2024 People Powered Climate Democracy Accelerator
Published: 21 May 2024
Climate change is a global issue affecting every aspect of our modern society, from declining agricultural productivity, rising sea levels, drought, forest fires and catastrophic flooding. To tackle the climate crisis, governments have a mandate to enable and encourage citizens, civil society, activists and more to participate in shaping and implementing climate policies. By expanding public participation and bringing marginalized voices into decision-making, governments can create climate-focused policies that are equitable and responsive to community needs.
People Powered is looking for government and civil society leaders to form a new cohort of innovators interested in launching participatory programs to shape climate policy in areas such as clean transportation, renewables, decarbonization and energy efficient homes, air pollution, agroecology and more.
To be selected for this program, applicants must be governmental institutions, civil society organizations or non-governmental organizations. The program is open to applicants from all over the world, with space for 15 participants per cohort.
People Powered Climate Democracy Accelerator
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Benefits of People Powered Climate Democracy Accelerator
The Climate Democracy Accelerator (CDA) is a six-month, practice-oriented training and support program that prepares members to plan and implement an inclusive and participatory process for a just climate transition. Participants will develop a project to implement a climate-focused participatory program that addresses the needs and voices of local communities. Selected applicants will have access to a dedicated mentor to guide the development of their program, along with:
- Step-by-step resources such as the Participation Playbook , our interactive, online tool for designing participatory programs.
- Practice-oriented live sessions and online courses.
- A 10,000 USD implementation grant.
- The opportunity to apply for an additional 20,000 USD award for the best project developed by program participants.
Requirements for People Powered Climate Democracy Accelerator
- Government officials, staff members and policymakers who want to launch a participatory program for making just climate-related decisions. Please note: Government institutions applying must have a partnership with a civil society organization/non-governmental organization, as the grant recipient must be a non-governmental entity.
- Civil society organization staff members and/or climate advocates who want to implement a participatory program focused on climate in partnership with a government institution. Please note: Civil society organizations applying must work in partnership with a government institution, as they must follow up with the implementation of the action plan.
Organizations should nominate a lead participant with professional proficiency in at least one of the following languages: English, French, Portuguese or Spanish. Applications from organizations or governments based in G20 countries are encouraged, especially from Brazil, India, Mexico, South Africa and Indonesia. People Powered or Open Government Partnership members will be prioritized.
People Powered cannot give funds to volunteer groups or recently incorporated civil society organizations through this program. To receive funding, your organization needs to
- Demonstrate at least one full year of operations and successful fundraising to support such operations prior to being short-listed for the program.
- Have paid staff as well as a board of directors or advisory committee.
- Be registered as a non-profit organization in the country of operations.
Selection Process
Program timeline:
- May 8 — June 27, 2024: Applications are open until June 27, 11:59 pm UTC (check your timezone here).
- July 2024: Selected participants are notified.
- August — September 2024: Due diligence and onboarding.
- October 2024: Program begins.
- March 2025: Program ends.
- April — June 2025: Participants share learnings.
- July 2025 — September 2026: Participants implement their action plan.
This program consists of four cohorts of 15 government and civil society leaders, starting in October 2024 and ending in March 2025. In the third cohort:
- Participants can expect to spend an average of two hours per week from October 2024 to March 2025 for the duration of the training program and mentoring support. If you are not sure about your availability for the program or if you are not selected this time, the CDA program will accept new applications next year.
- Participants also will be asked to set aside a few key dates on their calendars to participate in the program’s live sessions.
- After the completion of the training, participants will have 12 months to implement their action plan with the 10,000 USD funding received. The amount of time you spend on your project will depend on the action plan you have developed.
Application Documents
Successful applicants will receive a 10,000 USD implementation grant at the end of this program. To receive this grant, the conditions below apply. Please review these requirements and make sure you will be able to provide this information. The below applies to civil society organizations only, as they will be the recipients of the funding. Government institutions applying for the CDA program must ensure that their civil society partner meets the below eligibility requirements.
- Provide financial statements or audited accounts for your organization. We usually only ask for 12 to 24 months of financial statements (for example, your current fiscal year and your previous fiscal year).
- Provide evidence of your organization’s charitable or non-profit status. For example, your legal registration form or articles of association (also called ‘bylaws’).
- Complete a tax form that People Powered needs to provide for its own tax purposes as an organization making grants to others. We will send this to you for completion as part of due diligence.
- Have a valid organizational bank account and be able to provide your bank information to People Powered in order to receive the grant.
- If you are a government body or organization, we will ask for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the civil society partner who will receive the grant.
Once we review and approve the required documentation, the organization will benefit from the program’s 10,000 USD funding support.
Application Deadline
June 27, 2024
How to Apply
Interested and qualified? Go to
People Powered on docs.google.com to apply
Read through the program requirements and selection criteria below, complete the application form and submit the required documents by June 27, 2024, 11:59 pm UTC (check your timezone here).
The application form contains the following questions:
- In no more than 200 words, please describe your proposal for a participatory or deliberative project to address a climate challenge.
- In no more than 150 words, please describe the climate challenge you would like to address.
- In no more than 250 words, how will your participatory or deliberative project support a just transition in your context? How will you engage marginalized or excluded communities in this work? A just transition refers to a future in which the worst impacts of the climate crisis are mitigated, communities have adaptive capacity, and the effects of the climate crisis are more equitably distributed. Marginalized groups or communities can include climate-vulnerable populations, immigrants, refugees, disabled people, religious minorities, ethnic and racial minorities, youth and children, elderly people, women, and LGBTQ+ people, among others.
- In 100 words, describe one key experience that demonstrates how you have worked in partnership to deliver a participatory or deliberative program to address a climate challenge. If you haven’t had experience with this, please provide one example of a climate program you have delivered and a partnership you have worked in successfully.*
- In 100 words, what will you try to accomplish by participating in the CDA program? Share how the program support and grant will help your organization to achieve your goals. Please be as specific as possible.
- Additional information: Is there any specific support you will need from the program or any additional information you would like to add?
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