Innovative finance and philanthropy firm LEBEC hosted a prestigious panel and private reception to shed light on solutions addressing the interconnected global water and climate crises. The convening highlighted creative approaches across the capital spectrum.
Matt Damon, co-founder of Water.org and WaterEquity speaks with Alix Lebec, founder and CEO of LEBEC, Amy Dornbusch of AtlasDaughters; Thais Lopez Vogel of VoLo Foundation; Yoca Arditi-Rocha of The CLEO Institute; and Vedika Bhandarkar of Water.org
Moderated by Alix Lebec, founder and CEO of LEBEC, the panel featured Matt Damon, the award-winning actor, screenwriter, producer and co-founder of Water.org and WaterEquity; Thais Lopez Vogel, co-founder and trustee of VoLo Foundation; Yoca Arditi-Rocha, executive director of The CLEO Institute; Amy Dornbusch, founder of AtlasDaughters and director of the Marks Family Foundation; and Vedika Bhandarkar, president and COO of Water.org.
The “Investing in Women, Water and Climate” event took place Wednesday and brought together top minds to discuss the urgent need to direct more philanthropic, governmental and investment capital toward scalable solutions addressing water and climate challenges and placing women at the center of these efforts.
“We’re standing at a critical juncture where the interconnected global water and climate crises demand immediate, innovative action,” said Lebec. “The solutions exist—what we lack is the urgency to deploy capital creatively and at scale. We have a full spectrum of financial tools at our disposal, from philanthropy to investments, that can unlock this trillion-dollar opportunity. By strategically investing in women, water infrastructure and cutting-edge technologies, we can realistically address water scarcity, climate change and gender inequality. The time to act is now—every dollar invested today in water and climate solutions can prevent billions in future costs and transform millions of lives.”
Damon remarked, “Water is at the heart of solving every major global challenge we face today. Solving the global water crisis means ensuring that everyone, everywhere has access to safe water. With safe water comes improved health, education, resilience to climate change and advances in gender equity, creating the future we all want for our families.”
“When we invest in climate solutions, we don’t just tackle a single environmental crisis,” said Lopez Vogel. “We form a triangle and connect other major issues at the same time, like health and education. When climate change is mitigated, hospitals have fewer patients, schools remain open and communities thrive.” Lopez Vogel, who has invested millions toward climate solutions through VoLo Foundation, from funding scientific research and educational programs to advocating for public policies that support long-term climate solutions, went on to explain how catalytic investment multiplies climate innovations.
Yesterday’s discussion, held at a private residence in SoHo with food by Mercado Little Spain by Chef José Andrés, centered on what it will take to bring philanthropy and diverse capital providers to the table to solve this issue. In a warming world, projections from various organizations, including UNICEF, the World Health Organization and the World Resources Institute, indicate that half of the world’s population will face extreme water shortages by 2030. Water, which is now increasingly being recognized as an asset class, touches every aspect of life as well as every industry and sector.
“Women, who bear the burden of this crisis, are also a key part of the solution,” said Bhandarkar. “They represent 90% of the microloan recipients paying for more sustainable water and sanitation solutions in their homes through our work. At Water.org, we’ve seen how financial tools enable women to access safe water, improving health and unlocking their potential to drive economic growth and create lasting change in their communities.”
Echoing Bhandarkar, Dornbusch—whose organization, AtlasDaughters, is on a mission to move significant capital into the hands of women leading innovative solutions for human and planetary health—stated, “Women become powerful agents of change when they can access the resources and support they need to create solutions that benefit everyone. Addressing these crises requires a collective effort, and women are leading the way. By focusing on inclusive investments, connecting these leaders with female funders to support scalable projects and empowering the next generation of girls as change agents, we can build a more resilient future for all. We are at a crucial moment: women are gaining significant capital alongside the rise of collective giving. When women invest together, they reduce risks and are more likely to commit larger amounts of capital.”
During the conversation, Lebec and the panelists unpacked how disruptive philanthropy, innovative finance, technology and inclusive climate policies can solve the global water and climate crises within our lifetime. In particular, Arditi-Rocha, whose leadership has been instrumental in shaping key climate policies such as the Inflation Reduction Act, addressed the intersectionality between the water and climate crises and the impact they have on communities vulnerable to their effects—particularly women of color—and how key policies, alongside catalytic philanthropy, can create transformational progress.
Said Arditi-Rocha: “Climate justice and social justice are two sides of the same coin. As we confront the interconnected crises of water and climate, investing in women is not only a moral imperative but also a strategic one. Women, particularly women of color, are both disproportionately affected and central to the solutions. Policies like the Inflation Reduction Act are helping channel critical resources. But policy alone is not enough. At The CLEO Institute, we’ve seen firsthand how catalytic and trust-based philanthropy can amplify impact, having recently unlocked half a billion dollars in federal funding for climate solutions. By combining strong policies with strategic philanthropy, we can achieve transformational change at the speed and scale this moment demands.”
On this front, Bhandarkar detailed how Water.org has utilized the full spectrum of capital—from philanthropy and impact-first funding to market-rate investments—to maximize impact and mobilize more than $5.7 billion in capital to support small loans that bring access to safe water and sanitation to millions of people in need. Water.org established WaterEquity, a global asset manager, to mobilize private investment for the water and sanitation sector. It seeks to demonstrate the bankability of investing in water through innovative fund structures that blend equity, debt and philanthropy as first-loss guarantees.
The Climate Week NYC convening brought together an exciting group of philanthropists, brands and investors, including Olivela, Elevate Prize Foundation, Lynn & Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation and others.
Originally published by LEBEC