Become an N-ZAP Pilot Community

The Municipal Net-Zero Action Research Partnership (N-ZAP) is recruiting 250 Canadian communities at all stages of climate action to pilot our guides and the Climate Analysis Tool. This webpage is intended to be a resource to answer questions about the opportunity to become a pilot community, the benefits of participating, and what participation will entail.

We are recruiting pilot communities to pilot one of our four resources, including the climate budgeting guide, the community partnerships for equitable local climate action guide, the financial disclosures guide, and our updated Climate Analysis Tool.

Express your interest here.

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What does it mean to be a pilot community?

Criteria for participation:

  • Any community across Canada, at different stages of climate action work
  • Commitment to implement/utilize an N-ZAP resource in your community
  • Provide feedback on the resource and your implementation experience

Benefits:

  • Connect with other municipal practitioners from across the country working on similar files
  • Gain access to cutting-edge research and resources as they become available
  • Free access to micro-credential courses in development from the University of Waterloo (launching fall 2026)

I am curious about the opportunity to join a cohort. What would that entail?

Recognizing that many communities will be newer to the topics that our resources cover, we want to offer an opportunity to such communities to access additional support through peer learning cohorts, an opportunity exclusive to N-ZAP's pilot communities.

Time commitment:

  • Eight-month cohorts run in two cycles
  • Up to 90 minutes of active engagement per month
  • Eighty percent participation required for recognition and credit towards micro-credentials accredited by the University of Waterloo

Structure:

  • Monthly meetings, alternating between:
    • five mandatory sessions with guest speaker presentations and interactive activities
    • optional sessions for additional support in a peer-to-peer setting
  • Surveys at the start and end of the cohort cycle with an interview at the mid-point; these will be with student researchers to advance knowledge mobilization and climate action research

Could you distinguish between being a pilot community and participating in the peer-learning cohorts?

While we welcome every community to become a pilot community, we recognize that not every one has the capacity to fully participate in a peer-learning cohort. To balance capacity needs, we have two streams (as seen in the graphic below) to allow communities to opt in to the stream that is best suited to them. All pilot communities will receive the invitation to apply to the first and second round of the peer-learning cohorts.

A flow chart shows the process for becoming an N-ZAP pilot community. It begins with completing the pilot community interest form, with an arrow that points to the next step which is to receive a pre-survey link and complete the pre-survey, then an arrow pointing to the following step which is to receive an invitation to apply to a cohort. From that point, there are two options. If the applicant does not join a peer-learning cohort, they move on to piloting an N-ZAP resource. From there, they can take part in an optional mid-point interview. Then, they continue piloting the resource, then complete a post-pilot survey, then end by receiving complimentary access to micro-credential courses. If the application does choose to join a peer-learning cohort and are selected by N-ZAP to participate in one of the cohort, they then participate in the first half of the cohort, then take part in a mandatory mid-point interview, then participate in the second half of the cohort, then complete a post-cohort survey, then end by receiving complimentary access to micro-credential courses. If a case in which the community agrees to participate in a cohort but is not selected by N-ZAP, they are then given the opportunity to pilot an N-ZAP resource and complete the ensuing steps mentioned earlier.

I am interested in participating, but I need to work this professional development into my workplan. What does your timeline look like?

Over the course of 2025-26, we plan to release our guides and the updated PCP Tool. In October 2025, we plan to launch our first two cohorts: climate budgeting and community partnerships. The financial disclosures and the Climate Analysis Tool cohorts will follow in the winter of 2026. We will run a second round of cohorts that will all begin in the fall of 2026.

I am interested in being part of a specific cohort.

Tell us what cohort(s) most interest you and stay in the loop via our pilot community interest form. We will follow up with the entry survey for you to fill out to enroll as a pilot community. At the end of July, we will circulate peer-learning cohort applications to those who have expressed an interest in becoming a pilot community. The cohort applications will be due in mid-September.

How will you select participants for the peer-learning cohorts?

We will assess applications based on motivation to participate, how well their needs align with the program objectives, and level of commitment. Depending on the applications we receive, we may prioritize applications to achieve regional and linguistic diversity.

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‍N-ZAP is a research partnership funded, in part, by the Government of Canada through the Climate Action and Awareness Fund (CAAF) and jointly led by the University of Waterloo, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ (FCM) Green Municipal Fund (GMF) and ICLEI Canada, working with 11 other academic institutions, and 8 national organizations and 15 municipal partners.

This project was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada.