Imagine backing an Oppenheimer
For generations, the Oppenheimer name has stood for ideas that change the course of history. Today, that legacy continues as Charles Oppenheimer, founder of Oppenheimer Energy, leads a movement to repower America’s stalled nuclear sites—projects capable of powering millions of homes, dramatically cutting coal use, and proving nuclear’s critical role in our climate future.
The Oppenheimer Circle is the donor collective making this vision a reality. We pool catalytic capital to fund the essential pre-development work—assessments, engineering, and strategy—the only stage of the project that carries no assets. This pre-asset stage is where visionary philanthropy unlocks monumental change. Without it, projects stall. With it, they advance to secure institutional investment and achieve long-term impact.
This is where your philanthropy makes history. Members of the Circle are creating a legacy their families, clients, and shareholders will celebrate for generations: “We launched this new era of American nuclear energy.”
Our model is powerful because it is fast, recoverable, and proven. Funds are deployed for approximately 24 months to bridge the gap until institutional capital steps in. Then, the capital is returned and recycled into the next promising site. The Circle’s impact compounds.
Philanthropy has always had the capacity to fuel foundational change. Nearly $1.6 trillion sits in U.S. foundations and donor-advised funds, yet less than 1.3% of philanthropic dollars go to climate solutions—not for lack of will, but for a lack of truly scalable, high-impact opportunities. The Oppenheimer Circle is that opportunity.
Membership is secured through a minimum $1 million grant to TheNewClimate, Inc., which can be made by a single donor or pooled. The first twenty members will be recognized as Founding Members of this historic initiative.
AI is driving explosive growth in data centers, pushing power demand beyond what today’s grid can supply. The Oppenheimer Circle gives donors a way to strategically finance the only carbon-free baseload solution at scale—nuclear repowering—unlocking billions in institutional investment and securing the backbone of America’s AI economy and national security.
The Oppenheimer Circle is not about patient capital. It is about being decisive—furthering the Oppenheimer legacy by repowering nuclear to meet our insatiable energy demands with clean energy for generations to come.
Contact:
Diane Schrader
Founder, TheNewClimate, Inc.
diane@thenewclimate.org
Footnotes:
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The Age of Modern Public Good refers to the era of modern philanthropy and foundation development, beginning around 1900. This period saw an unprecedented rise in large-scale philanthropic giving, primarily led by industrial magnates who established foundations to address systemic societal challenges. The Carnegie Corporation, founded in 1911, focused on education and scientific research, leading to the creation of over 2,500 public libraries. The Rockefeller Foundation, established in 1913, played a pivotal role in funding medical research, including the development of the yellow fever vaccine. During this time, philanthropy supported the establishment of institutions like the National Academy of Sciences, the University of Chicago, and the development of early public health infrastructure. These large, transformative grants reshaped public education, healthcare, and scientific innovation, setting a precedent for modern philanthropy. This period saw the establishment of major philanthropic institutions that played a pivotal role in funding scientific, educational, and social advancements.
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Examples include the Carnegie and Rockefeller Foundations, which funded universities, medical research institutions, and public libraries; the Guggenheim Foundation, which supported early aerospace research; the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, which advanced biomedical research; and the Ford Foundation and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, which contributed to breakthroughs in physics, computer science, and industrial engineering.
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The $28,000 average grant figure is based on data from the National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS)and Candid (formerly the Foundation Center), which track U.S. foundation giving trends.
