PCFO CAP COHORT

PCFO’s CAP Cohort is a year-long program consisting of monthly meetings and ongoing technical assistance. Participants will receive hands-on data, research, writing, and implementation support. The CAP cohort is a peer-learning container that will ultimately provide participating Ohio municipalities with a framework for a local community climate action plan upon completion of the program.

What do you mean by “Climate Action Planning”? 

“Climate Action Planning” refers to plans that establish targets, measures, strategies, and policies for climate mitigation and adaptation. Examples of Climate Action Plans in Ohio include, but are not limited to, Cleveland Heights, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Oxford.

We will guide participants through identifying and addressing climate mitigation and climate adaptation efforts as components of their finished Climate Action Plans. Climate mitigation refers to intervention to understand and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while climate adaptation refers to pathways to protect residents and infrastructure from existing climate impacts.

What direct support and educational trainings does the CAP Cohort consist of? 

The CAP Cohort will consist of monthly meetings where participants will receive practical knowledge and technical assistance, network with each other, and problem-solve through shared activities. In addition, CAP Cohort participants will receive coordinated technical assistance from PCFO throughout the cohort, and support is available from a menu of deliverables including:

Data and Research:
Understanding local emissions, climate impacts, and solutions. 

  • GHG Inventories

  • Tree Canopy Assessment

  • Fleet Assessment 

  • Scenario Planning Analyses

  • Integration of regional vulnerability and adaptation assessments

  • Topical technical memos 

Implementation:
Contextualizing data and research into local climate action plan creation and next steps.

  • Templated project management documents

  • Templated community engagement materials such as surveys

  • Strategies for securing financing to implement CAP strategies, actions, and goals

  • Templated Climate Action Plan document with delineated table of contents, sections, etc. 

  • Executive summary landscape report from PCFO staff with key recommendations for next action items

Communications

Media, digital, and storytelling strategy to amplify a CAP.

  • Video highlights

  • Op-ed and local media engagement

  • Social Amplification

  • Templated Messaging and Materials

  • Presentations to local elected officials and key stakeholders to increase buy-in for CAP process

Are you interested in PCFO’s climate action planning cohort? Want to chat with members of our team to learn more? Schedule a quick 15-minute intake conversation here!

Below are some additional Frequently Asked Questions about the CAP Cohort that will help you better understand this program and determine if its a fit for your community!

  • This program is free to participate in! PCFO is leveraging philanthropic funding to provide this opportunity to member communities at no cost.

  • PCFO’s 2025-2026 CAP Cohort is designed for PCFO member local governments with staff interested in climate action planning. Any experience level is welcome, from having an existing published climate action plan to building internal buy-in to measure and address local emissions. The 2025-2026 cohort is designed for small, medium-sized, and micropolitan local governments – those with populations under 200,000.

  • PCFO’s CAP Cohort will run from October 2025 through September 2026. The kick-off session for the CAP Cohort is Thursday, October 9th from 10 - 11 AM. and the first workshop will take place on Thursday, October 23rd from 10 AM - 12 PM. Monthly sessions will be held on Thursdays throughout the cohort, with exact dates and times to be confirmed by participant availability.

  • 2 hours per month for monthly cohort program meetings and up to 2-3 hours outside of cohort program meetings for consultation and direct support meetings with PCFO technical team members.

  • PCFO’s CAP Cohort will primarily occur via virtual meeting platforms (PCFO typically uses Zoom) and through online engagement tools PCFO is developing for members. Based on participant interest and capacity, PCFO can coordinate in-person engagement and support throughout the cohort.

  • PCFO launched in 2019, and as an organization we are equipped and skilled at assisting communities in reaching their climate and clean energy goals. PCFO was invested and bought into this work prior to the Inflation Reduction Act, and we continue to stay committed to supporting locals leading the way. One reflection that the PCFO team saw during the IRA, was that communities who could point to a clear plan about how the projects they were seeking funding for contributed to a local climate plan received funding over communities who could not point to any such plan. 

    We hope that by participating in the CAP cohort, we can help you lay the groundwork for future strategic grant requests from both state and federal avenues. The more that we can plan now, the more shovel ready these projects will be, allowing you to spend less time on project scoping in advance of a rushed grant deadline.  

    In many clear ways, 2025 has presented political headwinds for climate action in terms of federal priorities and funding shifts. While federal grant programs that prioritized emissions data and emissions reductions have been clawed back, project funding still requires due diligence and research. When applying for many grants and potential funding streams, already having a GHG inventory and CAP can set a community up to be a competitive applicant. The time is now to measure and forecast greenhouse gas emissions and local climate impacts can pave the way for successful long-term comprehensive planning and project financing.

  • Creating a Climate Action Plan can feel overwhelming - from data collection to community engagement, setting actionable goals to implementing them - there is a lot to consider. Participation in PCFO’s CAP Cohort will provide technical expertise, guidance from folks who have been through this process before, and the support of a peer network of local leaders. Our aim is to meet each community where they’re at, and ensure at the end of our time together you have a climate action planning framework, but the tools to execute on it. In addition, participating in the cohort will allow local governments to identify shared opportunities and challenges – and to learn from different approaches from peers across the state. The cohort will allow local climate action leaders to forge statewide relationships and build power together.

  • Schedule a time to chat with us and we can discuss your local context and how we can support! We are happy to share more information about the CAP cohort during a quick chat with you and any colleagues.