Project Catalyst is an initiative of The ClimateWorks Network and its regional foundations including The European Climate Foundation.

Project Catalyst was launched in May 2008 to provide analytical and policy support for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations on a post-Kyoto international climate agreement.  Project Catalyst members are organized in a number of working groups:  mitigation, adaptation, technology, forestry, finance, and climate-compatible growth plans.  Each working group has received analytical support from the international consulting firm, McKinsey & Company.  Working group members include a total of about 150 climate negotiators, senior government officials, representatives of multilateral institutions, business executives, and leading experts from over 30 countries.  
Project Catalyst and its working groups provide a forum where key participants in the global discussions can informally interact, conduct analyses, jointly problem solve, and contribute ideas and proposals to the formal UNFCCC process. Project Catalyst is directly funded through the ClimateWorks Foundation and its three main funders: the Hewlett Foundation, the Packard Foundation, and the McKnight Foundation.