Sandler Foundation Vice President Knaebel Joins IEEFA Board

Sergio Knaebel, Vice President of the Sandler Foundation in San Francisco, serves on the board of the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, bringing philanthropic expertise in climate change, clean energy, and coal from one of the United States' major environmental grant-making foundations. He also serves on the board of Earthjustice.

At the Sandler Foundation, Knaebel works to identify leaders and organisations with potential for significant impact on pressing societal challenges, including inequality, human rights, corruption, and environmental issues. His environmental work has focused on climate change, coal, clean energy, and marine and coastal conservation. He previously served as a program officer at the Packard Foundation, where he led a conservation program focused on Mexico.

Knaebel's board membership at IEEFA connects the organisation to Sandler Foundation's philanthropic network, which directs capital toward high-impact climate and energy initiatives. His prior experience at the Packard Foundation, a significant funder of environmental and energy research, adds institutional knowledge of grant-making strategy in the conservation and clean energy space. His educational background includes a Master's in Conservation Biology and Ecosystem Management from the University of Michigan.

The Sandler Foundation's focus on identifying leaders with potential for large-scale impact aligns with IEEFA's positioning as an independent research body seeking to influence investment decisions and energy policy. Knaebel's presence on the IEEFA board, alongside his Earthjustice board seat, reflects a broader network of philanthropic and legal advocacy organisations aligned on accelerating the fossil fuel phase-out in the United States and globally.

Key figure — 6 — number of German municipal utilities that form the consortium owning STEAG, a separate energy issue covered in IEEFA's concurrent research