Climate Equity Fund - Application and Eligibility Information

Fund Overview

The Boulder County Climate Equity Fund is a grant program designed to support frontline communities, and others most impacted by the climate crisis, by enabling grassroots leaders to design and implement community-led climate action initiatives. The fund will distribute up to $2 million in 2026.

Boulder County offers over a dozen grant opportunities to organizations throughout the year, including additional grants focused on climate and sustainability. Learn about Boulder County’s grant programs.

Timeline

Applications are now open and close on August 31, 2026 at 5 p.m.

Events

View All Events

Program Details

Screening Questions

The Boulder County Climate Equity Fund is designed to support frontline, community-led climate justice initiatives across Boulder County, amplifying local leadership in addressing climate impacts.

These questions may help you to understand if your project or organization is fit for this opportunity:

Serving Boulder County Communities:
- Is the lead applicant’s official address within Boulder County?
- Will all or most of the project take place in and provide benefit to Boulder County?
Climate Impact: Does the project take meaningful action on climate change? Specifically, does the project reduce climate pollution (greenhouse gas emissions) or build community resilience to a changing climate?
Equitable Impact: Will the project serve frontline and/or disproportionately impacted (DI) communities, as defined by Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment?
- The State of Colorado defines DI communities to include: low-income communities, communities of color, housing cost-burdened communities, linguistically isolated communities, communities with environmental and socioeconomic impacts, Tribal lands, mobile home communities, and historically marginalized communities (Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment).
Community-Driven:
- Is the project designed collaboratively with the community it aims to serve?
- Is the community meaningfully involved in implementation and decision-making throughout the course of the project?
(For Community Reach applicants only): Is the lead applicant a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit or fiscally sponsored organization?

Grant Tiers

Tier 1 “Community Roots” Grants

Community Roots Grants are designed to be accessible for a wide range of project types. This tier is a great option to consider if your group is new, has a small operating budget, hopes to host a one-time or limited-run event, or wants to test out an idea as a pilot project. We welcome your creativity and encourage new groups and collaborations.

Tier 1 Details:

Grant size: from $20,000 to $100,000
Estimated number of awards: 10 to 20 awarded projects
Application process: Letter of interest and possible follow-up interview

Tier 2 “Community Reach” Grants

Community Reach Grants are designed for projects that require sizeable investment due to innovation, scale, and/or lasting impact. This tier is a “best fit” for established organizations (or partnerships of organizations) that have consistently maintained annual budgets above the grant amount requested or are fiscally sponsored. It is strongly recommended that applicants to Tier 2 grants form partnerships with one or more organizations.

Proposed Community Reach projects should result in lasting climate action. This could be measured by generating meaningful emissions or waste reduction, improving physical or social resilience, or otherwise contributing to lasting sustainability impacts or systems change. This may take the form of one large project, or creating/growing several smaller, related initiatives.

Tier 2 Details:

Grant size: from $100,000 to $400,000
Estimated number of awards: 5 to 8 awarded projects
Application process: Traditional grant proposal evaluated against a rubric

Eligibility

Eligible to Apply as Lead Applicant

The Climate Equity Fund welcomes lead applications from locally based, frontline, community-led organizations.

Organizations eligible be a lead applicant for Community Roots ($20,000-$100,000) grants include:

501(c)(3) nonprofits or groups with fiscal sponsorship
Mutual aid networks
Neighborhood associations, such as mobile home park coalitions, low-income housing cooperatives, or Boulder Housing Partners
Resident-led initiatives
Tribes and Tribal entities

Organizations must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit or have a fiscal sponsor to be a lead applicant for Community Reach ($100,000-$400,000) grants.

Ineligible to Apply as Lead Applicant

These entities not eligible to serve as lead applicants, though they may participate as project partners:

Universities
Municipalities, county, state, or federal government agencies
For‑profit businesses
Individuals applying as sole entities

Definitions

Frontline community

Those communities that experience the most immediate and worst impacts of climate change and are most often communities of color, Indigenous, and low-income (Partners Advancing Climate Equity).

Disproportionately impacted

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 (learn more from the State of Colorado).

Equity-centered

Efforts that prioritize removing barriers and uplifting those historically excluded, ensuring decision-making and benefits center the voices and leadership of frontline communities. For the sake of the Boulder Climate Equity Fund, equity-centered means that frontline community leaders are driving the design, direction, and outcomes of the funded work.

How to Apply

The applications to both Community Roots and Community Reach grants are linked below.

The application platform allows saving, but some folks may prefer to fill out their application in advance. For that reason, we have also included links to downloadable PDF versions of the application as well.

Community Roots (Tier 1) Application

Community Reach (Tier 2) Application

Applicant Resources

Resources in English

Resources in Spanish

Office Hours

This year, Boulder County will offer “office hours” style support, virtually and in person, to prospective applicants. Office hours will be available to provide assistance with grant application logistics as well as project development.

Office hours are still being finalized, but sessions will begin the week of July 13 and will run throughout the grant period. Check back soon for dates and sign-up links!

Commonly Asked Questions

Is my project right for a Climate Equity Fund grant?

The screening questions and eligibility requirements above are a great place to start when considering if the CEF is right for your group/your project.

Ultimately, it is up to each group to decide if this is the right opportunity for them. However, due to how competitive last year’s funding round was, we found that the more successful applicants were those that answered “yes” to the screening questions and met all the eligibility requirements.

Does my project have to take place in a certain time frame?

All projects awarded CEF grants through this grant cycle must take place in 2027, starting in January 2027 and ending by December 2027.

Does my organization have to be a nonprofit to apply for a grant?

Community Roots (Tier 1) grants are open to nonprofits as well as other organization/group types, including neighborhood associations, mutual aid networks, or informal groups.

Community Reach (Tier 2) grants are open to 501(c)(3) nonprofits or organizations/groups with fiscal sponsorship.

For more information, including a list of group types not eligible to be a lead applicant, visit the eligibility section above. If you aren’t sure about your eligibility, reach out to climateequityfund@jsi.org.

How many applications can my organization/group submit?

Organizations/groups are limited to one application as a lead applicant per year. Specifically, an organization/group can choose to submit either one “Community Roots” application or one “Community Reach” application–but not both. There is no limit to how many times an organization/group may sign on as a partner applicant.

If I received a grant last year, can I apply again?

Yes, current grantees are welcome to apply for a new grant this year. Current grantees should follow the same steps as any other applicant and use the standard application for the tier they are interested in.

Can I fill out my application in Spanish?

Yes! All materials, including the application itself, are available in Spanish and should be linked throughout this page. If you need assistance or notice something missing, please reach out to climateequityfund@jsi.org.

Do I need to have a project partner?

Project partners are not required. However, last year, evaluators found that projects applying with one or more partners, especially for Community Reach (Tier 2) grants, scored more highly on average in their grant evaluation.

How are grants evaluated?

All applications will be evaluated by a combination of Boulder County staff, JSI staff, and community members on the Community Evaluation Committee (CEC). CEC members were selected through a competitive application process earlier this year.

Community Roots (Tier 1) Grants are evaluated through an anonymized voting process. Applications receiving the most votes will be invited to interview with evaluators for further consideration.

Community Reach (Tier 2) Grants are evaluated through traditional rubric scoring by assigned evaluators that are screened for conflict of interest. Each application will have at least three reviewers, with at least one reviewer being a CEC member.

Can grants receive partial funding?

Community Roots (Tier 1) grants will submit a high-level proposed budget with their application. If selected, each project will receive assistance in finalizing the budget for the project, which may include some modifications.

Community Reach (Tier 2) grants may receive partial funding at the discretion of the review committee.

What are the tax implications of receiving a CEF grant?

It is ultimately the responsibility of each applicant to understand the tax implications of receiving a CEF grant. For groups that are new to receiving grants, it may be beneficial to consult an accountant or tax professional to make sure there are no surprises.

Don’t see your question answered here? Please submit your question online by 5 p.m. on July 31, 2026. Answers will be published by Aug. 7, 2026.