Climate Funds: Community Pushes the Needle Forward

We’re thrilled to share some big news: after a short but intense campaign from C3 and our network of partners and volunteers, as of yesterday’s Board of Supervisors meeting on May 7, Albemarle County has now voted to commit $300,000 in new budgetary funding for climate action. This new investment - directed by the Board of Supervisors at the Budget Public Hearing on April 23 - will go directly into the Climate Action Fund. This means that the County will continue funding the Energy Resource Hub, the Climate Resiliency Cohort and the Community Climate Action Grants, as well as funding residential home energy improvements, public EV chargers, EV vouchers and incentivized employee carpooling. The budget decision marks a major and hard-won step forward for our community.

At a time when the federal government is actively gutting and obstructing climate and equity initiatives, local action has never been more critical. Programs that rely on federal funding are increasingly vulnerable, making it critical that municipal and state governments lead on action toward a just, climate-resilient future. With the stakes high and the window for meaningful action narrowing, this local commitment couldn’t be more timely.

A Reversal of Course, Sparked by People Power

This outcome was not promised, and until just a fortnight ago, it didn’t seem possible.

From the start of this year’s budget season, County officials made it clear: no new climate-specific funding would be added in FY26. Despite past commitments to climate leadership, there seemed to be no avenue for additional climate funding. An early draft of the budget gave the inaccurate impression that nearly $2 million was earmarked for climate action, when in fact, only $200,000 - left over from appropriations from FY22 - was dedicated to climate, with the remainder going to broader environmental services like street sweeping.

C3 and our partners challenged this narrative and pushed for funding to meaningfully support the County’s Climate Action Plan. We pointed to the data: emissions in Albemarle have plateaued since 2019, and the gap between where we are and where we need to be continues to grow. Inaction now will only make the challenge harder and more costly down the road, and climate action requires funding.

Our community responded with resolve. Over the past few months, you mobilized, writing public comments, emailing your representatives, attending town halls and hearings, waving signs, and spreading the word to neighbors and colleagues. We saw passionate engagement from all corners of the community, including a powerful coalition of youth and teen advocates whose clarity and courage helped shift the tone of the conversation.

Then, two weeks ago, something extraordinary happened.

With the mics still glowing from the fiery words of the final public comments - mostly from young climate advocates - the Board of Supervisors made an unexpected and unprecedented move: they voted unanimously to direct the County Executive to reallocate $300,000 from the Advancing Strategic Priorities Reserve Fund into the Climate Action Fund. This was not on the agenda. It was not part of the Executive staff recommendation. It was a direct and responsive action to public pressure and community advocacy.

Why This Matters: A New Precedent, a Stronger Future

This decision represents more than just a funding boost: it’s a shift in political will.

For the first time during budget season, the Board of Supervisors directed the County Executive to add new climate-specific funding to the adopted budget rather than waiting to appropriate it over the course of the year. It signals to County staff, neighboring jurisdictions, and most importantly to the people of Albemarle, that climate action is a priority worth investing in, even in this challenging fiscal year. It is a complement to the growing success of the affordable housing coalition, which includes C3, and which has achieved 50% of its ask to establish an annual $10m housing trust fund in the County’s budget.

While $300,000 represents just 30% of the $1 million annual Climate Action Plan funding that the City of Charlottesville’s Office of Sustainability has committed, both this fund and the housing trust fund remain a powerful testament by the Board of Supervisors of their mission to advance equity and climate action. The climate funding will help empower the County’s Climate Program in making  tangible progress towards local emission reduction targets. It also provides the leverage to respond quickly when state or federal funds become available, something that’s increasingly essential in today’s uncertain funding landscape. 

Looking Ahead: Momentum for FY27 and Beyond

This victory strengthens our campaign for next year. With the City of Charlottesville already committing $1 million annually to its own Climate Action Plan, Albemarle has a clear path to follow, and now, momentum to build on. The affordable housing coalition’s continued push towards a $10m annual housing trust fund is also essential for advancing climate justice in the County. Investing in denser, energy efficient housing with connections to services like transit reduces emissions from both energy and transportation.

Thanks to your efforts, we’re heading into FY27 budget planning with more momentum, more community buy-in, and a historic first: the Board has shown that it is willing to break precedent and prioritize climate action when the community demands it.

A Moment of Gratitude

To every person who took time to show up, speak out, or share information, this win belongs to you.

To the teen organizers and youth leaders who brought energy and urgency to every meeting: your voices changed the outcome. You proved that young people are not just the future: they are the present, and decision-makers listened.

To our partners, nonprofits, small businesses, and advocates who lent their names and networks to the cause: thank you for standing with us.

And to the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors: we appreciate your willingness to listen, to reconsider, and to act, even in the final hours of the budget process. This eleventh-hour decision is an example of the importance of persistence in advocacy, and of particular importance, it showed our youth advocates that they are taken seriously by leadership in the County. As a unanimous decision, and with all Supervisors expressing the importance of seeing that climate action funding be used to achieve real, immediate reduction in community emissions, the County has now reaffirmed its commitment to climate action in Albemarle. 

In Closing: Local Action, Global Impact

This campaign began as a call to protect climate progress in a time of federal uncertainty. It became something more: a demonstration of the power of local democracy and the strength of our community. With this new funding, we are actively building toward a future that we can be proud of.

There’s more work to do, but today, we celebrate. Let’s carry this momentum forward - together.