Illustration of a tropical nature reserve with a wooden pathway, lush greenery, birds, and informational signs, featuring people walking, enjoying the scenery, and a group cooking at a shelter labeled 'Cayo Pirata'.

Resilient Communities Technical Assistance Program

In November 2024, CRC wrapped up work as the lead contractor for a USEPA resilient communities technical assistance program in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Puerto Rico and USVI, and Midwest and Mountains super-regions.

CRC’s team, including 24 small businesses, supported 26 communities to prepare a Community Change Grant application by providing project development, conceptual design, community engagement, budget development, and partnership building assistance. Our team created over 210 renderings and maps working on over 50 sites to create resilience hubs, green infrastructure areas, mobility-related resilience interventions, and residential resilience initiatives. (Image credit: ONE Architecture)

Aerial view of a beach with turquoise water, sandy shoreline, and green vegetation at the bottom.

Community Led Relocation Strategy

Through 2024-25, CRC is a subcontractor to WSP and is the communications lead for a project assessing managed retreat to address extreme weather, natural hazards, and climate impacts. We are developing a managed retreat framework and guide for state departments of transportation to address extreme weather, natural hazards, and climate impacts that considers vulnerability, land use, and community needs.

Our work is focused on developing insights and guidance from interviews, research, and case studies. We highlight the key considerations for community led relocation as a strategy for adaptation and how it can be implemented based on community needs and desires, leading to long term prosperity for affected populations.

Title slide of a presentation with the text 'The Tasks of Now: Toward a New Era in Climate Resilience Building' and a subtitle 'Key Takeaways for Philanthropic Impact'. The slide features an abstract illustration of the earth with flowing, layered colors representing water, land, and atmosphere, surrounded by geometric shapes and leaves.

Guidance for Philanthropy

In summer and fall 2024, CRC collaborated with the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and Dr. Susanne Moser Research and Consulting to update the landmark 2017 report on the state of U.S. climate adaptation, Rising to the Challenge, Together. The 2024 material provides a strategic framework to guide philanthropic investments in scaling climate resilience efforts.

Drawing on research, interviews, and expert insights, the multiple reports we created for this project outline transformative actions and principles for philanthropy to drive impactful, long-term resilience-building initiatives through targeted funding and collaboration. The primary report was delivered to the White House as part of the 2024/2025 Presidential transition.