This letter marks the close of GNDN and reflects on the work we carried, together—and why we chose to conclude this chapter.
Over the past five years, the Green New Deal Network and its allies helped achieve what many believed was impossible. Together, we helped move billions of dollars into communities through the Inflation Reduction Act, reshaped the national narrative by linking climate action to jobs and justice, and built a multiracial, cross-sector front capable of acting decisively when it mattered most.
But the conditions under which GNDN was founded have fundamentally changed. The mission of climate justice is far from over—but our structure was no longer the right vehicle to meet this moment.
That reality required an honest decision.
GNDN was created to win large-scale federal investment in a just, clean energy future and to help build durable movement infrastructure in the process. From the beginning, we were designed as a time-bound vehicle—an ambitious, coordinated effort to make the Green New Deal real during a specific political window. We envisioned a path where climate leadership held governing power, grassroots organizations mobilized at scale, and cross-sector partners treated climate justice as core to their mission.
That vision bore fruit—until the conditions changed.
Our rise coincided with a period of extraordinary momentum, sparked by mass movements, electoral breakthroughs, and a national reckoning on race and justice. We rapidly built a formation that united labor, Indigenous, frontline, community, electoral, and climate organizations around a shared vision. During the 2021 Democratic trifecta, GNDN played a central inside-outside role in advancing the Build Back Better agenda. Climate became a national priority, and the result was the largest climate investment in U.S. history—one that centered labor and frontline leadership.
When political conditions shifted in 2022, we shifted too. Rather than duplicate the work of our partners, we redirected resources to affiliates and supported critical state and local campaigns during a narrow window of opportunity. In 2023 and 2024, we focused on implementation—supporting partners as they accessed federal tools, advanced disaster recovery work, and defended hard-won investments.
We continued to lead—but we were never built for defense.
With the return of an administration openly hostile to climate action, the terrain shifted decisively. Federal climate leadership moved out of reach. Coalition members faced mounting political and legal threats. Cross-sector allies turned, understandably, toward intersecting fights for democracy, labor rights, racial justice, and reproductive freedom. At the same time, the philanthropic landscape shifted, with many funders moving away from national intermediaries toward narrower or more decentralized approaches.
Together, these changes demanded a clear-eyed assessment of how best to serve the movement.
Our existing structure—designed for coordination, regranting, and large-scale mobilization—no longer offered the strategic return or safety it once did. In some cases, it introduced risk without commensurate benefit.
We have seen this moment before. Movements create vehicles to meet specific conditions. When those conditions change, those vehicles must evolve—or step aside with integrity.
We are not here to preserve an institution. We are here to serve a cause.
If the form no longer fits the moment, there is responsibility—and courage—in letting it go.
Rather than maintain an organization that no longer met the conditions for which it was built, GNDN chose to conclude its work at the end of 2025. This was not a retreat, but a strategic and values-driven decision.
Our focus during this transition has been on responsible closure—prioritizing staff transition, meeting all compliance and fiscal obligations, and preserving the lessons of our work through a public archive. We chose clarity over continuity, and integrity over inertia.
The Green New Deal remains one of the most powerful political visions of this generation. GNDN played a meaningful role in making that vision real. What endures are the people, partnerships, and proof that coordinated, values-driven organizing can expand what is politically possible. Movements evolve, vehicles change—and the work continues through many hands and many forms.
To our partners, allies, funders, staff, and supporters: thank you. Thank you for the trust you placed in this work, for the courage to act in uncertain times, and for your commitment to a more just future. We are proud of what we built together and confident in the movement that carries this work forward.
With respect and solidarity,
The Leadership of the Green New Deal Network