The Chancery Lane Project receives US$250,000 funding from the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation to scale climate-aligned legal innovation

• The funding will accelerate the development of digital infrastructure, making TCLP’s climate-aligned legal content more accessible worldwide. 
• The new programme will connect law, climate, and technology through open, socially responsible innovation. 
• The initiative will drive the adoption of climate-aligned clauses and legal practices at scale.

London, UK. 9 December 2025: The Chancery Lane Project (TCLP), a UK-based legal nonprofit driving climate action through contracts, has received US$250,000 (approximately £187,000) in funding from the  Patrick J. McGovern Foundation (PJMF). The philanthropic funder is committed to investing in the exploration, enhancement, and development of artificial intelligence (AI) and data science for social and environmental good. This investment will support the launch of a transformative programme connecting law, climate and technology.

This funding will allow TCLP to make climate-aligned contracting more effective and accessible on a greater scale. Businesses and lawyers will be able to integrate climate considerations into contracts and commercial decision-making through the use of AI. The programme aims to support organisations in decarbonising their supply chains, anticipating and managing climate risks, and achieving positive environmental and social outcomes with greater ease and impact. 

TCLP will enable their content to be machine-readable and distributed throughout the AI and legal tech systems that are currently transforming how knowledge across law is managed. Additionally, the organisation will develop and promote a range of prototypes for how its content might be used across legal technology. Together, these efforts will make it possible to embed climate-aligned contract language into the next generation of legal and general-purpose LLMs. They will also create a set of tools to help legal professionals integrate TCLP work into their legal products.

“Patrick J. McGovern Foundation’s support gives us the opportunity to reimagine how climate action is embedded in everyday legal work,” said Ben Metz, Executive Director at The Chancery Lane Project. “By integrating our clauses and tools into the digital platforms lawyers already use, we can accelerate climate-positive practice globally and help the legal profession contribute meaningfully to the transition to a low-carbon economy.”

Nick Cain, Vice President of Strategy and Innovation at The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, added, “To meet our climate crisis with urgency, we must reimagine the contracts and agreements that govern business transactions around the world. Through the integration and scaling of The Chancery Lane Project’s tools into already existing legal processes, this language can be optimised at scale. Our partnership reflects our belief that AI tools can enable socially responsible decision making, opening doors for legal teams to make informed choices that reduce emissions, manage climate risks, and strengthen commitments to a more sustainable future.”

The nonprofit will host demonstrations, collaborations, and events to help companies adopt and embed these tools, while providing researchers with a platform to analyse, refine, and scale climate-aligned contracting practices.

Everything developed through the programme will be open and shared for the public benefit, advancing the PJMF’s mission to foster technology that drives a sustainable, equitable future.

Ends