About PACE

Partners Advancing Climate Equity (PACE) is a new capacity-building program for frontline community leaders from across California to connect with peers, take their skills to the next level, and catalyze transformative change.

PACE focuses on increasing the capacity of leaders in California’s communities to advance community-driven, equitable climate solutions at the pace and scale demanded by climate change and ongoing injustices. Ultimately, we envision a connected and mutually supportive network of emboldened community leaders with the capacity, resources, and partnerships needed to realize their community’s vision for climate resilience and social equity.

A graphic depiction of the PACE program model with 4 quadrants and arrows between each quadrant to indicate an ongoing cycle. Text in the center of the graphic reads “launching a new cycle of capacity building and community empowerment.” The first quadrant on the right includes an icon depicting a hand behind a growing plant and reads “1. Cultivate - bring together frontline community leaders to build skills and networks.” The second quadrant at the bottom includes an icon depicting two people fitting together two puzzle pieces and reads “2. Co-create - develop actionable community visions for climate resilience and social equity.” The third quadrant on the left includes an icon depicting a circle with three arrows pointing away and reads “3. Propagate - equip community leaders to train network partners and local ecosystems.” The fourth quadrant on the top includes an icon depicting five people with their arms raised above their heads and reads “4. Activate - entrust communities to advance their priorities with improved partnerships and access to resources.”

Program Priorities

PACE prioritizes those directly serving frontline communities by honoring and uplifting existing leadership, lived experiences, and local expertise. We define frontline communities as historically marginalized communities that experience the first and worst consequences of climate change and other injustices.

These include Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities and other marginalized communities that have shouldered the largest health burdens and face the greatest economic barriers, including SB-1072 Under-Resourced Communities, SB-535 Disadvantaged Communities, AB-1550 Low-Income Communities, and the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program’s Vulnerable Communities.

Program Structure

PACE is a yearlong program split into two six-month phases. In Phase 1, participants will engage in virtual workshops and supplemental activities for approximately 10-15 hours per month. Once the cohort concludes, select participants will receive technical assistance in Phase 2 for greater support on project development. Participants will receive up to $8,000 for their commitment and active participation in the program. The program will also be offered in both English and Spanish as the top two spoken languages in California, based on cohort member needs and preferences.

Phase 1: Cultivate & Co-Create

Phase 1 will bring together a cohort of community leaders for a series of virtual workshops and activities to rapidly develop skills, build new connections, and create community needs assessments for cohort members’ own neighborhoods. We aim to build a cohort that is representative of communities from across California. Upon completion of the PACE Curriculum, cohort members will be equipped with the knowledge, strategies, and partnerships necessary to become effective drivers of change and facilitators of ongoing capacity building within their own local ecosystems.

Phase 2: Propagate & Activate

Phase 2 will provide technical assistance (TA) to cohort members to bring to life the program’s train-the-facilitator approach and set in motion an ongoing cycle of capacity building. TA recipients will receive mentorship, guidance, and customized project support to facilitate trainings for their network, advance priorities identified in their community needs assessments, and build long-term capacity to achieve their community’s equitable climate resilience vision.

Participant Benefits

Phase 1 will include a series of virtual workshops, trainings, networking activities, and learning opportunities for participants to be able to:

Leverage available resources to advance local climate resilience and social equity priorities

Lay the groundwork to support successful grant applications
Clearly articulate your community’s vision and priorities for equitable climate resilience
Connect with peers and mentors from across California

Form and sustain cross-sector partnerships that enhance collective impact strategies

Map out local and regional opportunities for new partnerships
Learn about effective methods for building consensus and achieving collective breakthroughs
Lead trainings to build the capacity of your networks and local ecosystems

Create data-driven community needs assessments and develop action plans

Use tools like Cal-Adapt, CalEnviroScreen, and Healthy Places Index to understand neighborhood-level data
Learn how to analyze community assets, strengths, barriers, and needs to inform action
Learn about case studies and models for addressing climate change and social equity issues

Navigate State funding programs, policies, resources, and decision-making processes

Understand State goals related to mitigating and adapting to climate change
Become more well-versed in California Climate Investments and other State resources
Establish contacts at key State agencies to support ongoing engagement

Questions?

We encourage you to reach out! The PACE program team is available to answer questions about the program.