Connecting public, private and federal leaders for climate-ready communities
Connecting public, private and federal leaders for climate-ready communities
As climate impacts intensify, investment and leadership in local resiliency have never been more important. The Climate Resilient Communities Accelerator (Accelerator) advances action on regional climate resilience by coordinating key stakeholders in a series of regionally focused, hazard-based, and action-oriented convenings.
Through the Accelerator, C2ES connects leaders across a range of sectors to coordinate efforts and build regional capacity. Our tailored convenings uncover collaborative strategies, align public and private resources, and accelerate action. By sharing local insights and advancing federal policy needs, we amplify each regional Accelerator’s impact and scale outcomes nationwide.
Over the next three years, C2ES is bringing the Accelerator to several regions across the United States, building on the success of the pilot in the North Front Range of Colorado. Each new Accelerator will advance collaboration on regional climate resilience investments, policies, and solutions that benefit local communities and under-represented groups.
Applications Open: Communities and organizations from eligible regions have been invited to apply by 9:00 pm PT on Tuesday, January 22nd using this Application Form.
The Accelerator process addresses critical climate hazards, engages vulnerable communities, activates private sector leaders, and identifies policy and economic development opportunities.
C2ES kicks off the effort with a Climate Resilient Economies Roundtable, followed by a curated Resources Connector Forum and ongoing engagement to identify key action areas, connect stakeholders with public and private resources, and uncover and scale up innovative local approaches. The Accelerator progresses by activating stakeholders around key action areas to build regional adaptive capacity and channeling local needs and priorities to policymakers. Throughout, C2ES complements and builds on existing climate resilience efforts in the region. Learn more about the process and outcomes of the pilot Accelerator in Colorado’s North Front Range here.
C2ES will choose 1-2 new regions and communities in the winter of 2024-2025. In the months that follow, C2ES will engage key stakeholders within the chosen region(s) to understand local climate hazards and resilience efforts and identify tangible opportunities to accelerate action, including hosting two in-person events, the Climate Resilient Economies Roundtable and Resources Connector Forum. The Accelerator is designed to continue for a second year (2026) to advance key action areas, elevate local policy needs, and share the effort in regional and national forums.
C2ES invites representatives with decision-making authorities from public and private sectors and aligned non-profit and community organizations across the region to coordinate and accelerate existing efforts and develop new, actionable commitments. These leaders will represent their organizations in strategic convenings alongside resilience practitioners, technical experts, federal and state agency staff, and community stakeholders.
C2ES seeks to support and engage regional participants who are open to new ideas, solutions, and collaboration. Participating organizations are highly encouraged to consider and define tangible opportunities to enhance their own approaches and commitments and explore ways to support and complement other resilience efforts in the region. In the first year, C2ES expects that each convening will constitute a full day of activities. The scale of convenings in the second year depends on key action areas outlined the year prior. In addition, C2ES will engage participants at several points outside of the meetings to understand organizational goals, share relevant information, and gather insights and feedback to support productive convenings.
C2ES launched a pilot Accelerator in 2023 to increase wildfire and extreme heat resilience in the North Front Range of Colorado. To date, the effort has identified seven key action areas, engaged over 100 participants, highlighted three state and local initiatives to a national audience, and facilitated a new public-private partnership for a heat study in the City of Longmont, CO. The North Front Range Accelerator is now mobilizing stakeholders around several key action areas to implement resilience hubs and microgrids and provide local input on federal wildfire policy recommendations. Learn more about the North Front Range Accelerator here.