kresge foundation environment program webinar slides

July 15, 2014 Webinar 1

Environment Program

Climate Resilience and Urban Opportunity Initiative

July 15, 2014 webinar

Presenter

Presentation Notes

� Thank you for joining today’s webinar, the purpose of which is to explain Kresge’s new initiative on Climate Resilience and Urban Opportunity. I’m Lois DeBacker, managing director of the Environment Program, and I’ll be leading the webinar. I’m joined here in Troy, Michigan, by several Kresge colleagues, including other members of the Environment team and staff of our Grants Management and Communications departments.

Presentation Outline

• Introduction to Kresge • Purpose of Initiative • Definition of Climate Resilience • Link to Urban Opportunity • Description of Two-Phase Initiative • Explanation of Application Process and Review Criteria • Expectations of Grant Recipients • Expected Outcomes • Related information


Presenter

Presentation Notes

We’ve allocated one hour for the webinar. Our goal is to give you as good an understanding as possible of the purpose of the initiative, the terminology we’re using, the application process, and the criteria we’ll use to review applications. We expect that the presentation will take about 30 minutes. Because of the large number of people on the call, participants will be on mute. We’ll leave time to respond to your questions at the end of the webinar. We ask that you type your questions into the question box as they arise. I encourage you to have available for reference a copy of the primer and the fact sheet about the initiative that appear on Kresge’s website. We’ll post a copy of this PowerPoint on Kresge’s website after the webinar. We also will post a recorded version of the webinar and an updated version of the fact sheet with responses to new questions that arise during the webinar.

The Kresge Foundation

• Kresge is a private, national foundation that works to expand opportunity for low-income people in America’s cities.

• Its Environment Program helps communities build

resilience in the face of climate change. • Emphasis on cities • Interest in low-income inclusion and benefit


Presenter

Presentation Notes

I’d like to begin with a brief word about The Kresge Foundation. Kresge is an endowed, private foundation that supports expanding opportunity for low-income people in U.S. cities. Our Environment Program is focused on helping communities build their resilience in the face of climate change. The program’s emphasis is on cities, and we have particular interest in seeing that climate-resilience efforts are inclusive of and benefit low-income people.

Environment Program

• Two strategies o Accelerate place-based innovation o Build the climate-resilience field

• Place-based work focused on:

o Climate resilience in coastal cities and regions o Sustainable water-resources management o Urban energy resilience o Climate resilience in low-income communities


Presenter

Presentation Notes

We invest through two primary strategies. The first is to accelerate place-based innovation in climate-resilience measures. The second is to build the climate-resilience field of practice. The place-based work we support is focused on four topics: Climate resilience in coastal cities and regions Sustainable water resources management in a changing climate Urban energy resilience Climate resilience in low-income communities The Climate Resilience and Urban Opportunity Initiative that is the subject of this webinar is the primary – but not the exclusive – vehicle through which we will support work focused on low-income communities. Kresge also will support work directly relevant to low-income communities through our interest in coastal areas, water resources management, urban energy resilience, and field building. We currently are considering proposals specific to those topics by invitation only, however.

Purpose of Initiative: Overall


Strengthen the capacity of community-based nonprofit organizations to influence: • Local and regional climate-resilience planning • Policy development • And implementation to better reflect the priorities

and needs of low-income people in U.S. cities

Presenter

Presentation Notes

This month, we launched the Climate Resilience and Urban Opportunity Initiative, through which we’re currently accepting Statements of Qualifications from organizations seeking support. The initiative’s purpose is to strengthen the capacity of community-based nonprofit organizations to influence local and regional climate-resilience planning, policy development, and implementation to better reflect the priorities and needs of low-income people in U.S. cities.

Purpose of Initiative: Toward What Ends?

• Address the disproportionate impact of climate change on low-income communities

• Intentionally deliver multiple benefits to low-income people and communities

• Substantively influence public-sector-led efforts to address climate change so that outcomes of such efforts are equitable for and reflect the priorities of low-income communities


Presenter

Presentation Notes

We’re interested in strengthening the capacity of nonprofit organizations to engage in climate-resilience efforts so as to advance several ends. Those ends include: Addressing the disproportionate impact of climate change on low-income communities Pursuing climate-resilience measures in a manner that will deliver multiple benefits to low-income people and communities – benefits such as access to jobs and economic opportunity, improved health and safety conditions, new community amenities, and meaningful civic engagement Influencing public-sector-led efforts to address climate change so that the outcomes of such efforts are equitable for and reflect the priorities of low-income communities (Go to next slide)

Purpose of Initiative: Toward What Ends?

• Expand the number of thought leaders who approach climate-resilience work with a strong analysis around social equity

• Generate model approaches and methodologies for the climate-resilience field of practice

• Enhance the effectiveness of climate-resilience efforts


Presenter

Presentation Notes

Those ends also include: Expanding the number of thought leaders who approach climate-resilience work with a strong analysis around social equity Generating model approaches and methodologies for the climate-resilience field of practice Enhancing the effectiveness of climate-resilience efforts overall

To build resilience to climate change, communities must:

• Anticipate and prepare for climate-change-related pressures and shocks

• Lessen overall demand for energy and increase the proportion derived from renewable sources

• Foster social cohesion

This definition of resilience is central to the initiative.


Comprehensive Definition of Climate Resilience

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Kresge has chosen to employ a comprehensive definition of climate resilience. Our approach incorporates preparing for the effects of climate change, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and fostering social cohesion. We think it is necessary to take this comprehensive approach because climate change is a systemic problem which will impact built, natural, and social environments in unexpected and uncertain ways. Addressing any one of the three elements of resilience in isolation can result in missed opportunities, or worse, unintended consequences for the other aspects of resilience. This comprehensive definition of resilience is central to this initiative.

Link of Climate Resilience to Urban Opportunity


• Climate change a threat multiplier

• Disproportionate impact of climate change on low-income people, globally and locally

• Efforts to increase resilience can either reduce or inadvertently worsen disparity

• Targeted strategies necessary for the success of resilience efforts

• Possible to deliver multiple benefits to communities

Presenter

Presentation Notes

We view climate change as a threat multiplier. That is, climate change is very likely to worsen many of the problems that people already experience in their communities and their lives.� Climate change will have disproportionate impact on low-income and other vulnerable people, yet historically there’s been a weakness in meaningfully engaging low-income residents in climate-change planning efforts.� Efforts to increase resilience are seldom neutral in their effects. They can either reduce disparity or inadvertently worsen it. Because of that, we think it’s important that the interests of low-income people are authentically represented in venues important to climate-action planning. Our hypothesis in this initiative is, in part, that universal climate-resilience goals will not be met without targeted strategies to address the unique circumstances of low-income populations. john powell has advanced this notion of “targeted universalism,” and we think it applies to climate resilience efforts. We also think that – with intentionality around low-income inclusion – it is possible for climate-resilience efforts to be implemented in ways that deliver multiple benefits to communities and their residents.

Two-Phase Initiative

Phase 1: Planning Grants in 2014 • Award up to 20, nine-month planning grants of up to

$100,000 each • Support development of multiyear work plans for

engaging in local and/or regional climate-resilience efforts

• Planning grant period is Jan. 1 – Sept. 30, 2015


Presenter

Presentation Notes

This initiative will be administered in two phases. The first phase involves the awarding of up to 20, nine-month planning grants of up to $100,000 each. The planning grants will support the development of multiyear work plans for engaging in local and/or regional climate-resilience efforts. The grant period for planning grants will begin January 1, 2015. (Go to next slide)

Two-Phase Initiative

Phase 2: Implementation Grants in 2015 • Subset of planning-grant recipients will be invited to

apply • Award up to 15 multiyear implementation grants of up to

$200,000 per organization per year • Implementation grant period begins in Fall 2015


Presenter

Presentation Notes

The second phase involves the awarding of implementation grants to organizations that develop particularly strong work plans during the planning grant period. We anticipate awarding up to 15 multiyear implementation grants of up to $200,000 per organization per year. The grant period for implementation grants will begin in the fall of 2015.

Planning Grant Application Process – SOQs

• Statements of Qualification (SOQ) due by 5 p.m. EDT on July 31, 2014

• Submit through Kresge’s online application system. You’ll find the link via kresge.org/programs/environment.

• Required elements of information are described in the primer that appears on kresge.org and include:

o Executive summary of up to 300 words o Narrative describing your organization and proposed approach o Names and qualifications of project staff and consultants o Organization’s 2014 operating budget o Completed demographic data sheet


Presenter

Presentation Notes

Phase 1, the awarding of planning grants, involves a two-part application process. Organizations interested in receiving a planning grant should submit Statements of Qualification through Kresge’s online application system by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on July 31st. The link to the online application system appears on Kresge’s website. You can find it in the Application Process section on the Environment page. The Statement of Qualifications must include: An executive summary of up to 300 words A narrative description of your organization and proposed approach. The narrative must be no more than five pages. Please refer to the website and the primer about the initiative for instructions concerning the topics you should address in the narrative. The names and qualifications of staff and consultants who would work on the planning effort. A copy of your 2014 organizational operating budget. And A completed copy of Kresge’s demographic data sheet, which is accessible through the online application system.

Planning Grant Application Process – Full Proposals

• Kresge staff reviews SOQs in August against criteria described on page seven of primer

• Limited number of highly qualified organizations invited in mid-August to apply for planning grants

• Applications from invited organizations due Sept. 12, 2014

• Up to 20 grant awards announced in late 2014


Presenter

Presentation Notes

Kresge staff will review the Statements of Qualification in early August against the criteria that appear on page seven of the primer.� A limited number of highly qualified organizations will be invited in mid-August to apply for planning grants. We will provide those organizations with guidance on what to include in their applications at that time. Applications will be due on September 12th. Kresge staff will conduct due diligence on those applications, and the Foundation will award up to 20 planning grants in late 2014. Again, the grant period for the planning grants will begin January 1, 2015.

Who Will be a Competitive Applicant?

Nonprofit organizations with:

• Deep experience working successfully within low-income, urban communities

• The standing to move into a leadership role on climate-resilience efforts within their city and/or region

• A strong recognition that engagement in climate-resilience efforts is consistent with – and important to the realization of – their mission


Presenter

Presentation Notes

Kresge has received a considerable amount of interest in this initiative. More than 100 of you registered for the webinar, and we expect to receive a large number of applications. The selection process will be very competitive. I’m sure you’re all interested to know what types of organizations will be competitive in the review process. Our most significant criteria are that an organizations has: Deep experience working successfully within low-income, urban communities, and The standing to move into a leadership role on climate-resilience efforts within their city and/or region. Our concept of “standing” includes organizational credibility, strategic orientation, a track record of accomplishment, and ability to work in coalition with others from diverse sectors. � It’s also important to us that an applicant organization recognizes that engagement in climate-resilience efforts is consistent with – and important to the realization of – its mission. That is, the organization sees engagement on climate resilience not as a stand-alone project but as something that will become core to how it approaches its mission.

Who Will be a Competitive Applicant?

• Nonprofit organizations with prior experience on climate change and climate resilience and those with limited prior experience.

• Organizations already active on climate resilience in low-income, urban communities that want to sharpen their strategic direction

• Well-established organizations with deep roots and proven effectiveness in low-income, urban communities that want to chart their path to engagement in climate-resilience work

We are interested in expanding the universe of nonprofit organizations approaching climate-resilience work with a strong grounding in the priorities and needs of low-income people in U.S. cities.


Presenter

Presentation Notes

Also with respect to competitiveness, both nonprofit organizations with prior experience on climate change and climate resilience and those with limited prior experience will be eligible. We can imagine successful applications from organizations already active on climate resilience in low-income, urban communities that want to sharpen their strategic direction. We also can imagine successful applications from well-established organizations with deep roots and proven effectiveness in low-income, urban communities that want to chart their path to engagement in climate-resilience work by building off related work that they have been doing. Ultimately, we are interested in expanding the universe of nonprofit organizations approaching climate-resilience work with a strong grounding in the priorities and needs of low-income people in U.S. cities.

Criteria for Review of SOQs

Strong preference given to organizations that:

• Intend to engage in a variety of efforts related to improving their community’s climate resilience

• Are skilled at working across sectors • Can bring a variety of tactics to their climate-

resilience efforts • Employ a framework consistent with Kresge’s

comprehensive definition of climate resilience


Presenter

Presentation Notes

We think that advancing a community’s climate resilience is a complex undertaking that requires effort over an extended period of years as well as collaboration across multiple sectors of society. As such, in reviewing the Statements of Qualification, we will give strong preference to organizations that intend to engage in a variety of efforts related to improving their community’s climate resilience as opposed to a relatively narrow or isolated intervention. We also will prefer organizations that are skilled at working across sectors, that is with other nonprofits, with the private sector, and with governmental entities. We also will prefer organizations that can bring a variety of tactics to their work, tailoring their tactics to the needs of a given situation. We also will strongly favor organizations that intend to explore mitigation, adaptation, and social cohesion simultaneously – those being the three aspects of Kresge’s comprehensive definition of climate resilience.

Criteria for Review of SOQs – Detail

• Focused on and skilled in working within low-income, urban communities

• Aspiring to use or already using a comprehensive framework of climate resilience

• Deeply rooted in the communities in which it proposes to work as evidenced by tenure, membership, governance and/or engagement

• Well respected due to past accomplishments • Approaching its work with the intent of delivering multiple

benefits for historically disadvantaged community residents


Presenter

Presentation Notes

A complete list of the criteria for review of the Statements of Qualifications appears on page seven of the primer. Rather than read through the list, I encourage you to look at that document.

Criteria for Review of SOQs – Detail

• Already engaged in or planning to engage in specific, public-sector-led efforts to address climate change that present an opportunity for influence

• Committed to pursuing its climate-relevant work in collaboration with one or more private-sector, academic, or other nonprofit-sector partners

• Connected to a regional or national network (preferred) • Integrating arts and culture into its work and proposed

interventions (preferred)

July 15, 2014 Example Presentation 18

Which Applicants Will be Less Competitive?

Applicants are unlikely to be successful if they: • Do not employ a comprehensive framework of climate

resilience • Lack deep connections and accountability mechanisms

to the low-income, urban communities in which they propose to work

• Do not present opportunity for meaningful cross-sector collaboration

• Lack potential to influence specific, near-term public-led efforts with high relevance to climate resilience


Presenter

Presentation Notes

As I mentioned earlier, we expect to receive a large number of applications. We thought it might be helpful to you to explain the types of applicants that we think will be less competitive than others. Applicants are unlikely to be successful if they: Do not employ Kresge’s comprehensive framework of climate resilience Lack deep connections and accountability mechanisms to the low-income, urban communities in which they propose to work Do not present opportunity for meaningful cross-sector collaboration Lack potential to influence specific, near-term public-led efforts with high relevance to climate resilience (Go to next slide)

Which Applicants Will be Less Competitive?

Applicants are unlikely to be successful if they: • Propose engagement in a relatively isolated intervention

rather than a comprehensive resilience planning effort or a suite of near-term policy or planning efforts relevant to the community’s resilience

• Propose to serve only one neighborhood or a small set of neighborhoods without an evident pathway for impact beyond those boundaries

• Are focused on a rural geography • Do not have full-time, paid staff • Have a 2014 organizational budget of less than $500,000


Presenter

Presentation Notes

Applicants also are unlikely to be successful if they: Propose engagement in a relatively isolated or narrow intervention rather than a comprehensive resilience planning effort or a suite of near-term policy or planning efforts relevant to the community’s resilience Propose to serve only one neighborhood or a small set of neighborhoods without an evident pathway for impact beyond those boundaries Are focused on a rural geography Do not have full-time, paid staff Have a 2014 organizational budget of less than $500,000 I’d like to say a little more about budget size: We expect to recommend planning grants for organizations with budgets of various sizes. Of the 20 planning grants that we intend to award, we expect that no more than four of them will be to groups with budgets less than $500,000.

Expectations of Planning Grant Recipients

• Send representatives to peer-learning workshop in January 2015 • Produce an implementation plan describing how the

organization will work with an array of stakeholders over a multiyear period to:

o Identify its community’s assets and vulnerabilities with respect to climate

change o Contribute meaningfully to specific, local and/or regional, public-sector-

led efforts to address climate change o Engage community members in the identification and implementation of

policies and other measures to improve the community’s climate resilience

o Pursue its work in a way that will deliver multiple community benefits o Document lessons from its work so others may benefit from its

experiences


Presenter

Presentation Notes

As described in the primer on the initiative, we will expect planning grant recipients to send two representative to a peer-learning workshop in January 2015. The goals of the workshop include to create shared understandings among the cohort at the start of the planning-grant period and to allow the organizational representatives to meet one another. We will expect each planning-grant recipient to produce an implementation plan describing how its organization will work with an array of stakeholders over a multiyear period to accomplish several important tasks. Those tasks include: Identifying its community’s assets and vulnerabilities with respect to climate change or, if such an assessment has been conducted, to review and refine that assessment using a lens of low-income inclusion and benefit Contributing meaningfully to specific, local and/or regional, public-sector-led efforts to address climate change Engaging community members in the identification and implementation of policies and measures to improve the community’s climate resilience Pursuing its climate-resilience work in a manner that will yield multiple benefits for local residents Documenting lessons from its work so that others may learn from its experiences, both positive and negative. This implementation plan will be the primary deliverable of the grant. (Go to next slide)

Expectations of Planning Grant Recipients

• Share the draft implementation plan with Kresge by July 1, 2015

• Host a possible site visit from Kresge representatives

• Produce a final implementation plan by Sept. 30, 2015


Presenter

Presentation Notes

We also will require that each planning-grant recipient share a draft implementation plan with us by July 1, 2015 and be willing to host a site visit from us. We will expect final implementation plans to be complete by September 30, 2015.

Expectations of Implementation Grant Recipients

• Execute your organization’s multiyear implementation plan • Participate in annual peer-learning meetings with colleague

organizations supported through this initiative • Participate in one additional climate-resilience conference or

workshop per year as a presenter or learner • Host one or more site visits from Kresge representatives

and/or colleague organizations supported through this initiative

• Document accomplishments and lessons resulting from your work to contribute to building a field of practice

• Submit annual progress reports to Kresge


Presenter

Presentation Notes

(Pause for transition) A subset of planning-grant recipients will be awarded multiyear implementation grants. We will expect those organizations to: Execute their multiyear implementation plan Participate in annual peer-learning meetings with colleague organizations supported through this initiative Participate in one additional climate-resilience conference or workshop per year as a presenter or learner Host one or more site visits from Kresge representatives and/or colleague organizations supported through this initiative Document accomplishments and lessons resulting from their work to contribute to building a field of practice Submit annual progress reports to Kresge

Expected Outcomes from Planning Grants

Funded organizations will have:

• Identified specific opportunities to shape and influence local and/or regional climate-resilience planning, policy development, and implementation to better reflect the priorities and needs of low-income people in their communities

• Developed clear work plans for pursuing those opportunities


Presenter

Presentation Notes

What do we hope will result from all of this? At the conclusion of the planning grant phase, we expect that funded organizations will have: Identified specific opportunities to shape and influence local and/or regional climate-resilience planning, policy development, and implementation to better reflect the priorities and needs of low-income people in their communities� Developed clear work plans for pursuing those opportunities

Expected Outcomes from Implementation Grants

• Each funded organization will emerge with strengthened institutional and political capacity to influence climate-resilience efforts in its community

• The communities in which grantees have worked will have measurably advanced climate-resilience planning, policy development, and implementation

• Participating organizations will generate model methodologies and policies that can be adapted by others

July 15, 2014 25

Presenter

Presentation Notes

At the conclusion of the implementation grant phase, we expect that: Each funded organization will emerge with strengthened institutional and political capacity to influence climate-resilience efforts in its community The communities in which grantees have worked will measurably advance climate-resilience planning, policy development, and implementation with particular attention to the needs and interests of low-income residents and neighborhoods Participating organizations will generate model methodologies and policies that can be adapted by others (Go to next slide)

Expected Outcomes from Implementation Grants

• A growing cadre of individuals and institutions grounded in an understanding of low-income communities will emerge as nationally recognized thought leaders in climate resilience

• Kresge and participating organizations collectively build the evidence base for and defines a clear set of pathways to engage leaders and advocates grounded in the needs and priorities of low-income communities in climate-resilience work

July 15, 2014 26

Presenter

Presentation Notes

At the conclusion of the implementation grant phase, we also expect that: A growing cadre of individuals and institutions that are grounded in an understanding of low-income communities will emerge as nationally recognized thought leaders in climate resilience Kresge and participating organizations will collectively build the evidence base for and define a clear set of pathways to engage leaders and advocates who are grounded in the needs and priorities of low-income communities in climate-resilience work

Other resources

Please see a detailed primer on the initiative and a related FAQ at kresge.org The FAQ will be updated to address questions received in the July 15 webinar. You may learn when that update is available via: • Kresge’s Twitter and Facebook accounts • by subscribing to Kresge email alerts • or by including us in your RSS feed Find all of those channels by visiting kresge.org/subscribe


Presenter

Presentation Notes

That’s the end of our formal presentation. At this time, we’d like to entertain the questions that you have. Please type your questions in the question box. My colleagues have been keeping track of the questions that have come in so far, and we will answer as many of them as we can in the time that remains. As a reminder, we will upload these slides on kresge.org as well as a recorded version of this webinar. We plan to update our fact sheet document based on the questions we receive. You can learn when those materials and any other updates are available: Via Kresge’s Twitter and Facebook accounts, By subscribing to Kresge email alerts, or By including us in your RSS feed. You can find all of those channels by visiting kresge.org – slash -- subscribe

Kresge Staff Associated with This Initiative

Environment Program Lois DeBacker, Managing Director Jessica Boehland, Program Officer Jill Johnson, Program Team Assistant John Nordgren, Senior Program Officer Marian Urquilla, Consultant to Environment Program Grants Management Department Ra’mona Crumb, Grants Management Assistant Joyce Holliman, Grants Management Associate July 15, 2014 Webinar 28

kresge foundation environment program webinar slides

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