Cleveland Climate Action Fund
About Us
About Us
The Cleveland Climate Action Fund (CCAF) will be the region’s leading conduit to drive transformative carbon mitigation outcomes, creating vibrant and healthy communities.
In 2008 the Cleveland Climate Action Fund (formerly known as the Cleveland Carbon Fund) was founded as the first community-based, open-access carbon reduction fund in the United States. Since then, the Fund has invested more than $100,000 in projects throughout Cleveland that both improve resident’s lives while mitigating carbon emissions. The CCAF provides a benefit to the community by funding local projects that supports people to take climate action. Donor’s contributions create sustainable, positive change in local Cleveland neighborhoods.
The Cleveland Climate Action Fund promotes and funds local carbon mitigation projects that foster economic development, social well-being, and environmental stewardship in our local communities.
- The CCAF provides funding for neighborhood-based projects that address climate change and improve our communities’ well-being.
- The CCAF works collaboratively with community partners to foster opportunities for individuals and organizations to take an active role in minimizing climate change impacts by reducing carbon emissions and enhancing adaptation.
- The CCAF prioritizes projects and programs that reduce local emissions while making communities and their members more resilient to the impacts of climate change. (Examples include energy-saving trees, clean energy, and sustainable transportation.)
- The CCAF is committed to ensuring that residents and businesses experience the benefits of local climate action.
- CCAF donors can mitigate their carbon footprint by supporting local climate mitigation projects. In turn, the Cleveland community benefits because funds are given directly to projects in the region, stimulating economic development, creating jobs, and improving the community’s environmental health and well-being.
- Only through local action will we be successful in counteracting the impact of climate change. In doing so, we empower communities and their residents to improve the well-being of this and future generations.
Photo Credit: Emily Bryant, Protecting Our Pollinators
FAQs
Is my donation tax-deductible?
Yes, contributions to the Cleveland Climate Action Fund are treated as charitable donations and are tax-deductible. The Cleveland Foundation provides documentation for your records.
What is the mission of the Cleveland Climate Action Fund?
The Cleveland Climate Action Fund promotes and funds local carbon mitigation projects that foster economic development, social well-being, and environmental stewardship in our local communities.
Why is the Cleveland Climate Action Fund important?
Americans annually emit about 7 billion tons of carbon, contributing to a global increase in temperature and dramatic changes in climate. In Cleveland, climate threats and impacts include:
- Public health risks due to extended heat waves, reduced air and water quality, and increased range of vector-borne diseases
- Property and infrastructure damage due to increasing frequency and magnitude of major storms and accompanying flooding
- Damage to transportation infrastructure due to extreme weather variability (longer heat waves in the summer, increased freeze-thaw cycles in the winter, etc.)
These effects are cause for concern and action. As more individuals and corporations around the globe are motivated—either by personal passion or regulation—to be stewards of the environment, taking climate action has become a viable choice for citizens and businesses to undertake.
Through the Fund, donors provide critical support to climate action projects that support Cleveland’s neighborhoods and would otherwise not receive support.
Who benefits from the Cleveland Climate Action Fund?
Everyone benefits. Donors are able to reduce their carbon footprint in a quick, easy, and ethical way. Awardees use the money to not only sustain their missions but also effectively reach out and help their target audiences. Finally, the Cleveland community benefits because funds are given directly to projects in the region, stimulating economic development, creating jobs and improving the community’s environmental health.
Who founded the Cleveland Climate Action Fund?
The Cleveland Climate Action Fund Founding Partners include: the Cleveland Foundation, The George Gund Foundation, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the City of Cleveland. Together, these renowned institutions guide the Fund to create positive social and environmental initiatives that address climate issues. The Advisory Board now includes representation from 15 organizations.
What is carbon reduction?
Carbon reduction projects lower the amount of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. These types of projects may be used to counterbalance activities that cause carbon emissions. To be a legitimate reduction, these projects are new, unique activities (not a “business-as-usual�? activity – an activity that would have occurred anyway).
Do organizations/people have to pay to reduce all their CO2 pollution?
No. However, anyone can use the carbon calculator on the Cleveland Climate Action Fund’s website to better understand their role in addressing climate change and even help guide the amount of donation they would like to provide to the Fund.
How is donating to the Cleveland Climate Action Fund different than buying traditional carbon offsets?
Donating to the Cleveland Climate Action Fund is different than buying conventional ‘carbon offsets’ for several reasons. Contributions to the Fund go to local projects overseen by non-profit organizations throughout the Cleveland community that would not have happened without this funding. To reduce administrative fees, the Cleveland Climate Action Fund has chosen not to certify and retire the carbon emissions reductions that result from the funded projects.
What types of projects are funded by the Cleveland Climate Action Fund?
The Cleveland Climate Action Fund provides support to local projects that foster social and environmental benefits to the community. Examples of past projects can be found here.
How are projects selected for funding?
Proposed projects go through a rigorous Request for Proposal process. An Advisory Committee with relevant expertise make funding recommendations to the full board.
Projects will be considered based on a range of metrics, such as but not limited to: cost per metric ton of CO2 reduced, collateral social and economic benefits, location, track record of the non-profit organization and number of people served.
How can organizations apply for funding?
More information regarding applying for funding can be found here.
How does the Cleveland Climate Action Fund calculate CO2 mitigation?
The Cleveland Climate Action Fund’s Advisory Committee works with founding partners at GreenCityBlueLake Institute and its prospective grantees to calculate and validate the expected carbon reduction from each proposed project. These CO2 estimates will follow the best available greenhouse gas accounting principles and all calculations will be made as transparent as possible. One of the goals of the Cleveland Climate Action Fund is to equip local non-profit organizations with the Cleveland Climate Action Toolkit to accurately calculate the carbon reduction benefits of their projects and create tangible social and environmental progress for the region.
What is the difference between the Cleveland Carbon Fund and the Cleveland Climate Action Fund?
The Cleveland Carbon Fund and Cleveland Climate Action Fund are one and the same. The name of the organization was changed in 2014 to be consistent with the language of the City of Cleveland Climate Action Plan and Neighborhood Climate Action Toolkit.