Photo credit: Youth En Route

Alberta Ecotrust Foundation awarded $922,000 through its Climate Innovation Grant to 10 organizations advancing emissions reduction projects. The grant provides up to $100,000 per project to eligible organizations working on low-carbon solutions in Calgary and Edmonton. 

"Climate action happens when bold plans are matched by practical, community-driven solutions. The projects funded reflect the breadth of work needed to reduce emissions—from transforming buildings and transportation systems to reducing waste, strengthening climate resilience and expanding access to climate solutions,” says Director of Grants and Initiatives at Alberta Ecotrust, Lori Rissling Wynn. “Together, these initiatives are helping advance local climate priorities while building healthier, more resilient and more equitable communities. We are excited to celebrate these organizations and support their leadership as they demonstrate what climate innovation looks like in practice." 

The Climate Innovation Grant is funded through the Alberta Ecotrust Climate Innovation Fund, which aims to accelerate urban climate solutions in Calgary and Edmonton. Alberta Ecotrust acknowledges the additional funding support from the Edmonton Community Foundation, the City of Calgary and the Government of Canada, whose contributions help expand the grant’s impact.

“The support received from Alberta Ecotrust’s Climate Innovation grant was critical in launching our project ‘From replacement to resilience’ exploring potential policy reforms to encourage more resilient retrofits following devastating climate events,”  states Gil Yaron, Managing Director at Light House. “With Alberta Ecotrust’s support, we were able to pull together the insurance and restoration industries in Alberta to discuss ways to build back better, reducing the use of replacement virgin materials, preserving embodied carbon and associated GHG emissions, while reducing claims and risk for insurance companies and providing greater security to homeowners.”

Continue reading to learn more about our grantees and their projects.

Projects in Edmonton

Edmonton Federation of Community Associations | Process and policy changes to match the urgency of the climate crisis

The Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues’ Green Leagues Program aims to address policy and process barriers facing community groups leading climate action projects on City of Edmonton land. Through streamlined processes, policy changes, alternative funding approaches and a framework that allows similar community projects to be bundled together, the initiative supports community groups in advancing local energy transition efforts. Community groups play an important role in helping the City of Edmonton achieve its carbon reduction and energy transition targets outlined in the City Plan.

The Pollution Probe Foundation | Pilot deployment of electric commercial vans in Edmonton

Pollution Probe is leading a one-year pilot to deploy electric commercial vans in Edmonton in partnership with a local fleet operator. The project will assess real-world performance across delivery applications, including the impacts of payload and cold weather on range, energy use and charging behaviour. Results will be shared publicly to provide data-driven insights into where electric vans are currently viable and how costs compare with conventional vehicles. By reducing uncertainty around performance, charging strategies and economics, the project aims to support the adoption and scale-up of electric urban delivery in Edmonton and across Alberta.

Projects in Calgary

Green Economy Calgary | Accelerating sustainability action in leased spaces across Calgary

Green Economy Calgary and Green Calgary are leading an 18-month project to help make climate action easier in Calgary’s leased commercial spaces. Working with businesses, landlords, utilities and the City, the project will identify barriers that make it difficult to move forward with energy upgrades, electrification and waste reduction, especially when tenants and landlords do not share costs and benefits. Through collaboration and pilot projects, the initiative will test practical tools and share resources to help increase low-carbon investment across Calgary’s building sector.

Pembina Institute for Appropriate Development | Cargo bike pilot program construction: Unlocking the potential for cargo bike delivery

Businesses in Calgary are ready for change but need evidence that cycle logistics can succeed despite local barriers. This project will help reduce on-road emissions and congestion by laying the groundwork for an e-bike delivery pilot in Calgary. Pembina will establish a coalition of partners, including the City of Calgary, a downtown business improvement area and at least one courier partner. Together, they will develop partnership agreements, select a microhub site and create a pilot plan tailored to Calgary’s geography and climate.

Youth En Route | Accessible bicycle repair to keep people rolling 

YYC Bikehub provides a low-cost, supportive option for bicycle repair for youth, students and all Calgarians. A bicycle that does not function is not a transportation option. Through a $20 annual membership, participants gain access to shared space, tools, parts and expert support to repair their own bikes. Cost, transportation and access can make traditional bike repair services difficult to use. Located within walking distance of the LRT, Bikehub helps people maintain access to active transportation while building community and confidence.

Projects in both cities

Affine Climate Solutions Society | Banking on buildings: Alberta market activation

The Banking on Buildings Alberta Market Activation project supports climate-aligned retrofits by addressing business case and financing barriers that prevent technically and economically viable projects from moving forward. The project enables Alberta building owners and financial institutions to evaluate, finance and implement retrofit projects more effectively. Through improved business cases and underwriting approaches that recognize energy performance, climate risk mitigation and operational impacts, the initiative supports project delivery. Research, stakeholder engagement and capacity building will strengthen market understanding, improve financing approaches and unlock private investment.

Light House Sustainability Society | From replacement to resilience: Transforming insurance policy and practices to address long-term risk through climate-resilient restoration 

Extreme weather events in Calgary and Edmonton, particularly hailstorms and flooding, have resulted in more than $6 billion in insured losses across Alberta over the past five years. Current claims practices often require like-for-like replacement, even where materials remain vulnerable to future climate impacts, contributing to repeated damage, rising costs and material waste.

'From replacement to resilience' is a collaborative project led by Light House with insurers, adjusters, restoration firms and policymakers to explore how insurance practices can support climate-resilient rebuilding. Between July 2026 and April 2028, the project will examine claims and underwriting processes, develop tools and build the case for more durable restoration approaches that reduce emissions, avoid repeated waste and lower long-term risk.

Second Harvest Canada | Food rescue in Calgary and Edmonton

Second Harvest will expand food rescue channels to support long-term greenhouse gas reductions in Calgary and Edmonton. The project will recover surplus food from agri-business and work with processors to transform surplus produce into consumable goods for packaging and safe distribution. Food will be distributed to 270 non-profit organizations in Calgary and Edmonton that provide free food programs to their communities.

Smart Sustainable Resilient Infrastructure Association (SSRIA) | Innovation capacity accelerator for emissions reduction in the AEC industry

The Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) Innovation Catalyst is a collaborative initiative between SSRIA and Unbounded Thinking designed to address the execution gap in Alberta’s building sector. Over 24 months, the project will support up to 20 AEC companies in applying a human-centred innovation framework. Using Unbounded Thinking’s Kwokka platform, participants will strengthen information flow between leadership and frontline employees. The initiative will provide a structured approach for turning internal ideas into verified decarbonization solutions, helping companies demonstrate the return on investment of emissions reduction and build long-term capacity.

Volta Research | Bridging the grid-housing gap: Collaborative case study workshops for net zero builders 

Volta Research will lead a two-year project in Calgary and Edmonton to connect high-performance residential building practices with the needs of electricity distributors. Through case studies of developments featuring high-performance and net-zero-ready homes, utilities and builders will examine how building design influences peak electricity demand. Energy advisers, government representatives and other stakeholders will contribute findings and recommendations. The project will produce a framework for utility-builder collaboration to support Alberta’s residential construction sector and a reliable, lower-carbon energy future.

Learn more about the Climate Innovation Grant.