09/16/11 12:35pm

Article By: Marty Niland

The man who donated $5 million of his own money to help defeat California’s Proposition 23 is now putting his money and influence into another clean-energy campaign.

Tom Steyer, whose money helped launch a campaign to counter oil companies such as Valero and Tesoro in last year’s battle over whether to delay California’s AB32 emissions law, is the co-chair of The Center for the Next Generation. The new nonprofit’s stated goals include “moving America more quickly to an advanced energy economy and increasing support by government, business, the nonprofit sector, and families in our young people.”

He and his wife, Kat Taylor, are giving the new nonprofit $15 million from their TomKat Foundation. The center says other major funding from individuals and foundations is being secured and will be announced soon.

Steyer is the founder of the investment firm Farallon Capital Management, and one of the wealthy Americans who has taken the “Giving Pledge,” a promise to donate most of their wealth to charitable and nonprofit activities during their lifetimes.

Also on the center’s board of directors is Steyer’s brother, Jim, who has developed several nonprofits dedicated to children’s issues, including Children Now, JP Kids, and Common Sense Media. The president and CEO is Matt James, who was behind several public education projects with the Kaiser Family Foundation.