The First U.S. Consultancy Built Exclusively for Climate Adaptation.

CRC is a Chicago-based, women-owned climate adaptation consultancy founded by Joyce Coffee. We help governments, institutions, and communities move past planning for climate change and into acting on it.

Our story

Who we are

Climate Resilience Consulting works across climate adaptation strategy, disaster resilience, green infrastructure, resilience hubs, project implementation, and capacity building, helping cities, counties, federal agencies, nonprofits, and businesses move past planning and into funded, working projects.

Founded in Chicago in 2016, the firm draws on decades of hands-on experience in climate preparedness work, now applied across more than 20 U.S. states and a growing set of international projects.

Mission
We inspire and equip leaders to turn climate risk into resilience advantage, protecting lives, strengthening livelihoods, and unlocking smarter investments.

Vision
A world where climate resilience is a competitive advantage, shaping stronger communities, smarter investments, and more durable economies.

Our Approach
Our approach combines purpose, equity, and action designing for those most at risk while aligning stakeholders to deliver long-term resilience.

A social enterprise - purpose built.

01 Purpose

We take on projects that have a real, traceable benefit for the community involved.

02 Dependability & trust

We do what we say we'll do, on the timeline we agree to.

03 Equity & fairness

We prioritize the communities most exposed to climate risk, not just the easiest projects to deliver.

04 Continuous learning & experience

Climate science and policy keep changing. We stay current and adjust our advice accordingly.

05 Health & well-being

We run the firm in a way that doesn't burn out the people doing the work.

06 Happiness & fulfillment

We try to enjoy the work, even when the subject matter is heavy.

What Clients Say

Trusted by Leaders Across Sectors

From federal agencies to community-based organizations, our clients speak to the impact of CRC's work.

Thank you so much for working with us. We really appreciate all your team has done to help set us up for success. We would not have got to where we are without you.

Community-based organization leader

You are approachable, easy to work with and welcoming. I found it delightful to work with you. Your understanding of the topic and your enthusiasm to create transformative change shows in the materials you delivered to us.

Federal extreme heat leader

Your report is fantastic. For someone with no experience in this sector, I found the report to be readable and easily understood. The discussion and the examples provided were quite helpful, and next steps actions listed are clear and on point. Thanks for your work.

California state official

You are experts at facilitating advisory groups, putting together a complex puzzle, and managing to engage both the advisory committee and service providers in an intelligent, coherent and innovative way that resulted in transformative change.

Financial services leader

My commissioner and I were reflecting on the event and we were so impressed with your facilitation skills and your persistence to equity. We were anxious to see how we would wrestle with the difficult task, and you were remarkable in your capacity. Thank you for your leadership.

City chief resilience officer

Thank you to Joyce and your team for being flexible and offering adaptive and expert pro bono technical assistance to this community.

Federal community resilience professional

Climate Resilience Consulting is a small giant. We love your entrepreneurial ideas and whip smart execution. You have a heart-felt enthusiasm and a focus on us. We choose you because we get to work with you.

International corporate manager

I thought the workshop you designed was great, and I am eager to see what comes from it. Thank you for your leadership, thoughtfulness, and enthusiasm.

National philanthropic fund leader

Thank you for excellent facilitation throughout the day and your deep commitment to this work. It's great we can rely on you to bring the national lens and bring CDFIs and other partners.

National affordable housing leader

Nobody facilitates a meeting or manages a far-flung team like Joyce. Her ability to cull out team goals, support development of action plans, manage execution, and produce results is among the top of her field. We are fortunate to have her on our team.

National nonprofit executive

We have a serious problem: we need more of you. The whole team agrees you are key to our success.

International corporate c-suite

Joyce, you are doing a phenomenal job. Your support was instrumental to create the first version of our tool, and we will continue using your services whenever possible.

International corporate c-suite

This work can be very gloom and doom. Joyce, you have always been cheer and steer. We are all better for it.

International nonprofit executive

It was so nice to meet you in person last week. I enjoyed your energy and motivation for finding solutions. It's easy to get bogged down with the many challenges of this work, so your approach and outlook is refreshing.

State leader, community-led relocation

Ready to see how CRC's approach applies to your challenge?