Boulder Launches $450,000 Climate Innovation Fund

BOULDER, CO — Boulder announced Wednesday that it is launching a $450,000 Climate Innovation Fund designed to support local carbon dioxide removal and landscape restoration projects. The Fund will be seeking proposals for local projects during its application window of April 28 through May 27.

"The climate crisis is already impacting everyday life in Boulder County in the form of year-round wildfire seasons, poor air quality and more days of extreme heat," said Susie Strife, Boulder County director of sustainability, climate action and resilience. "We need to continue to invest in rapid emissions reductions and the critical counterpart of restoring our atmosphere through carbon dioxide removal if we are serious about supporting the solutions needed to meet our climate goals."

Boulder has partnered with Carbon Direct Inc., a carbon management advisory and technology company, for this new initiative, according to a news release. The Fund's intention is to encourage local projects that work to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

The Fund comes "in recognition of the fact that local government resources need to be mobilized in order to advance carbon drawdown, emissions reduction objectives, and climate adaptation strategies for increased resilience," the release said.

Boulder will be hosting a Zoom webinar to provide more information on the Fund at 12 p.m. on Thursday.

"This initiative is an essential building block towards confronting the reality of the impacts of climate change in our daily lives and creating foundations of resilience and sustainability in our communities," said Sarah Federman, a Boulder resident and senior science advisor for Carbon Direct.