The Nat is built on a simple premise: that culture can accelerate finance for nature. To that end, its inaugural gala was less of a traditional fundraising event, instead blending creativity with action to close the $711 billion nature finance gap.
“What began as a simple idea—to put culture at the heart of nature and nature at the heart of culture—has brought us all here tonight,” said founder Gail Gallie. “Without nature, nothing else stands. That is the urgency we are asking the world to act on, kicking off with the Nat Gala.”
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Held at New York City’s Classic Car Club Manhattan on Sept. 21—the eve of the United Nations General Assembly —the evening served as Climate Week’s opening event, raising critical funds for nature-focused initiatives.
“We have to tell a new story for nature. Culture is how humanity has always told its biggest stories — and it’s how we can shift behavior, imagination and ultimately investment on a global scale,” Gallie said. “The Nat brings culture and capital together, not as a charitable gesture but as a systemic shift.”
Led by host Van Jones, the honoree tributes—or “NATure Stewards”—became the “emotional heart” of the evening, celebrating icons whose work has shaped how the world sees and protects nature. Harrison Ford, joined by Hindou Ibrahim, spoke on the urgency of protecting nature for future generations.
“I now understand that this moment, this crisis, is not a failure of ingenuity,” Ford said. “We have the technology, the ideas, the expertise; this is a crisis of confidence. And that’s why the Nat was founded.”
Sophie Hunter recognized Nemonte Nenquimo for her Indigenous leadership, defending one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth: The Amazonian Region of Ecuador.
“I come from the Amazon rainforest and, my entire life, I thought that the outside world, the people of the cities, were bad,” Nenquimo said. “But over my time as an activist and as a leader, I’ve come to know many people around the world. And I know that it’s not the people. It’s the system. It is the economic and political system that we’re in that’s destroying the world.”
Jane Fonda honored Stella McCartney for redefining fashion through sustainability and proving that luxury can be ethical.
“We need to come together, as my father once said, to commit to lower impact materials, call on governments to invest in innovation, in legislation, in policy change,” McCartney said. “But this is bigger than fashion. We don’t have time to whisper. We need to shout, with love and creativity and unstoppable conviction. Fashion is not just about what we wear. It’s about the health of our planet, our people and our future.”
Billie Eilish presented Sylvia Earle for her pioneering ocean advocacy, inspiring generations to protect marine life. Peter Seligmann, founder of Conservation International, was honored with a tribute recognizing his decades of leadership and commitment to global conservation.
“There is no holy ground. There is no one true strategy. There is no universal source of truth. There is no single path of salvation, there is no silver bullet,” Seligmann said. “There are thousands of ways for every one of us who collectively act to make a difference. There are thousands of ways to see, thousands of ways to know, ways to take action — and they’re not mutually exclusive.”
Sabrina Elba, also a Conservation International board member, brought the evening to a close by reminding attendees of the power that personal stories and lived experiences connect us to nature.
“Whenever I meet people at evenings like this, I’m always reminded that none of us are here because of the statistics,” Elba said. “We are here because of the story, because of our love for people.”
The Nat Gala is supported by the Climate Pledge by Amazon, Deloitte, ServiceNow, Bank of America, Salesforce, L’Oréal, Spotify and Global University Systems as an official higher education partner. Additional partners include Planetary Guardians and the EAT Foundation. Proceeds from the first-of-its-kind event will fund landmark restoration, education and communication projects through partnerships with Conservation International, UNICEF and Open Planet.
