FRED TAYLOR
CO-FOUNDER
TGS
CHAIRMAN
SEQUOIA CLIMATE FOUNDATION
CHRISTIE ULMAN
PRESIDENT
SEQUOIA CLIMATE FOUNDATION
WHO: Taylor is the “T” in TGS, an extremely secretive quant hedge fund with multiple offices in Irvine, and an extensive commercial real estate portfolio in the area. He has been part of the Business Journal’s annual listing of OC’s Wealthiest for years, after a national report came out nearly a decade ago that stated TGS’s hedge fund managers had “secretly directed one of the largest pools of philanthropic capital for years,” one it estimated at more than $13B.
WHY: Taylor’s made a few headlines in 2024 for work being done in Irvine, for philanthropic causes. A report in Inside Philanthropy this February notes that Sequoia Climate Foundation, a grant maker created four years ago, has quickly become “a giant in climate philanthropy,” one that “has started moving money at a rate truly befitting its towering namesake.”
IN THE NEWS: The foundation estimates it will send out $267M this year, Inside Philanthropy reports, placing the upstart among the largest environmental-focused giving groups in the world.
NOTABLE: Sequoia is based in Irvine and has office space at TGS’s longtime HQ in the city. Taylor appears to be the primary backer of the new group, Inside Philanthropy reports. Christie Ulman is reported to be the first hire for the group, which now has a staff approaching 50. She previously worked as climate director for London’s Children’s Investment Fund Foundation.
IN THEIR WORDS: Sequoia Climate Foundation’s website says that it “believes in a world powered by clean energy and protected by policies that have averted the worst impacts of climate change. We see climate change as a complex systems challenge that requires complex solutions: we work across regions and sectors to support grantees taking bold and ambitious actions to drive down emissions and accelerate a just and equitable transition to clean energy.”
LEARN MORE: sequoiaclimate.org
