Fair Cooling Fund

Around the world, life without cooling puts one billion people in danger

Sickening, dizzying heat rots their food and spoils their medicines. It strikes in fields and factories, homes and hospitals. And as global temperatures climb, so the threat grows. The worst off are those in greatest danger.

The answer is fair cooling – affordable, accessible cooling solutions that do not worsen the climate crisis, and are developed with the communities at greatest risk. Around the globe innovators are developing solar-powered refrigeration, using trees and streams to lower temperatures in crowded cities, and making better use of cool materials and ventilation when designing buildings.

Alternatives such as air conditioning are out of reach for many, and create emissions that fuel the climate emergency. Fair cooling is the future – but it isn’t spreading fast enough. That’s why Ashden, Clean Cooling Collaborative (formerly K-CEP) and ClimateWorks Foundation launched the Fair Cooling Fund, an ambitious project scaling up the impact of frontline fair cooling solutions.

Fund impact

6,355,181 US Dollars leveraged by the cohort during the funding period, assisted by our support and initial grant.
3,470 people gained access to cooling during the project period.
420,000 people are set to gain access to cooling in the future. 
Coverage on media platforms including The Guardian, The Economist and BBC Arabic, and many others.
Innovators profiled at the COP26 climate summit.

From 2020 to 2022 we helped seven organisations from the worlds of business and academia co-develop new initiatives that to widen access to cooling, and gave them grants to turn their plans into reality. While their work stretches across Asia, Africa and Latin America, they are united by an ambition to deliver powerful social impact and address inequality.

The Fair Cooling Fund includes a special focus on boosting sustainable, affordable solutions to heat stress in low-income housing. See more about Cooler Homes, Stronger Communities.