Cross-sector leaders for climate-ready communities
Cross-sector 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 regional climate resilience by coordinating key stakeholders through two years of flexible support and targeted, hazard-specific, and action-oriented convenings. Through the Accelerator, C2ES connects leaders across sectors to align public and private resources, build regional capacity, and uncover collaborative strategies that drive on-the-ground progress in key action areas. These tailored convenings also help identify a shared roadmap of resilience strategies and elevate local insights to inform state and federal policy, amplifying each region’s impact and scaling outcomes nationwide. After the two-year period, participants join a growing national cohort as the initiative expands to new regions across the United States, with C2ES continuing to connect them to new resources, partnerships, and policy opportunities.
Over the next three years, C2ES will bring 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 help build a national network of resilient regions.
The Accelerator process addresses critical climate hazards, engages vulnerable communities, activates private sector leaders, and identifies policy and economic development opportunities.
C2ES kicks off with a Climate Resilient Economies Roundtable to uncover and scale up innovative local approaches, followed by a curated Resources Connector Forum to connect public and private resources to advance action across the region. 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 consults with local leaders to complement and build on existing climate resilience efforts in the region.
In 2023, C2ES launched the first Climate Resilient Communities Accelerator in Colorado’s North Front Range region, home to a diverse and bustling economy spanning Fort Collins and Denver. The area’s wildfire and extreme heat risks are intensifying under climate change, presenting significant risks across the region with disproportionate impacts on vulnerable communities.
Building on existing efforts in the region, the Accelerator convened leaders from local governments, nonprofits, private businesses, state and federal agencies, economic development, and universities to uncover a regional roadmap of wildfire and heat resilience strategies and the resources needed to advance them. Through 2024, the Accelerator advanced resilience hubs and microgrids—strategies identified during convenings held in 2023, supported new projects and public-private partnerships, and elevated local perspectives and solutions to the state and national levels.
What is the overall timeline and process for the program?
Each regional Accelerator begins with two years of focused convenings and engagement, after which participants join a growing national cohort as the initiative expands to new regions across the United States. The first year focuses on select local climate hazards, identifying opportunities to accelerate resilience action, and connecting with public and private sector resources. The second year builds momentum to advance identified action areas in the region and elevates local strategies and policy needs in state, and national forums.
In 2025, C2ES will expand the Accelerator to one or more new regions, convening the in-person Resilient Economies Roundtable and Resources Connector Forum to engage key stakeholders, assess local climate hazards and resilience efforts, and identify tangible opportunities to accelerate action.
Who should participate in the Accelerator?
C2ES invites representatives with decision-making authority 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, government agency staff, and community stakeholders.
What is required of participants?
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 staff host scoping calls and two full-day in-person convenings to coordinate local leaders and identify key action areas. Second-year convenings are designed to drive on-the-ground progress in key action areas and advance public policy for lasting, systemic change. In year three and beyond, C2ES continues to connect participants with new resources, partnerships, and policy opportunities.
C2ES staff plan and facilitate the in-person convenings, lead the development of program deliverables, and provide flexible support for projects or partnerships that emerge from the Accelerator. C2ES engages participants at several points outside of the meetings to understand organizational goals, share relevant information, and gather insights and feedback to support productive convenings. Participant engagement can vary based on capacity and interest, ranging from providing input on the Accelerator’s focus during a scoping call to attending all in-person convenings, presenting on organizational efforts, and providing input on resilience policy priorities.