Climate Resilient Communities

In the Bay Area, as throughout the world, under-resourced communities are disproportionately vulnerable to climate change impacts. Since 2016, Climate Resilient Communities has been on the ground learning the specific needs of residents in diverse, under-resourced communities in East Palo Alto, Belle Haven, and North Fair Oaks, and is expanding throughout Silicon Valley. Their outreach cultivates environmental awareness while giving local residents a voice in proactive resilience planning and adaptation. By building stronger alliances between residents, schools, local government programs, and community-based organizations, this work creates resilience against climate-related stresses such as sea-level rise and economic instability.

Climate Resilient Communities officially branched off from Acterra as its own organization dedicated to uplifting the Peninsula’s underrepresented communities in September 2020, becoming a fully independent 501(c)(3) in January 2023. Sand Hill Foundation provided early funding in 2021 in the form of a $100,000 matching challenge to stimulate other new donors to support the nascent organization. The match was exceeded three-fold and the staff increased from one to five employees. Today, Sand Hill Foundation provides sustaining unrestricted support and Climate Resilient Communities has a 15-person staff and a budget over $3 million.

Programs for the residents of East Palo Alto, Belle Haven, North Fair Oaks, and Redwood City focus on addressing requests for home safety and energy needs, such as rainwater cisterns, minor-home repairs, and air purifiers, while working on the government level with regional cities’ climate adaptation plans to conduct community-led vulnerability assessments. The organization also provides a variety of community education opportunities ranging from its Youth Climate Collective, a cohort-based Fellowship program, as well as disaster preparedness and environmental health workshops for local residents.

Regionally, Climate Resilient Community is leading the effort to build trust and strengthen relationships among community-based organizations and government entities in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. They are making substantial progress through the Santa Clara Climate Collaborative, recruiting inaugural members of the Equity In Community Work Group. They are also Equity Program Manager for the Bay Area Climate Adaptation Network. In order to help connect vulnerable residents and planning officials, there must be a collaborative community of practice that actively paves the way for effective and equitable partnerships – so all programs are designed to empower community voices in pursuit of equitable climate solutions that create unity, resilience, and justice.