Evanston Climate Action Fund

The Climate Action Fund is part of a community-wide campaign to reduce Evanston's collective environmental footprint. It was established as one of the strategies to help implement the Evanston Climate Action Plan.  

The fund invests in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions-reduction projects in Evanston, with a special emphasis on projects benefiting nonprofit organizations and lower-income households. It is intended to enable all community members to participate in this initiative, helping Evanston meet its overall emissions reduction goal.

2010 Report on the Evanston Climate Action Fund

Since its inception in 2008, the Climate Action Fund has raised $7,325 from donors throughout our community.  The Fund's first grants were issued in spring of 2010.  A total of $5,475 was distributed to the Child Care Center of Evanston, Evanston Day Nursery, Evanston Festival Theatre, Infant Welfare Society of Evanston, and YWCA Evanston/North Shore for lighting upgrade projects. These lighting upgrades will increase energy efficiency and generate cost savings in the form of reduced utility and maintenance costs for the nonprofits.  By pairing these Climate Action Fund grants with ComEd incentive dollars reserved for Evanston organizations, the grant recipients will be able to complete more than $8,000 in total lighting upgrades with no out of pocket costs.

  
At present, $1,850 is available for grants to local nonprofit organizations for projects that will decrease an organization's carbon footprint.  Organizations may apply for a grant at any time.   Grants will be awarded subject to availability of funds and alignment of the proposed project with funding criteria described below in "How will projects be chosen for funding?"
 

Who is contributing to the fund? Some donors wish to help Evanston nonprofits make energy efficiency upgrades to their facilities so they can save energy and cut their utility bills--and thus have more dollars for their important programs.

Some donors make contributions to compensate for air travel emissions. They may make a gift to balance the emisssions related to a vacation trip or for guests coming to a family wedding or other special event. (Use this simplified "calculator" for suggested contribution amounts for air travel.)

 Still other donors make contributions that correspond to the emissions that they cannot otherwise eliminate. These donors may have measured their carbon footprint using the Zerofootprint Evanston environmental calculator and find they cannot reduce their emissions to zero. They are encouraged to contribute $90 for every 6 tons of CO2 that they continue to emit.

How Do I Make a Gift? You can give to the Evanston Climate Action Fund by credit card or check; charitable gifts to community foundations qualify for maximum tax advantage under federal law.

Credit card gifts may be made online - save time and paper!  To make a gift online, click here.  In the donation form, after indicating the dollar amount of your donation, please check the box for 'Other Foundation Fund' and specify Climate Action Fund. You can also designate if you would like us charge your card one time or on a monthly basis. 

Or, write a check payable to the Evanston Community Foundation, note Climate Action Fund in the memo, and mail to 1007 Church Street, Suite 108, Evanston, IL 60201

Matching Gifts - Leverage your personal contribution with a matching gift through your employer. Simply forward your company's matching gift paperwork to the Foundation; we'll do the rest.

How will projects be chosen for funding? A project is eligible for funding if it will result in a measurable reduction in GHG emissions for an Evanston nonprofit organization and meets the other criteria listed below. Types of projects eligible for support from the fund include (but are not limited to) lighting and HVAC upgrades, home weatherization, and programmable thermostat installation. 

The Fund Advisory committee and the Foundation will seek to ensure that the funded projects are

• Credible (achieved with sound methodologies and practices),
• Additional (made possible because of the fund),
• Quantifiable (resulting in measurable reductions in GHG emissions), and
• Permanent (not subject to reversal in the future).

Is this a carbon offset program? No, it is not a true offset program. Although donors to the fund may view their contributions as compensating for their CO2 emissions, they will not be purchasing independently certified offsets. The funded projects will not be accredited--that is, they will not be audited and verified by a third party.

What is the role of the Evanston Community Foundation?  The Foundation holds contributions made to the fund, ensures the integrity of the project selection process, and distributes funds to the selected grantees. The Foundation reports annually to the community on fund activities--contributions received, funds distributed, projects implemented.  Initial expenses associated with setting up the fund, together with ongoing administrative costs, have been underwritten by Foundation donors. 

Additional Information -- City of Evanston Climate Action Plan

In October 2006, the Evanston City Council authorized the mayor to sign the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, thereby joining a nationwide grassroots effort to advance the goals of the Kyoto Protocol. This action committed the city to take steps to reduce Evanston's greenhouse gas emissions by seven percent below 1990 levels by the year 2012--the target set by the Kyoto Protocol for developed countries like the United States. 

The first step was to conduct a greenhouse gas emissions inventory for Evanston. In the baseline year (2005), Evanston produced an estimated 1 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2E) from all municipal operations and community-related activities. In order to meet the Kyoto Protocol target, Evanston will need to reduce its projected 2012 emissions by 13 percent.

In November 2007, the City of Evanston and the Network for Evanston's Future launched a joint city-community planning initiative to develop a climate action plan for Evanston. Nine task forces were formed, each co-chaired by community representatives and a city staff member, and proceeded to design strategies and action steps for their assigned area of focus. 

Their recommendations were compiled into a plan to guide Evanston in achieving its emissions reduction goal. The plan was presented to the community on May 4, 2008, and subsequently approved by the Evanston City Council.

Additional information about what Evanston has done and will be doing to make this a sustainable community and to address global climate change is available through the City's Office of Sustainability