Shortly after graduating high school, Kate Williams embarked on a 30-day expedition in Wyoming’s Wind River Range mountains. The trip, already made difficult by a particularly snowy spring, became even more challenging when Williams’ instructor broke his leg. Amid the subsequent crisis, the then-18-year-old Williams was challenged to lead the group’s evacuation—a moment that solidified her interest in all things leadership, organization and wilderness. “I decided in that moment that was what I wanted to do with my life,” she told Observer. Williams, who is now 59, has since parlayed those ambitions into heading up 1% for the Planet, a Vermont-based network that encourages corporations to donate at least 1 percent of their revenue to environmental nonprofits around the globe.
The past few years haven’t been banner years for climate philanthropy in the U.S. Under the Trump administration, America has withdrawn from the Paris Agreement, rolled back its EV goals and clawed back funds earmarked for environmental efforts. But even amid a tumultuous landscape, 1% for the Planet continues to retain members and oversee donation growth, according to Williams, who noted that the organization certified $115 million in member contributions in 2025—the largest annual amount in its nearly 25-year history.
The organization’s origins stem back to 2001, when Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, and Craig Matthews, owner of the fishing shop Blue Ribbon Flies, went on a fishing trip to Montana’s Madison River. The longtime friends had already built their separate businesses with an environmentally focused philanthropic slant. “But they realized, as they were fishing and looking at some land that was threatened to be developed, that this is not a one-company job: we have to build a movement,” said Williams.
Thus, 1% for the Planet was born. Over the past few decades, its membership has grown to include around 4,500 companies representing more than 100 countries and 65 industries, predominantly professional services, health and beauty, and food and beverage. Notable members include Kendall Jenner’s tequila line 818, the skincare company Youth to the People and the
Williams joined 1% for the Planet in 2014 and became CEO the following year. But her first experience with the organization was actually from the perspective of a grant recipient. In addition to a former stint at a Vermont yak farm, Williams previously served as executive director of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, a long-distance paddling trail stretching from the Adirondacks to Maine that was formerly part of 1% for the Planet’s vetted network.
For a time, it seemed as if corporate commitments to the environment had stalled. Uncertainty over the state of environmental funding, in combination with unexpected tariff expenses, led to 2025 turning into “an interesting year of, I would say, paralysis and inaction,” said Williams. Even so, the network last year saw a strong member renewal rate, she added.
Recent times have been even harder on nonprofits, many of which lost federal funding in 2025. “As early as April of last year, we talked to some nonprofits who were already going out of business,” said Williams. “Federal grants have been seen as a very reliable and steady source, so to have those just instantly pulled was definitely challenging.” For some nonprofits, financial struggles were compounded by the Trump administration’s crackdown on language referencing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), adding more uncertainty and stress to an already taxing context.
Such instability isn’t limited to the U.S. Various geopolitical factors, like the ongoing war in Ukraine, have also affected members of 1% for the Planet, noted Williams, who added that unpredictable changes have long been a part of the network. “There’s been wars; elections across all of the countries we operate in; different government regulations; increases or decreases in regulatory environments,” she said. “We have continued to grow and represent a way that businesses can make a consistent annual commitment, even amidst the volatility of the world we operate in.”
This year, however, Williams has noticed a pivot away from passivity and towards engagement. Members of 1% for the Planet, which is increasingly bringing on larger accounts, are once again beginning to raise their voices on the importance of environmental advocacy and funding, said Williams, who declared that “translating courage into action” is her network’s key message for this year’s Earth Month. Coming off last year’s record year for member contributions, 1% for the Planet has now certified more than $900 million in total member contributions since its founding and is inching closer to its goal of surpassing the $1 billion mark.
In a moment of serendipitous timing, the milestone is likely to coincide with 1% for the Planet’s upcoming 25th anniversary. “Doing the math, we should be getting pretty close,” said Williams. “Once we get there, we’ll immediately tip over into: how do we get to the next billion—and faster?”