Second Nature – a Boston-based NGO focused on accelerating climate action in, and through, higher education – announced that eight higher education institutions have been awarded grant funding through the Acceleration Fund for innovative climate projects they are working on.
The Acceleration Fund is dedicated to supporting innovative cross-sector climate action activities driven by colleges and universities. The Acceleration Fund was first introduced a year ago at the 2020 Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit. Projects awarded funding in 2020 fostered long-term, campus-community partnerships and had the potential to scale climate activities beyond the single-year grant term.
Funding for this second round was made possible by Lumina Foundation.
“Transitioning to a clean, just economy cannot happen without strong participation from the postsecondary education sector,” stated Terri Taylor, Strategy Director for Innovation and Discovery at Lumina Foundation. “This will require doing business differently, with a stronger focus on equity and more attention to community partnerships. We are thrilled to see this group of institutions stepping up to the challenge.”
Eligible projects included those that would use the monies for implementation of existing climate action projects or to support climate action planning activities. As with the first round of funding, projects were required to focus on long-term, campus-community activities that were likely to continue after the one year grant term expired.
Additionally this year, preference was given to applicants whose climate projects placed an explicit emphasis on climate justice, equity, and engagement with communities of colour.
The number of applications received was positively overwhelming – illustrating the higher education sector’s active dedication to climate action. All applications were reviewed by an esteemed committee of sixteen.
The eight winning higher education institutions:
- The University of British Columbia (Vancouver, BC)
- College of Menominee Nation (Keshena, WI)
- Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA)
- Gonzaga University (Spokane, WA)
- Milwaukee Area Technical College via Milwaukee Area Technical College Foundation Inc. (Milwaukee, WI)
- Southern Oregon University (Ashland, OR)
- Stetson University (DeLand, FL)
- University of Wisconsin–Madison (Madison, WI)
Colleges and universities eligible to apply included those who are Climate Leadership Network signatories and/or University Climate Change Coalition (UC3) members.
“Just as with the first round of the Acceleration Fund, we were positively overwhelmed with the number and diversity of applications we received,” stated Tim Carter, President of Second Nature. “While it meant that our review committee had to make some tough decisions, it also affirms the higher education sector’s commitment to advancing climate action and climate justice. Thank you to every college/university that applied, and congratulations to the winning institutions!”
“UBC has long been recognized for our leadership on sustainability and climate action, but we know that more urgent progress is needed. In the face of the climate emergency, UBC is working with our partners and communities to transform our economic, social and political systems to be more inclusive, equitable and just, and we commit to upholding the voices of young people, Indigenous peoples and all marginalized communities in this work. We are honoured to receive this grant from the Second Nature Climate Accelerator Fund.” – University of British Columbia President Santa J. Ono, UC3 Leadership Lead
As part of the University of British Columbia’s Climate Emergency response, the university is developing a cross-sector Community Council forum where they will work with external partners to further justice-based climate action, equitable development and resilient communities. The funding will be used to hire a UBC student to help plan the Community Council and engagement processes.
