Success Stories | Showing Up Changes Things with Katharine Bierce

A conversation with Katharine Bierce, Fossil Free 529 Coalition Co-Leader, California

Katharine Bierce helped drive changes to California’s ScholarShare 529 college savings plan influencing fund selection to reduce fossil fuel exposure and improve performance. What began as an individual question about investment options became a coordinated effort that influenced how a major state-run financial program allocates capital.

A 529 plan is a state-sponsored investment account designed to help families save for future education costs. In California, the ScholarShare program manages these funds, offering a set of investment options that determine where that money is allocated.

Katharine didn’t take this on as part of her job. She came to it through her own experience navigating investment systems and noticing a gap. She has long been interested in impact investing. While working at Salesforce, she pushed for fossil-free options in the company’s 401(k). When those options weren’t available, she built her own portfolio with the help of a fiduciary. That process made something clear to her: alternatives existed, but they weren’t always offered unless someone pushed for them. That experience shaped how she approached the ScholarShare program.

Seeing the Opportunity

When Katharine began looking into investment options for someone else’s 529 plan, she expected to find similar fossil-free choices to what she had created for herself. Instead, she found ESG funds that were not fully fossil-free and, in some cases, underperforming the broader market.

What stood out wasn’t just the gap, but the inconsistency. If better options were possible in one part of the financial system, there was no clear reason they couldn’t exist in another. She began to look more closely at how decisions were made within the ScholarShare program and where influence might be possible.

At that stage, the barrier wasn’t strong opposition. It was that very few people were participating in the process at all…By showing up consistently with clear, actionable proposals, the group created a channel for engagement that hadn’t been fully used.

Taking the Initiative

Her first step was to reach out and compare notes. A post in the Work on Climate Slack group connected her with others who had relevant experience, including people already working on fossil-free investment initiatives. Through those conversations, she was connected into a broader effort and began collaborating with others, including partners like Fossil Free California, rather than starting a new organization herself. From there, she helped organize a small group of volunteers and coordinate regular discussions.

Rather than stopping at discussion, the group focused on engaging directly with the system. Katharine and volunteers she recruited attended board meetings, made public comments, and began drafting specific recommendations for how the fund options could be improved. She and her collaborators identified alternative funds and translated their proposals into formats that aligned with how fund managers and board members evaluate decisions. 

At that stage, the barrier wasn’t strong opposition. It was that very few people were participating in the process at all. ScholarShare board meetings often had no public input. By showing up consistently with clear, actionable proposals, the group created a channel for engagement that hadn’t been fully used.

Building Influence

As the work continued, the effort expanded. More volunteers joined. Partnerships deepened, including collaboration with Fossil Free California, which helped bring additional visibility and support. An online petition FFCA hosted gathered 800 signatures, demonstrating broader interest in improving the fund options.

At the same time, Katharine and her collaborators focused on building relationships with decision-makers. They met with board members and fund managers, refining their recommendations and aligning them with the criteria those stakeholders used to evaluate performance and risk.

Being invited to speak directly with fund managers marked a turning point. It meant the work had moved from external input to active consideration within the decision-making process.

What changed

The effort contributed to a shift in fund selection within the ScholarShare plan, reducing fossil fuel exposure while improving overall performance. Check out the press release here!

Staying With It

The process wasn’t straightforward. At one point, Katharine secured a $50,000 grant to support the nonprofit leading the work. When that funding was withdrawn at the last minute, it led to the nonprofit partner having to make layoffs and required her to step back in temporarily to help stabilize the effort .

Moments like that made it clear that progress would not be linear. What mattered was continuing to move the work forward, scheduling the next meeting, refining the next proposal, and maintaining momentum even when outcomes were uncertain. 

Over time, the effort grew beyond her direct involvement. Fossil Free California continues to co-lead the initiative, with volunteers in Massachusetts, Oregon joining the effort and making progress in their respective states. Katharine has stepped into a more advisory role. 

What Made It Work

Looking back, a few things stand out in how the change came together. 

• Finding a community of people to get advice from and support through Work on Climate!
• Understanding how decisions were made within the system made it possible to engage effectively. 
• Drafting concrete proposals, rather than just raising concerns, gave others something to act on. 
• Building relationships with decision-makers and presenting ideas in formats they were used to made it easier to gain traction.
• Being persistent. Change required repeated engagement, not a single moment of action, but continued participation over time.

A Different Way to Lead

For someone looking to create change from where they are, the takeaway is straightforward: start by understanding the system you’re part of, identify where decisions are made, and engage there consistently. In many cases, the opportunity to influence is already there. The difference is whether someone chooses to step into it.

Katharine’s work shows that influence is often more accessible than it appears.

She did not begin with authority inside the system. She built it by combining her professional knowledge with consistent, practical engagement, identifying where decisions are made, showing up, and making it easier for others to act.

The work started with a simple question about investment options. It became a coalition, a set of proposals, and a measurable shift in how funds are allocated.

For someone looking to create change from where they are, the takeaway is straightforward: start by understanding the system you’re part of, identify where decisions are made, and engage there consistently. In many cases, the opportunity to influence is already there. The difference is whether someone chooses to step into it.

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To meet Katharine and other leaders in this initiative, save the date on Earth Day, 4/22/2026, from 4:30-6 pm at The Battery SF, 717 Battery St, San Francisco, CA 94111.

For updates on the Fossil Free 529 coalition work, you can sign up for Fossil Free CA’s email newsletter here.

Katharine also recommends the book Hack Your Bureaucracy for advice on getting things done in complex, bureaucratic systems.