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The Partnership for the Civilian Climate Corps (PCCC) is a non-partisan collection of national, state, and local organizations working toward implementing a national service corps to tackle climate resilience and mitigation head on, while developing career pathways into apprenticeships and good-paying jobs for the next generation in the rapidly growing clean energy economy, disaster mitigation, infrastructure resilience, and conservation sectors.

A bold, multifaceted and multi-agency corps involving local, state, and federal governments and organizations will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy costs, build on-ramps to good-paying conservation and energy sector apprenticeships and jobs in rural, urban and tribal communities, address environmental justice, and help communities improve infrastructure and disaster resilience in every state across the country.

The Partnership for the CCC launched in January 2023. Read more about the launch here.

On September 20th, the White House launched the American Climate Corps, making great strides toward answering the Partnership for the CCC's call to bring our vision to life.

Learn More: American Climate Corps

Principles for the Corps

The national corps must:

  • Meet the scope and urgency of the climate challenges facing our country with a robust program that engages 300,000 people over the next decade
  • Deliberately and equitably recruit and retain corps members that represent the diversity of America, investing heavily in both rural and urban communities that have been hit hardest by the climate crisis and natural disasters, as well as opening up opportunities to previously marginalized groups
  • Establish a robust set of benefits for participants, including a living wage, skills training, education award, health care benefits, post-service career planning and transition to apprenticeships and good-paying jobs, and communicate those benefits to prospective corps members
  • Prioritize projects that address environmental justice through a combination of conservation, clean energy, resilience, infrastructure, and mitigation investments
  • Be implemented primarily through interagency agreements between AmeriCorps and other federal agencies, scaling up existing infrastructure at national, state, and local partner organizations including workforce development partners and labor 
  • Encourage collaboration between AmeriCorps, the Department of Labor, public lands agencies, and other federal entities to take full advantage of workforce development, apprenticeship, and career pathway opportunities made possible through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)
  • Address both rural and urban conservation, clean energy, resilience, disaster recovery, and mitigation needs

PCCC Goals:

  • Expand national service and workforce programming to address climate resilience and mitigation
  • Develop and execute locally-driven priority projects in partnership with frontline communities
  • Successful implementation and management through executive action and interagency partnerships and agreements
  • Prioritized recruitment in diverse urban and rural frontline communities
  • Investments in corps member benefits to improve the value proposition of service 
  • Robust career pathways, counseling, professional development opportunities, and partnerships with registered apprenticeships programs and employers
  • Uplift and communicate early and ongoing successes
  • Secure additional federal, state, and private resources to achieve these ends, including but not limited to leveraging infrastructure, Inflation Reduction Act and American Rescue Plan investments

Membership List 

The following organizations are members of the Partnership for the Civilian Climate Corps. If your organization would like to join the Partnership, please reach out to [email protected].  

National Organizations

  • American Clean Power 
  • American Conservation Experience      
  • American Society of Adaptation Professionals
  • America’s Service Commissions    
  • CivicWell     
  • Center for Biological Diversity  
  • Center for Law and Social Policy
  • Climate Mayors
  • Conservation Lands Foundation 
  • Conservation Legacy  
  • Data for Progress
  • Evergreen Action
  • Farallon Strategies        
  • Independent Sector   
  • Interstate Renewable Energy Council  
  • JFF
  • KABOOM!  
  • Mt. Adams Institute      
  • North American Building Trades Union
  • National Recreation and Park Association         
  • National Wildlife Federation   
  • National Youth Employment Coalition
  • Next100      
  • SBP, Inc.     
  • Service Year Alliance  
  • Sierra Club   
  • States for Service Coalition  
  • Student Conservation Association        
  • Sunrise Movement     
  • The Corps Network
  • The Nature Conservancy          
  • The Nonprofit Council
  • University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
  • Youth Jobs Connect

Local Organizations

  • Anchorage Park Foundation, AK 
  • Southeast Sustainability Directors Network, AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA
  • Arizona Conservation Corps, AZ
  • GEM Corps, AZ, NM
  • CA Association of Local Conservation Corps, CA
  • CA Conservation Corps, CA
  • California Volunteers, CA
  • LA Conservation Corps, CA
  • Civic Well, CA
  • Larimer County Conservation Corps, CO
  • Western Colorado Conservation Corps, CO
  • Serve Colorado, CO
  • Connecticut Commission on Community Service Board, CT
  • Forum for Youth Investment, DC
  • Community Training Works, FL & AR
  • CASA, GA, MD, PA, VA
  • Kupu, HI
  • Volunteer Iowa, IA
  • Serve Illinois Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service, IL
  • Serve Kentucky, KY
  • YouthBuild Louisville-Urban Conservation Corps, KY
  • Reimagine Appalachia, KY, OH, PA, WV
  • Louisiana Green Corps, LA
  • Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity, MA
  • Massachusetts Service Alliance, MA
  • Break A Difference, MD
  • Civic Works, MD
  • Community Mediation Maryland, MD, LA
  • Bicycle Coalition of Maine, ME
  • Maine Conservation Alliance, ME
  • Maine Conservation Voters, ME
  • Maine Youth Action, ME
  • The Climate Initiative, ME
  • Volunteer Maine, ME
  • EcoCorps SEEDS, MI
  • Michigan College Access Network, MI
  • Michigan Community Service Commission, MI
  • ServeMinnesota, MN
  • Ampact, MN
  • AmeriCorps St. Louis, MO
  • Missouri Community Service Commission, MO
  • Watershed Conservation Corps, MO
  • Montana Conservation Corps, MT
  • Conservation Trust for NC, NC
  • VolunteerNC, NC
  • NJ Office on Volunteerism, NJ
  • NJ Youth Corps of Phillipsburg/Delaware River Climate Corps, NJ
  • Rocky Mountain Youth Corps, NM
  • Great Basin Institute, NV
  • Nevada Volunteers, NV 
  • BlocPower, NY
  • Green City Force, NY
  • Change Food for Good, NY
  • Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action, OH & WV
  • ServeOhio, OH
  • Geos Institute, OR
  • Northwest Youth Corps, OR
  • OregonServes Commission, OR
  • OIC of America, PA
  • Penn Future, PA
  • PennSERVE, PA
  • William Penn Foundation, PA
  • SC Service Commission / United Way Association of South Carolina, SC
  • Green Spaces Chattanooga, TN
  • Volunteer Tennessee, TN
  • American Youth Works, TX, LA
  • AmeriCorps Central Texas, TX
  • Breakthrough Central Texas, TX
  • Outdoor Pathways, Southern Utah University, UT
  • Utah Conservation Corps, UT
  • Virginia Service Commission, VA
  • SerVermont, VT
  • ReSOURCE: A Nonprofit Community Enterprise, VT
  • Serve Washington, WA
  • Operation Fresh Start, WI
  • Serve Wisconsin, WI
  • Coalfield Development Corporation, WV
  • Stewards Individual Placements - Eastern Region, WV
  • Volunteer West Virginia - WV
  • WVU Extension, WV
  • ServeWyoming, WY

News & Research

Presidential Administration Support

Congressional Support

Over a dozen pieces of legislation have been introduced in recent months to establish a CCC, including from Sen. Coons, Sen. Markey, Sen. Cortez-Masto,  Sen. Casey, and Sen. Heinrich along with Reps. Neguse, Chu, and Lamb.

Congressman Neguse led a Dear Colleague letter of over 80 House and Senate members which outlined the vision for a robust, equitable CCC.

Majority Leader Schumer issued remarks on the Senate floor in full support of the CCC while also supporting the idea on social media. He also spoke at a press conference with other supporters of the idea.  

N.M. Congressional Democrats Call For Inclusion Of Civilian Climate Corps In Final Reconciliation Deal

US House-passed Build Back Better Act - Roll Call #385 - US House of Representatives, November 2021

State and Local Climate Corps Activity  

Governors & State Service Commissions  

California Climate Action Corps

Colorado Climate Corps

Louisiana Workforce Commission Climate Corps 

Maine Climate Corps

Michigan Climate Corps

Minnesota Climate Impact Corps 

Washington Climate Corps Network

 

State Legislative Proposals 

Maryland Civilian Climate Corps

New Hampshire Climate Corps Advisory Commission

Oregon Climate Corps

Rhode Island Climate Corps

Vermont Climate Corps

Wisconsin Climate Corps

 

Local and County Support 

New Jersey Climate Change Resource Center Climate Corps

Travis County TX Climate Corps

The Partnership's Appropriations Advocacy Efforts

The Partnership expressed support for Congressional appropriations in Fiscal Year 2024 at multiple agencies to expand climate national service and workforce development programming, including a coalition letter to the Appropriations Committee in spring 2023.

Partner Organization Support  

Building Bridges to Energy Sector Careers through Service Years - Service Year Alliance, January 2023

Building the Civilian Climate Corps - Evergreen Action, April 2021

In Support of the Creation of a Civilian Climate Corps (Environment, 2021) & In Support of the Creation of a Civilian Climate Corps (Jobs, Education, and the Workforce, 2021) - US Conference of Mayors, 2021

Mayor Turner, Climate Mayors Call on Congressional Leadership to Pass Federal Legislation that Supports Local Climate Action and Resilient Infrastructure - Climate Mayors, July 2021

William Penn Foundation is giving $1.65 million to create a new Delaware River Climate Corps - William Penn Foundation, December 2021

More Federal Action is Needed to Promote Equity and Growth in the Green Workforce - Center for Law and Social Policy, October 2022

With questions or to learn more about this Partnership, please contact [email protected].

Partnership for the Civilian Climate Corps
Our Vision