The Climate Democracy Accelerator (CDA) is a hands-on support and training program designed to advance a global movement for climate democracy by equipping local or regional government and civil society leaders to launch inclusive and equitable participatory processes for a just climate transition. The program will support participants in the development of action-oriented solutions focused on renewable energy and regenerative agriculture that effectively enable community members to shape climate policies on issues such as adaptation, governance, and mitigation.
Over the course of six months, participants receive the support of a dedicated mentor, peer groups, practical how-to-guides, and resources, live and recorded training sessions, and $10,000 USD implementation grants to develop an action plan. This action plan will outline a participatory process for engaging community members in government decision-making for climate policy development and broader public decisions on environmental issues. An additional $15,000 USD award will be granted to five projects to be selected per cohort.
From 2026 to 2029, four cohorts of up to 30 participants each will take part, with a total of 120 local climate justice coalitions in the 4 priority countries, Brazil, Indonesia, India, and Mexico, and in other countries worldwide. Each cohort will include five participants from each of the 4 priority countries, and five additional participants from other countries.
In India, the programme will be rooted in country-specific contexts and implemented by PRIA, an in-country lead organisation for India with extensive experience in participatory democracy, climate action, and environmental governance.
The indicative program schedule for participant activities in each cohort cycle is:
Goals
Through this program, the participants from the local/regional governments and civil society organizations to identify, plan, design, and implement inclusive and equitable participatory and deliberative processes focused on renewable energy and regenerative agriculture, to achieve
just climate transitions. Additionally, the program will contribute to building a global movement for climate democracy, fostering greater citizen engagement in climate and environmental decision-making at all levels of governance. By the end of the program, participants should be able to:
In-country partners -
PRIA (India), Kota Kita (Indonesia), Delibera (Brazil), Accionario (Mexico)
The Climate Democracy Accelerator is made possible with the support of Waverley Street Foundation and People Powered.