Rihanna's Clara Lionel Foundation Mission to Address Climate Change & Empower Women Entrepreneurs

• Rihanna's Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF) is also expanding its mandate to include climate action and empowering women entrepreneurs 

• The organization was established in 2012 and was named after Rihanna's grandparents 

Rihanna's Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF) is broadening its efforts to combat climate change and empower women entrepreneurs. CLF was established in 2012 to name Rihanna's grandparents and started off with a gift of $516,000 upon the death of her grandmother from cancer. Since its inception, CLF has expanded considerably. 

In 2020, the CLF gave more than $33 million in grants to pandemic relief efforts and racial justice organizations. The foundation is now moving into a new era with a broader mission. "Our founder is a woman from a small island nation with a global impact," CLF executive director Jessie Schutt-Aine said. "She's an entrepreneur, she's a mother, and she’s a creative. We want our organization to have that spirit and energy." 

CLF's priority areas have expanded to encompass climate solutions, arts and culture, health access and equity, women's entrepreneurship, and future generations. The foundation has also made new director hires to oversee efforts in women's entrepreneurship and to oversee its programs and impact. 

One notable collaboration is with the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Together, they will support artist-initiated projects to preserve Barbados' threatened cultural heritage through climate change. Justin Garrett Moore, a Mellon Foundation director, observed that CLF's platform can heighten arts visibility and advocacy. CLF has been praised for its "trust-based" strategy of giving, which provides unrestricted funding to recipients. Nick Tilsen, the founder of the Indigenous power-building nonprofit organization NDN Collective, reported that the model enables his group to "work on our terms." 

Ashley Lashley, 25, whose organization works with CLF on environmental projects in Barbados, welcomed Rihanna's initiative, citing the potential of women in positions of influence to be involved in grassroots efforts. Rihanna herself stated her expectation that CLF would continue to promote "global inclusion in philanthropy," but underlined, "Though we have a global reach now, the love for our community and our roots is very much a part of the foundation's DNA."