Boulder County Awards Sustainability Grants To Communities

BOULDER COUNTY, CO — The Boulder County Commissioners announced the recipients of 2020 Environmental Sustainability Grants this week. Boulder, Erie, Jamestown, Lafayette, Longmont, Louisville, Lyons and Nederland will receive the grants, officials said.

Boulder County’s Environmental Sustainability Matching Grant Program provides an opportunity for governmental organizations to take action against climate change. The grant program will also help the county leverage community resources for a "coordinated, countywide approach" to environmental sustainability, officials said.

The 2020 program will be funded by Boulder County's Sustainability Tax revenue. In 2016, voters approved the Sustainability Tax ballot initiative, to allocate a portion of sales and use tax revenue to fund sustainability infrastructure and programs, including grant funding to cities and towns for sustainable initiatives.

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Before the ballot initiative was approved, the funding was provided by the county's general fund and each municipality was limited to $15,000.

Some of the projects recipients are developing include recycling and yard waste drop-off events, water conservation services, efforts to increase solar and electric vehicle adoption and strategies to support the integration of climate mitigation, equity, and resilience.

“We are thrilled to continue and expand this grant program, thanks to voters’ approval of the Sustainability Tax,” Boulder County Commissioner Elise Jones said in a statement. “The vision and creativity of the municipalities in Boulder County has resulted in many successful projects, and we’re looking forward to ongoing partnerships to meet our shared goal of more sustainable communities.”

The Sustainability Matching Grant Program was established in 2014 as a way to support efforts that propel sustainability priorities in Boulder County communities. Any incorporated city or town within Boulder County was eligible to apply for funding proportionate to its community population. The municipality must provide a 25 percent match of the dollar amount requested.

Recipients and projects selected:

• City of Boulder proposed funding of $143,000 to formulate a climate action strategy that integrates mitigation, adaptation, and equity, and to support greater collaboration in climate action at a regional scale. The funding requested also supports electrification of transit.
• Town of Erie proposed funding of $15,000 to offer water conservation services to residents in partnership with Resource Central.
• Town of Jamestown proposed funding of $14,884 to support diversion of waste from the landfill through the continuation of recycling and hard-to-recycle material diversion, and local food production through the expansion of the community garden.
• City of Lafayette proposed funding of $30,000 to incentivize home energy audits, support solar energy by protecting community members’ access to solar, and supplement existing state grants for electric vehicle charging stations.
• City of Longmont proposed funding of $125,800 to support the development of a community grant program to increase engagement of residents in sustainability as well as funding for a part-time position to support the neighborhood sustainability efforts. The funding requested also supports the development of an equitable carbon-free transportation and electric vehicle readiness roadmap, increasing healthy food access in partnership with the Women, Infant, and Children farmers market program, and funding a part-time grant coordinator to secure additional funding.
• City of Louisville proposed funding of $28,292 to continue to support a part-time sustainability specialist to implement the city’s Sustainability Action Plan and coordinate the achievement of adopted climate action goals.
• Town of Lyons proposed funding of $15,000 to offer water conservation services to residents in partnership with Resource Central, to offer discounted trees to the community, to become a member of Colorado Communities for Climate Action (CC4CA), and to continue yard waste collection in the community.
• Town of Nederland proposed funding of $15,000 to contract with a sustainability expert for program management, streamlined communication, and valuable sustainability expertise to the town and community, in support of Nederland’s sustainability goals.