Protecting People and Planet: Inside the Sierra Club Foundation with Dan Chu

Stephen Garten sits down with Dan Chu, Executive Director of the Sierra Club Foundation, to unpack how one of America’s most established environmental institutions operates and funds its mission. Dan explains the Sierra Club’s roots going back to 1892, why the Sierra Club Foundation was created in 1960, and how the Sierra Club’s (c)(4) and Foundation’s (c)(3) roles work together.They cover the Sierra Club’s focus on three “existential crises”: biodiversity loss and extinction, climate instability, and the growing disconnect between people and nature. Dan shares how outings and community-based outdoor programming build long-term public support for conservation, why public lands can be common ground across politics, and how the organization thinks about large-scale systems change through policy and impact investing.The conversation closes with practical leadership insights on building high-functioning boards, setting clear goals, and sustaining personal resilience in hard seasons.