American Climate Leadership Awards 2022
2022 American Climate Leadership Award Semifinalists
Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2022 live on March 28, 2022, REGISTER TODAY for the American Climate Leadership Summit
A wave of effective climate action and advocacy is sweeping across the US despite the hurdles of concurrent pandemics. To honor and recognize outstanding achievements in local, regional and national climate advocacy and action, ecoAmerica is pleased to announce the top 10 finalists for the 2022 American Climate Leadership Awards.
Each of the semifinalists receive recognition, a $1,000 award and advance to the next stage of judging. Ten finalists, including a runner-up and winner will be announced live at the American Climate Leadership Summit on March 28, 2022. Finalists will each receive $10,000, with the runner-up receiving $25,000 and the winner $50,000.
The American Climate Leadership Awards 2022 ceremony will be a live, virtual broadcast event hosted by this year’s selection committee which includes international environmental advocate and eco-living expert Laura Turner Seydel, World Resources Institute Founder and Overall Climate Hero Gus Speth, Future Coalition Executive Director Katie Eder, APHA Executive Director Dr. Georges Benjamin, environmental scientist, advocate, scholar, and entrepreneur Dr Michael K Dorsey, 35th Mayor of Salt Lake City Jackie Biskupski, Hip Hop Caucus President and CEO Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr., and Earth Uprising Founder Alexandria Villaseñor. Author, environmental activist, 350.org founder and this year’s selection committee chair Bill McKibben will host the awards event.
The American Climate Leadership Awards’ semifinalists include both individuals and organizations, hail from across the country and are excellent models for others to emulate as society races to learn from and replicate climate solutions. They champion climate efforts at the local, state and national level, and include representation from health, faith, land conservation, local communities, youth, indigenous people, renewable energy, and online storytelling efforts. They highlight four hotspots that are building significant momentum, despite the headwinds of the pandemic: renewable energy, conservation, the faith sector, and youth actions.
Congratulations to the American Climate Leadership Awards top 10 finalists
- Alternatives for Community & Environment (ACE)
- Climate Mobilization Project
- Elected Officials to Protect America
- Faith in Place
- GreenRoots
- Healthy Community Services
- Power Shift Network
- Schools for Climate Action
- Wisconsin Green Muslims
- Young Evangelicals for Climate Action
Congratulations to the 2022 American Climate Leadership Award Semifinalists
- 350PDX;
- Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments;
- Alternatives for Community & Environment (ACE);
- Benjamin Franta, PhD candidate in History at Stanford;
- Climate Action Campaign;
- Climate Justice Alliance;
- Climate Mobilization Project;
- Climate Smart Glacier Country;
- DearTomorrow;
- Elected Officials to Protect America;
- Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions;
- Faith in Place;
- Florida Clinicians for Climate Action;
- Gonzaga Center for Climate, Society, and the Environment;
- Green Chalice of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ);
- Green The Church;
- GreenRoots;
- Healthy Community Services;
- John Dorhauer, United Church of Christ;
- Land Trust Alliance;
- Leah Prussia, Associate Professor, College of St. Scholastica;
- Native Sun / Solar Bear;
- Olympia Community Solar;
- Our Climate Education Fund;
- Power Shift Network;
- Schools for Climate Action;
- Urban Drawdown Initiative;
- West Michigan Environmental Action Council;
- Wisconsin Green Muslims; and
- Young Evangelicals for Climate Action.
To watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2022 live on March 28, 2022, please REGISTER TODAY for the American Climate Leadership Summit.
Watch the 2021 awards on-demand to hear from Selection Committee Chair Gina McCarthy and see short finalist videos. Our ACLA 2021 finalists exemplify outstanding climate initiatives! Check out their Replication Guides, which give change agents and the public inspiration to model and replicate continued climate action across the nation!
Learn More About the Awards
What will the winners receive?
30 applicants will be recognized with cash awards.
- 20 semifinalists will receive $1,000 in recognition of their efforts.
- 8 finalists will receive a total of $10,000 to further your work.
- One runner up will receive a total of $25,000.
- One winner will receive a total of $50,000.
The finalists, runner up and winner will receive prominent recognition at the American Climate Leadership Summit 2022 and in key communications before, during, and after the event including social and traditional media.
How do you apply?
- Apply – Any eligible individual or organization can submit an application using this form by the December 15th deadline. Whether you are deepening your work in one community or scaling your program nationally, we invite you to apply to showcase your climate leadership.
- Top 30 – After reviewing all applications, 30 of the most promising submissions will be named Semifinalists, and invited to submit more detailed proposals for finalist consideration. The Top 30 Semifinalists will be promoted in ecoAmerica communications and online, receiving recognition for their progress thus far in the awards process.
- Top 10 – Semifinalist submissions will be reviewed, and from this group, ten finalists will be selected, notified, and promoted as Finalists for the Climate Leadership Awards 2022. During the 2022 American Climate Leadership Summit, the winner and runner up will be announced live.
What are the eligibility requirements?
The American Climate Leadership Awards seeks submissions from initiatives that have:
- Demonstrated leadership and success in engaging a broader diversity of Americans to build public support and political resolve for climate solutions.
- A strong track record of effective climate action, including clear program objectives, tactics, and measurable results.
- Successful programs or initiatives on a local, regional, or national level that can be replicated by others on a local level.
- Centered diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in their work.
- For current programming only (plans for future programs will not be considered).
How will my application be evaluated?
The Selection Committee for ACLA22 is comprised of climate experts and leaders from across a diversity of sectors and constituencies, who will score the submissions based on the following criteria:
- Impact and a track record of success, including measurable key success metrics.
- Replicability, in other words, how easily another person or organization could follow your example and recreate a similar program for another region or constituency. Please share your effective tactics.
- Innovation, including new, novel or uniquely effective tactics.
- Effective storytelling including demonstrating the success of how your program built public support and/or political will to slow and/or stop climate change.
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion, demonstrating how your program has centered DEI and justice and worked to dismantle racism and environmental racism.
Who should apply?
- Transformational individuals/leaders who are employing innovative methods to engage a diversity of Americans in climate change solutions locally, regionally, and/or nationally.
- Outstanding not-for-profits that have demonstrably moved their communities, organizations, or constituencies to effective climate action and advocacy, including community, health, faith, youth and other organizations.
- For profits with initiatives to build support for climate action with their stakeholders.
- NEW in 2022 – conservation leaders and organizations; local and rural communities groups; and conservative groups.
Awards 2022 Timeline
- Feb 1, 2022 Final proposals due from Semifinalists
- Feb 23, 2022 10 Finalists announced
- March 28, 2022 Runner up and Winner announced at ACLS2022
For more information: acla@ecoamerica.org