Our multifamily owner, operator, and developer partners needed practical resources to help them protect their affordable housing portfolios.

Leveraging more than 20 years of experience helping communities withstand and recover from natural disasters, we created the nation’s first resilience academy for affordable housing to deliver the effective and affordable climate risk reduction resources our partners needed.

Building upon the success of our first academy, we tailored the cohort-based training program to address unique regional hazards. Academies have been completed in Southeast, Gulf Coast, New York, and Rocky Mountain regions. We are on schedule to complete three additional academies for the West Coast, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic by the end of 2024.

150+ Academy Participants
Completed one of our regional academies
100% of Participants
Feel capable of assessing climate risk

Building More Confident Portfolios

Our Climate Resilience Academies were developed to provide program participants with the knowledge and confidence to address climate risk across their portfolios. Each module is tailored to address the unique climate challenges faced by different regions across the country.

Our cohort-based training academy was designed to help participants:

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A group of women sitting at a round table
  • Gain a deeper understanding of climate risks and how to apply resilience concepts
  • Understand how to navigate different funding sources and available dollars, as well as deploy funds when they become available
  • Access case studies and other learnings that leverage best practices from the broader field
  • Join a regional peer network committed to advancing community resilience​
  • Apply for custom technical assistance (available for an engaged cohort of partners)
There’s no school for this. The best way we learn is by talking to other people doing it and talking to people in other areas or having the same problem…That’s the best way to learn how to solve problems.
2022 Gulf Coast Resilience Academy Participant
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Curriculum

We tailor seven key modules to meet participants' unique regional challenges:

  • Module 1: Assessing portfolio risk
  • Module 2: Continuity of operations
  • Module 3: Building new and resilient home construction
  • Module 4: Retrofitting existing housing
  • Module 5: Understanding local laws and regulations
  • Module 6: Engaging community
  • Module 7: Funding and financing

Grants for graduates

We provide a direct grant funding opportunity for academy participants to help them implement what they learn. Previous grants have provided tools, insights, and evidence to help participants design programs more intentionally and better measure the impact of their preparedness work. 

Previous Academies

Southeast Academy
2021 

Get regional resources and watch four sessions from our pilot academy.
 

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Gulf Coast Academy
2022 

Watch two panels that dive into regional hazards and unique funding opportunities.
 

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New York Academy
2022

Our third academy brought together 10 groups from across the region.
 

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New Jersey Academy
2022

Our third academy brought together 10 groups from across the region.
 

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West Coast Academy
2023

Our fourth academy convened 20 affordable housing providers across the region.

 

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Rocky Mountain Academy
2023

Our fifth academy helped 19 groups confront climate risks in the region.

 

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Midwest Academy
2024

Our sixth academy helped 20 affordable housing organizations from Illinois and Michigan face climate challenges in the region.

 

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Alaska Academy
2024

This training series assisted Alaska Native organizations to identify and mitigate climate risks in their communities.

 

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Support What Comes Next!

Creating the nation’s first climate risk reduction training for affordable housing was just the beginning. We remain committed to listening actively to our partners and developing additional effective and affordable resources to further mitigate their climate risks and build resilience in their communities.

Contact Shivali Gowda to learn more about what’s coming next and how to get involved.

Meet Our Team