From Heidi Binko, JTF Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer:
I’m proud to share that the Just Transition Fund has been selected by Yield Giving for a significant new investment in our work. This is an extraordinary moment—not just for our organization, but for coal communities nationwide—that will allow us to deepen our work and support even more communities navigating the transition away from coal.
When we founded the JTF nearly ten years ago, our goal was simple and urgent: ensure that the communities that powered this country for generations were not left behind as the economy shifted. Over the past decade, I’ve had the privilege of working with local leaders who are creating new economic opportunities in the face of profound change. Their resilience, creativity, and determination are what drive me—and what guide our strategy every day.
This recognition from Yield Giving strengthens our ability to meet that ambition. It affirms the national importance of community-led economic transition and reinforces the model we’ve built alongside our local partners. For us, this also kicks off a multiyear strategy—based on what we know works—to invest over $100 million nationally in coal communities across the country. Yield Giving’s support gets us nearly 50 percent there.
I’m deeply grateful to MacKenzie Scott and Yield Giving for their trust, and to the many partners, funders, and local leaders who have shaped and supported our work from the beginning. Your belief in equitable, locally driven solutions continues to strengthen our ability to help coal communities build resilient and inclusive local economies.
Coal communities deserve a future defined not by decline, but by opportunity. With this support, we’re poised to accelerate our impact. Today, I’m more hopeful than ever and I’m energized about what the JTF and our community partners can achieve together.
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