Last year, the United States significantly reduced funding for scientific institutions, cutting billions of dollars in research grants and laying off thousands of federal employees at agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In response, Aparna Shrivastava, a former senior climate official in the Biden administration, spoke with dozens of climate experts who had lost their jobs or funding but wished to continue their work. These conversations led to the creation of the Climate Reserve, an initiative backed by tens of millions of dollars aimed at funding new jobs for laid-off climate experts. The Climate Reserve operates through a network of experts who identify critical climate work that has been left in limbo and find new places for it to continue without federal support. This can involve placing climate researchers with environmental organizations or finding new homes for projects cut from the government's budget. So far, the initiative has funded more than two dozen new positions for climate experts, who are now working across the U.S. at nonprofits and institutions. It has also revived federal projects such as EJScreen, an online map showing communities affected by pollution, and is conducting international work like mapping sea level rise in Panama and measuring greenhouse gas emissions in African countries. Some aspects of the group's work remain undisclosed to avoid drawing attention from the Trump administration, which has been punitive with some funding cuts. Many of those involved in the network still rely on federal funding or plan to apply for it in the future. Now that the Climate Reserve is making progress, its leaders are willing to be more open about their efforts to attract additional funding for fellows. The name "Climate Reserve" is meant to evoke both a nature reserve and the Army Reserve, symbolizing an emergency group that can be called upon to bring people together. Funding these positions is intended to provide a kind of "parachute" that helps former federal workers, along with their specialized knowledge and relationships, find safe placements. The initiative emphasizes collaboration over competition, aiming to prevent the climate community from becoming further fragmented as resources become scarcer. This philosophy, termed "movement generosity" by some of the group's founders, focuses on the broader goals of the climate movement and sharing resources and expertise across organizations. For instance, a single expert funded by Climate Reserve could split their time between two different organizations, allowing them to coordinate on similar projects and reduce redundancy. The initiative also supports important, but often overlooked, data-crunching projects, which are essential for decision-makers and scientists to trust the information. By the end of this month, Climate Reserve will have placed 50 climate experts in new roles, and it plans to triple its funding by the end of next year. If federal support for climate research returns, the network hopes to make the field more collaborative and resilient to political shifts.