<aside> 💡 Develop an approach to identify and pursue state funding support for your initiative

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It is important when looking at a comprehensive strategy for service to consider the role of funding. As more climate service programs are tied to broader state or national climate initiatives, there is both an opportunity and urgency to mobilize service. This may require commissions to have a deeper engagement in the funding landscape. Although not necessarily the responsibility of a commission to manage external funding, we note the importance of engagement in the funding landscape for a few reasons.

First, if a commission is implementing a statewide strategy related to climate change and wants to motivate new grantees to engage in this strategy, addressing matching fund challenges and incentivizing engagement may be critical to building programs quickly. State agencies can provide resources, expertise, and networks that can help your climate corps initiative thrive. State funding can also lend credibility to your program, making it more attractive to potential partners and supporters.

Second, as noted in the quick primer on climate change, climate change is not affecting everyone equally. This means that the communities who may need support the most likely have the fewest resources to participate. State funding opportunities may have aligned goals that can support lower-resourced communities which can lead to increased support in these communities through service programs.

Finally, as the national conversation on a civilian climate corps is making clear, member living allowances are a significant factor in achieving a more diverse AmeriCorps membership. However, providing higher living allowances likely requires additional resourcing that has been historically challenging for programs to secure on their own. Securing state funding to support additional resource needs may be critical to launching a fully robust climate corps, especially one that can attract and retain members.

There are a few options to consider in regards to securing state funding. If a state is committing resources to address climate change, it can be incredibly beneficial to engage with key representatives at the agencies and departments responsible for climate-related programming. Many of those most responsible for addressing the impacts of climate change in state government have little or no experience with service, yet are often struggling with how to connect support to community needs. The lack of capacity was a finding of a 2023 report from the Conservation Trust for North Carolina, developed with funding from Volunteer North Carolina, that made the case for creating a statewide climate resilience service network. Through their statewide assessment, the report finds that there is a need for service to mitigate and address climate change impacts, but communities lack the capacity to dedicate resources towards building resilient communities.

We are also seeing a greater commitment of philanthropic dollars to climate issues, but many of those funders likely want to see robust community-building efforts as part of their investment. Through local impacts, community-facing service efforts, and member development, AmeriCorps offers unique community building opportunities that may be an appealing element to combine with other program investments.

In the actions below, we outline steps to identify state agencies and others to collaborate with and provide guidance on how to effectively engage and seek commitment.