General Motors announced that it has joined the National Wildlife Federation as a founding member of the new Climate Equity Collaborative, according to the company's news release.

The Climate Equity Collaborative is an initiative focused on addressing the disproportionate impacts of climate change on communities and youth, according to the news release.

The initiative also aims to engage communities, youth, and nonprofits in designing and implementing equitable and inclusive climate solutions.

According to GM, the key priorities include:

• Elevating environmental justice and education within the broader climate conversation.

• Building on-ramps to the climate equity space for organizations that share the Collaborative’s values, starting with communities hit first and worst by the impacts of climate change.

• Strengthening the knowledge and leadership already existing among youth and vulnerable communities through engagement opportunities and resources.

• Driving investments to nonprofits and platforms that are advancing education, environmental justice, and economic opportunity.

GM said it has donated $1 million to the collaborative through its Climate Equity Fund, and it will codesign the initiative’s framework and roadmap. The National Wildlife Federation is serving as the convener alongside an ecosystem of sustainability leaders in the nonprofit, government, and private sectors.

Other founding nonprofit partners include WE ACT for Environmental Justice, Children’s Environmental Health Network, and the Community and College Partners Program.

“Too often, the people and communities most vulnerable to climate change are left out of conversations that impact their lives,” said Kristen Siemen, GM's VP of sustainable workplaces. “We’re proud to be a founding member of the Climate Equity Collaborative, and we invite other companies to join us in this movement to take stronger, more inclusive action on climate change.”

In 2021, GM launched its Equitable Climate Action initiative and created its now $50 million Climate Equity Fund to provide philanthropic support to nonprofit organizations closing equity gaps related to climate change. The fund has provided more than 40 grants to nonprofits and benefitted approximately 1.2 million people through its programs, according to GM.

“The climate crisis is hitting Black and frontline communities first and worst. The Climate Equity Collaborative and this partnership will help us ensure that efforts to address the changing climate and generational environment injustices reflect the perspectives and needs of impacted communities,” said Mustafa Santiago Ali, EVP of conservation and justice at the National Wildlife Federation. “We’re eager to build off the work to date of the Climate Equity Collaborative and inspire all communities to join us in this important work.”