To be honest, we’re not 100% sure. Patagonia’s statement has given a brief insight into what kind of work Holdfast Collective will do with the money, but not a great amount of detail on who the organisation is – and it doesn’t seem to have an online presence. Patagonia has said Holdfast Collective is a 501(c)(4) not-for-profit organisation, an American company structure that makes it a social welfare organisation, whose primary purpose is to promote the general welfare and common good of the community and its people (thanks Wikipedia).Patagonia’s statement says: ‘The Holdfast Collective will use every dollar received to fight the environmental crisis, protect nature and biodiversity, and support thriving communities, as quickly as possible.’The way 501(c)(4) organisations are structured means that contributions to them are not tax-deductible, so the Chouinard family won’t receive any kickback for their donations. But so long as they’re promoting common social good, these organisations have a great deal of legal flexibility including; ability to make an unlimited amount of donations to political causesbeing actively involved in political campaigns and electionsinforming the public about controversial subjects and attempting to influence legislation relevant to their cause