The 101 municipalities in the Metropolitan Area Planning Council’s region are invited to apply for funding for one-year projects that will help advance their communities’ climate resilience. 

Boston – August 15, 2023 – The Accelerating Climate Resilience (ACR) Municipal Grants program is now accepting applications for one-year municipal projects that advance strategies to protect people, places, and communities from the impacts of climate change. The application deadline is September 15, 2023, with awarded FY24 projects expected to be announced in November 2023 and commence in January 2024. Municipalities can receive up to $50,000 for technical assistance and design, capital projects, or capacity building. 

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) is hosting a webinar on August 21 at 12 p.m. to provide more information about the ACR program, grant requirements, and the award timeline. Register here for the webinar. Community-based organizations, nonprofits, schools and institutions, and other individuals can contact their local municipal officials to express ideas for projects that advance climate resilience and encourage application to the ACR program.  

Now in its third year, this grant program is generously funded by the Barr Foundation. To date, grant projects have ranged from one- to two-year duration, up to $140,000, and funded municipal-led innovations and interventions that facilitate long-term transformation and strengthen climate change resilience in the region. Previously funded projects spanned a number of categories, including: nature-based green infrastructure; capacity building for municipal staff; strengthening community resilience; innovative public outreach strategies; and even supporting local food systems. Overall, projects that promote environmental justice or demonstrate innovative climate resilience strategies that are transferable at the local or regional level are encouraged to apply.  

ACR grantees also get to participate in the program’s Resilience Community of Practice (RCOP), a peer-to-peer networking and learning group dedicated to knowledge exchange, as well as technical, value-based, and instructional guidance to aid municipalities in deploying, scaling, and amplifying their climate resilience practices across municipal functions. In tandem with the ACR grant program, MAPC hosts a speaker series about innovations in climate resilience. 

Learn more about past years’ grantees and find the invitation for proposals and application form for the FY24 grant round at www.mapc.org/resource-library/accelerating-resiliency/. 

For more information and questions about the Accelerating Climate Resilience program, contact MAPC Senior Environmental Planner Van Du at vdu@mapc.org.