Program Overview
The Boulder County Climate Equity Fund is a new community-driven grant program designed to advance climate justice in our community. The fund will distribute up to $3 million in 2025. The application for funding requests will open in late summer.
The program is administered by the Office of Sustainability, Climate, and Resilience (OSCAR).
The Fund will advance Boulder County’s racial equity goals, support those most impacted by the climate crisis, and enable grassroots and neighborhood leaders to implement impactful climate action.
The Boulder County Commissioners allocated $3 million from three funding sources for the Climate Equity Fund in the 2025 budget. The Climate Equity Fund is supported by $1 million each from the Sustainability Tax, the county general fund, and the Gross Reservoir Settlement Fund.
Climate Equity Fund Purpose and Vision
Boulder County remains committed to advancing equitable solutions to the climate crisis. Climate action and environmental stewardship is one of the Boulder County Commissioners’ Strategic Priorities.
Climate Change’s Disproportionate Impact
Climate change disproportionately affects those who contribute least to its causes, and racial and ethnically diverse communities are most intensely impacted by climate change. Racism, economic inequality, and class discrimination are some of the root causes of climate injustice, and Boulder County recognizes a long history of harmful practices and institutional racism that have further perpetuated climate injustices.
Boulder County’s Climate Equity Fund aims to address this challenge by providing funding to the historically disadvantaged Boulder County communities that are most impacted by climate change.
Projects
While the county will work with a group of community advisors to establish specific criteria for applications, the county envisions the Climate Equity Fund will support many types of impactful climate action and resilience activities in our community.
Projects could include tree canopy projects, youth climate activities, energy efficiency upgrades, renewable energy installations, climate education, capacity building, resilience training, and workforce development in green jobs – and more.
Climate Equity Fund Design and Process
Participatory Grant Making
Boulder County will establish a community-driven selection process for awarding climate equity funds. The fund will feature a community-led steering committee that will advise and oversee the fund start-up and review applications with the goal of making recommendations to the board.
Community Creation Committee
Boulder County will recruit a fund Community Creation Committee to co-create the fund’s design and eligibility criteria. This committee will also determine the process to recruit and create a Community Evaluation Committee. This work will occur in summer 2025.
Community Evaluation Committee
Boulder County will recruit a Community Evaluation Committee to evaluate funding applications and make recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners about funding awards. This will be an ongoing commitment that is active throughout the lifetime of the Climate Equity Fund.
Fund Eligibility
The Community Creation Committee and County Commissioners will finalize eligibility requirements later this year.
Currently, the county envisions many organizations and individuals may be eligible to apply for funding. Potential applicants may include nonprofits, community-based organizations, schools, neighborhood groups, or individual change agents.
Fund Cycle and Program Timeline
This timeline is subject to change.
- Now through July 2025
- Establishing the Community Creation Committee
- Program design, including Evaluation Committee role and design
- Determining eligibility
- Designing application content, evaluation criteria, and evaluation process
- August 2025: Application for funding opens
- September 2025: Funding selections made; begin distribution of funds
Fund Administration
Because of the innovative nature, size, and community-involvement goals of this fund, the county underwent a competitive procurement process to select a vendor to co-create the fund with key community members and fiscally administer the fund. The county has selected JSI for this work.
Other Grant Opportunities
Boulder County offers a variety of grant programs. Visit the grants webpage to learn more.