For Immediate Relsease: November 26th, 2025
Denver, CO — The Climate Democracy Initiative (CDI) is proud to announce its selection as a Regional Resilience Fellow in the 2026 cohort of the Open Future Coalition, joining a global network of community-led organizations advancing social, ecological, and economic resilience.
CDI is one of 14 organizations, networks, and locally driven projects chosen from around the world. Together, these groups operate across more than 50 countries, currently serving over 150,000 community members and projected to reach more than 800,000 people within the next three years through shared learning and collaborative practice.
This Fellowship recognizes CDI’s leadership in strengthening democratic participation in climate decision-making and its commitment to supporting communities in shaping equitable and resilient futures. The Open Future Coalition highlights organizations playing a crucial role in stewarding local resilience, fostering collaboration, and advancing community-led solutions.
“This Fellowship recognizes the power of community-led climate solutions and affirms the importance of strengthening democratic participation in this moment of compounding climate challenges. We are grateful for the opportunity to learn from peers around the world who are innovating in real time, and we look forward to applying those lessons to help frontline communities and local governments build more equitable, resilient systems.” said Natalie Montecino, Executive Director of the Climate Democracy Initiative.
As part of the Fellowship, CDI will engage in a year-long global learning cohort focused on developing and sharing practical tools that expand meaningful community participation in climate policy and planning. CDI will contribute to and benefit from a living library of community-sourced solutions that includes tools, templates, curricula, and stories designed to help communities adapt, scale, and replicate effective approaches to resilience.
Through the Fellowship, CDI will strengthen partnerships, deepen its technical assistance offerings, and bring new insights to the local governments, grassroots groups, and community leaders it supports across the United States.
To learn more about the 2026 Regional Resilience Fellows, visit: https://www.openfuturecoalition.org/fellows
For questions, please contact:
Contact: Kara Lamb, Program Manager
Phone: (970) 215-9545
Email: kara@climatedemocracyinitiative.org
###
The Climate Democracy Initiative (CDI) strengthens democratic governance systems to be resilient, responsive, and committed to climate solutions. CDI empowers rural communities and young leaders, particularly in underrepresented regions, to shape sustainable futures.