Boulder County approves Climate Equity Fund contract amendment, endorses community‑led grant rules

Boulder County commissioners voted July 8 to amend a county contract with consultant JSI and to endorse recommendations from a six‑member Community Creation Committee (CCC) establishing a Climate Equity Fund designed to resource communities disproportionately affected by climate change.

Bridal Fleishman, senior climate strategist in the Office of Sustainability, Climate Action and Resilience, told the board the fund is intended to center frontline communities and to use participatory grantmaking. "At its core, the Climate Equity Fund seeks to resource those most disproportionately affected by climate change, especially communities that have been historically underfunded or excluded from traditional funding mechanisms," Fleishman said during the presentation. She described a tiered grant structure, community‑led evaluation processes, and metrics to define success.

Jovita Schiffer, who served on the CCC, described the group’s deliberations and recommended governance: "It was an amazing experience being part of the Community Creation Committee," she said, citing extensive community engagement and facilitation. Fleishman asked the board to approve a contract amendment with JSI that would fund implementation work, launch a community evaluation committee this month, conduct outreach through the fall, open applications Aug. 1–Sept. 1, and—contingent on approvals—begin disbursements in January.

Commissioners thanked CCC members and raised procedural questions about whether the board was approving recommendations, the contract amendment, or both. County counsel and staff framed the action as an approval of the contract amendment that incorporates the CCC's operating principles and values. A motion to approve the contract amendment and to endorse the CCC recommendations passed on a voice vote.

What happens next

Staff will proceed to convene the community evaluation committee, finalize contract documents with JSI, and begin outreach to prospective applicants. The board and staff emphasized this is a pilot round and noted the county may not distribute all funds in the first cycle as processes are refined.

Funding and scope

The board’s action approves a contract amendment for implementation support with JSI and formalizes CCC recommendations into the county’s approach to awarding grants. The presentation described the fund as a pilot to be governed by community values, but did not specify the total dollar amount of seed funding in the meeting materials.