5 Years of Planet Reimagined
Imagine That:
Every good transformation started as an act of imagination. What if young researchers worldwide banded together to tackle tough problems? What if we saw how everything is connected—jobs, food, energy, the climate, and beyond? What if we could harness the energy of live music fans like never before?
For five years, Planet Reimagined asked—and answered—those kinds of questions. What started as a scrappy startup is now a global incubator that fuses research, advocacy, and pop culture to drive climate solutions.
We turned “what if” into “what’s next.” And we’re just getting started. Imagine that! Join us below for the story of our first five years. Below, learn more about the stories that show our spirit, the people who make us what we are, and how we pay for it.
Impact Stories
See for yourself what happens when researchers, advocates, and communities join forces. From rooftop gardens to arena concerts, these stories show Planet Reimagined’s action research method at work: incubating and scaling solutions that deliver for people and the planet. None of it happens without our partners. The next story could be yours.
From Fellows to Leaders: Cultivating the next generation
Incubated 2020
A title that lets you know something
-
Description text goes here
-
Description text goes here
-
Description text goes here
A title that lets you know something
-
Description text goes here
-
Description text goes here
-
Description text goes here
When we started, at the heart of Planet Reimagined’s original incubator model was the idea of training researchers and advocates from around the world to turn ideas into action. In our first five years, we trained almost 50 fellows in our signature “Action Research” methodology, to produce groundbreaking work on climate related to energy, healthcare, biodiversity, , and numerous other fields.
For example, when 2023 New Futures fellow Ripesh Kharel set out to document Nepal’s last free-flowing river, he didn’t expect the footage would become part of a national debate. His fieldwork on the Karnali River, conducted for Planet Reimagined, resulted in a short documentary and was covered by the Nepalese media, supporting advocacy and legal battles, including a case before Nepal’s Supreme Court. “These outcomes are exactly why we value partnership with Planet Reimagined,” said Jeff Opperman of the World Wildlife Fund.
In 2025, Planet Reimagined expanded the way we incubate new projects and transitioned our fellowship program into a new phase of our Action Research Center. Meet all of our past fellows
IMPACT: Who’s doing the work
2000 candidates from 100+ countries,
~ 50 fellows from 20+ countries trained in our action research method
with partners
Consider a Carrot: Rethinking Urban Agriculture
Incubated 2020-2021
The average carrot travels over 3,000 miles from farm to market. Planet Reimagined’s 2020 Climate + Urban Agriculture fellows asked: what if we could make that just a few steps?
Our “Consider a Carrot” and other PSAs on iHeartRadio reached 100 million listeners. Then we proved the concept: partnering with Small Axe Peppers and Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, we built an urban garden for locally grown peppers to supply the stadium’s concessions. Nachos and spicy margaritas—made without 3,000 miles of travel.
To answer that question, fellows drew on their global expertise in business, governance, and environmental design. They created a LEGO model to help city dwellers visualize rooftop gardens, published academic research, and developed an advocacy plan.
IMPACT: type
Reached 100 million listeners, created pilot for local food production
with partners
Clean Energy: From Research Deals to Law
Incubated 2022-2023
with partners
How could we boost clean energy production to meet rising demand, without compromising protected land? Planet Reimagined investigated that very question. We talked with stakeholders such as oil and gas producers, renewable energy producers, national and state level politicians, and community members—and came up with a groundbreaking answer. Our 2023 Common Grounds report introduced a “co-location” model for putting renewable energy on existing fossil fuel leases. Our outreach prompted a 2024 bipartisan Congressional letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior, which then said it would accept solar and wind proposals on oil and gas leases. The story made CNN, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. By March 2025, U.S. Senators Curtis (R-UT) and Hickenlooper (D-CO) introduced the Co-Location Energy Act, turning Planet Reimagined research into federal legislation. Common Grounds continues promoting co-location on state lands in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and across the Intermountain West.
"A diverse energy grid through co-location is a sure-fire way to secure a resilient energy future for Utahns."
U.S. Representative John Curtis (UT-3), Chairman, Conservative Climate Caucus
IMPACT: type
31 million acres of state and federal oil and gas lands with co-location potential, 555 GW more renewable energy potential without major interconnection upgrades, Planet Reimagined’s research contributed to the Co-location Energy Act being introduced in the Senate and introduced in the House of Representatives
"I have worked with Planet Reimagined for a long time and have seen their advocacy for the future of our planet firsthand."
U.S. Representative Mike Levin (CA-49)
Our research became the Amplify report, and Adam included it in his book “Amplify: How to Use the Power of Connection to Engage, Take Action, and Build a Better World.” Then we put the research into practice. On AJR’s 2024 tour across 40+ cities, fans took 35,000 actions—signing petitions, calling lawmakers, joining local groups—contributing to climate policy wins in Washington, Colorado, and California. Amplify’s reach has grown exponentially and internationally as we’ve partnered with festivals and artists including Billie Eilish, Renee Rapp, and Travis Childers to mobilize fans across the world. As climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe said of our fan activation work: “Shouldn’t everyone be doing this?”
Turning fans into a movement
Incubated 2023-2024
When a Billie Eilish fan went to see her concert in London, she never imagined the show would propel her to lead a volunteer team of 150 young people in a local climate organization. But that's what Planet Reimagined’s Amplify initiative does: it mobilizes collective action. And this one fan is not alone. Amplify asks a huge question for social movements: how do we get people involved? In 2023, Planet Reimagined surveyed 350,000 live music fans to understand what moves them from concern to civic engagement. They found that 72% of live concertgoers care about climate change, but only a small number take action. Action Research fellows worked with us to figure out how to bridge the gap.
"I have worked with Planet Reimagined for a long time and have seen their advocacy for the future of our planet firsthand. This new policy report is innovative and proposes promising steps the Bureau of Land Management can take to move towards a clean energy future by co-locating renewable energy on lands already leased for oil and gas production."
U.S. Representative Mike Levin (CA-49)
IMPACT: type
with partners
You say you want a revolution?
2025 and beyond
During New York Climate Week 2025, we launched “The Neo-Industrial Revolution: A Declaration for a New American Climate” a call to focus on collective action and to use a new lexicon that connects climate solutions to the things people care most about: jobs, family, clean air, a good life (what we call “talking about climate without talking about climate”). The response was immediate. Austin, Texas Commissioner Brigid Shea wrote: “I love your work and your declaration. How can I help?” That note led to a Zoom call, a viral social media post, and Brigid gave us advice on our newest initiative, Grapevine—an AI-powered tool for cities worldwide to share successful climate policies. That’s the spirit of Planet Reimagined: big ideas, deep research, mass mobilization—for the win.
Press
with partners
People in Planet Reimagined’s Orbit
Our co-founder Adam Met is a pop star with a Ph.D. On tour with his band AJR, Adam might spend his afternoons analyzing datasets in a greenroom and his evenings on stage in front of 20,000 fans. After an arena show in Raleigh, he rushed backstage to join CNN live. Before taking the stage in Denver, he gave NPR an exclusive. He’s been widely covered in the music press and was given a TIME Earth Award. This rare blend of pop culture and policy has attracted just the kind of excitement needed for more wins. But Adam is the first to say: it’s bigger than any one person. Planet Reimagined is built to prove it
Our Financials
Planet Reimagined is entirely funded by philanthropy—and the results speak for themselves.
In five years, we’ve grown from a $20,000 startup experiment in FY20 to a multi-million-dollar organization—raising $42,270 in FY21, $633,375 in FY22, $386,000 in FY23, $4,189,411 in FY24, and $2,776,243 in FY25. Already, just months into FY26, we’ve matched last year’s total—raising an additional $2.7M+ and accelerating our trajectory even further.
This growth has been fueled by early validation from leading institutional partners, such as [Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Walton Family Foundation, and the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation], who recognized the potential of our model at its earliest stages. Many of these commitments are multi-year investments—designed not for short-term outputs, but to sustain long-term systems change. As a result, publicly reported financials reflect when funds are strategically deployed over time—not when they are pledged.
As we look ahead, we are building on a foundation established by early institutional partners who believed in this work before it was proven—providing the catalytic support that made our growth possible. That momentum continues today, with $1.7M in confirmed institutional funding secured within the first 90 days of FY26. Alongside this, we have secured $2M in matching funds to launch a major campaign focused on engaging high-net-worth individuals—expanding and diversifying our funding base for long-term sustainability.
Together, this positions Planet Reimagined for continued growth—grounded in a diversified funding base, sustained multi-year commitments, and a model designed to scale impact over time.
For full audited financials, see our FY24 Form 990 and financial statements .
