Resilient Rhody, Rhode Island’s first comprehensive climate resilience action strategy was released by Governor Raimondo in July 2018. The strategy identifies priority actions the state can take to build statewide resilience. Common throughout Resilient Rhody is the need to work collaboratively with and in support of municipalities statewide.
The Municipal Resilience Program (MRP) provides direct support to cities and towns to complete a municipal-driven process that will bring together climate change information and local knowledge to identify top hazards, current challenges, and community strengths. This process will identify priority projects and strategies to improve the municipality’s resilience to all natural and climate-related hazards using a flexible, tested approach called Community Resilience Building (CRB).
Upon successful completion of the CRB process, municipalities will be designated as a “Resilient Rhody Municipality” which enables municipalities to apply for dedicated action grants to implement identified projects.
MRP facilitators are trained to provide technical assistance to communities in completing the assessment and resiliency plan using the Community Resilience Building Framework. Towns and cities will be assigned a lead facilitator and workshop facilitators upon acceptance into the program.
The MRP workshops are being delivered and funded with support from the Nature Conservancy (TNC).
A minimum of $1M in MRP Action Grants are available to each cohort for eligible projects in the year they participate. Eligible projects are required to be identified through the Community Resilience Building process, improve climate resilience, and a capital investment resulting in construction. MRP Action Grants are not available for research-related activities such as studies and strategic plans.
Grant eligibility must fall under Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank’s broad portfolio of programs and can include but not limited to, dam repair and removal, road elevation, hardening or elevation of pump stations, berms and levies, culvert repair, green stormwater infrastructure, back-up power and energy efficiency, watershed restoration, urban tree planting, and coastal erosion control.
Municipalities will be required to match grants with a 25% local project cost share.
Description of Awarded Municipal Resilience Program Action Grants
- 2019 Cohort:
Westerly, South Kingstown, Portsmouth, Barrington/Warren
- 2020 Cohort:
Bristol, Woonsocket, Little Compton, Warwick, Pawtucket/Central Falls, Newport/Middletown
- 2021 Cohort:
Cumberland, East Providence, Jamestown, New Shoreham, North Kingstown, Providence, Tiverton
TO APPLY FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE 2022 MUNICIPAL RESILIENCE PROGRAM, see the Request for Proposals here.
Barrington
Bristol
Cumberland
East Providence
Jamestown
Little Compton
Middletown
New Shoreham
Newport
North Kingstown
Pawtucket/Central Falls
Portsmouth
Providence
South Kingstown
Tiverton
Warren
Warwick
Westerly
Woonsocket
Kimberly Korioth
Stormwater and Resilience Analyst
Rhode Island Infrastructure BankView Contact Information