Micro-Philanthropy

Joining Gen E allows you to align your lifestyle with your values of wanting a healthy planet, just by being you. Our frictionless micro-philanthropy app empowers climate action with every transaction, raising both awareness and funding for environmental causes.

HOW WE’RE DIFFERENT

We know that the easier it is to do something, the more people will do it. Traditionally, only the uber-wealthy have had access to the perks of having their own philanthropy fund. But we think anyone who wants to donate should enjoy the basic benefits that come with managing it all in one place. So we built a modern, readily available app to empower more people to become next-gen philanthropists. The Gen E app is the one-stop-shop for all your giving needs and wants, removing the friction from philanthropy. Because if everyone gives a little, our cumulative impact will be a lot.

Why link micro-philanthropy
to spending?

Fact: Everything we buy and consume has a negative impact on the environment. Even with the best intentions, it’s nearly impossible to avoid contributing to extractive practices and wasteful supply chains in our modern society.

Act: Take back some control and stand up for the planet in your everyday life by giving back to it – your way – every time you swipe that card. And hey, sometimes consider not swiping that card (less is more). By focusing on what we can do, we contribute to real impact and real change towards a truly climate-friendly world.

Bonus: You’ll get the feel-good benefits from donating regularly, which we think is much more satisfying than limiting those high vibes to the traditional once or twice a year.

How exactly does Gen E micro-philanthropy work?

Every purchase you make on your linked Purchase Tracker will automatically trigger a donation pledge to your portfolio of environmental nonprofits. That’s what we call frictionless micro-philanthropy.

Add even more impact to your portfolio with Spot Impacts (ex: planting trees), Boosts (extra dollars to your monthly balance), or increase your Micro setting (the percent you’re giving per purchase). Gen E keeps track of all your activity, which you can monitor in your app. Then once a month, your Funding Source will be charged with your total monthly philanthropy.

When we charge your Funding Source with the fully tax-deductible donation, your donation first goes to CAF America, our 501(c)(3) grantmaking partner, who helps us quickly and efficiently issue grants.

All this happens automatically behind the scenes, so you can get back to living your best climate-friendly life.

Meet our grantmaking
partner, CAF America.

Gen E partners with Charities Aid Foundation America (CAF America), a leading 501(c)(3) public charity, to facilitate grants to charitable organizations. They are experts in securely and efficiently issuing grants with an added layer of due diligence in vetting grantees. All donations go directly into the Gen E Philanthropy Fund at CAF America, you then receive your fully deductible tax receipt, and within 15 days grants are made to the designated nonprofit beneficiaries. See our Terms of Use for more details.

What’s the deal with Philanthro-fees?

Gen E manages our community’s philanthropy from pledge to grant. The fact is that it costs money to facilitate online transactions, do cool tech stuff, and keep your data and privacy secure. We’re building a sustainable impact business, and to do that we retain a portion of the payment volume to cover necessary costs, like paying third-party partners that help us seamlessly and securely track your philanthropy and process grants. Philanthro-fees average about 8%. If you’re an investor or like-minded brand who’d like to help subsidize or sponsor these fees, please reach out to us.

In sum, here’s what that means for you, the nonprofits, and us:

  • You get the perks of having a philanthropy fund of your own, a dashboard to track it, automatic donations that are fully tax-deductible, and year-end tax statements, to list off a few. All that for free – we don’t ask for upfront charges, beg for tips, or tack on additional fees that would increase your total payments.
  • The nonprofits receive free, incremental revenue, no strings attached. Traditionally, nonprofits spend up to $25 for every $100 they raise. Our grantmaking partner, CAF America makes grants to the designated grantees quickly and efficiently. All this saves the nonprofits precious time and resources so they can focus on their mission.
  • Gen E gets to forge ahead sustainably by covering our costs that keep your philanthropy flowing to the cause, while making it easier for more people to support the planet in a way that aligns with their interests and lifestyles.