting processes in the climate space, and prize winners are provided with funding, operational support, a global network, and professional visibility. Finalists and high-scoring projects and programs are similarly resourced in order to facilitate a broad range of climate solutions. Building on this work, Jacquelyn and her team created the Constellations Fellowship, a virtual program that fosters the next generation of climate leaders by connecting college students and recent graduates to professional opportunities within a global network of climate organizations. The success of both the Keeling Curve Prize and the Constellations Fellowship ultimately led to the development of an spectrum of interconnected programs and resources that not only nurture climate leaders but facilitate funding from investors, philanthropists, and companies to drive immediate climate solutions. These programs collectively form the Global Warming Mitigation Project, and each initiative is aligned with a singular goal: to decarbonize the planet and create a livable future for humanity. Currently, there is no one solution to global warming. But the Global Warming Mitigation Project seeks to identify and scale an entire spectrum of solutions in order to tackle the biggest existential challenge of our era.

The Global Warming Mitigation Project is decarbonizing the planet by discovering the world's best climate leaders and deploying the resources they need to scale their solutions.

We were founded in Aspen, Colorado but do not have a global headquarters. We have remote staff in multiple locations around the world.

As of 2023, the Global Warming Mitigation Project has awarded $1.75M to 60 climate action organizations.

Yes. The Global Warming Mitigation Project is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Please send general inquiries to info@kcurveprize.org.

All contributions support GWMP’s programs, operational capacity, and ability to directly scale climate solutions and impact the lives of young climate professionals worldwide. Donors can choose to restrict gifts if they want to directly fund a particular program, or they can make general operating gifts that support the overall growth and impact of our mission. GWMP’s Keeling Curve Prize is funded through contributions from individuals and foundations, and the prize purse is raised annually. We do not have an endowment or private fund dedicated to the prize. We depend on the generosity and commitment of our donors and partners to make sure climate entrepreneurs around the world have the capital, resources, and visibility to succeed in transitioning us away from fossil fuels.

Yes, all donations to GWMP for which goods and services are not received in exchange are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

Donations of all types and sizes make a tremendous difference in GWMP’s ability to execute its mission. One-time and recurring monthly donations at all levels make possible our programmatic and strategic success. Please inquire about special benefits.

The fellowship program is open to anyone, from high school students to recent college graduates with a graduation date within the last two years.​ The program has no geographical constraints, and we welcome applicants from anywhere in the world.

Yes, all fellows receive a $1,000 stipend upon the completion of their fellowship. The Global Warming Mitigation Project is continuing to eagerly advocate for sponsorship of Constellations to progress the program towards accessibility, allowing students to deepen their leadership in the climate movement.​

Yes, you may apply to any and all positions that interest you and match your skillset.​ Please submit a separate application with the appropriate cover letter for each position.

Yes, of course! We love receiving applications from our Constellations Alumni. However, each fellows may participate for no more than two semesters.

To ensure a fair and unbiased application process, you may NOT reach out to host organizations directly. If you have questions in regards to your application or the fellowship program, you may reach out to the Constellations Program Manager, Saige, at s.middleton@kcurveprize.org.

The hiring process for each host organization is unique. If they would like to move forward with our application, you should expect to hear from the host organization(s) after the application deadline has passed with details on next steps. Due to extremely high application volume, we cannot guarantee a response to all applicants.

All inquiries should be directed to Saige Middleton, Program Manager.