Rhode Island Municipal Resilience Program
Rhode Island’s Municipal Resilience Program (MRP), established in 2019 and administered by the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank, helps municipalities identify, plan for, and address climate risks. The MRP consists of two components: a workshop for resilience planning and risk identification, and actions grants to support project implementation once the workshops are completed. The MRP was included as part of Rhode Island’s Resilient Rhody strategy that was released in July 2018.
Using the workshop Community Resilience Building process, cities and towns receive support to better understand the relationship between the most prevalent climate-related hazards and the community’s strengths or challenges. Municipalities can apply to be part of the program and earn the title of “Resilient Rhody Municipalities” upon completion of the workshop funded by the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank. To be eligible, municipalities must commit 120-200 hours of staff time that includes but is not limited to:
- Establishing a project team and collaborating with Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank
- Reaching out to stakeholders, municipal officials, and the broader community
- Investigating the current status of emergency planning
- Considering nature-based solutions
- Drafting a final progress report with MRP facilitators
- Engaging with the community before and throughout implementation
These requirements are designed to help municipalities draw connections among climate change, the risks it poses, the uniqueness of the community, and optimal implementation of solutions.
Once the workshop is completed successfully, Resilient Rhody Municipalities can apply for MRP Action Grants each year for implementation of their projects identified during the MRP workshop. The MRP Action Grants must be applied to projects that improve climate resilience by designing or building infrastructure, and the municipality must match grants with a 25% local cost share. Projects can include but are not limited to:
- dam-related construction
- road elevation
- floodproofing
- back-up power
- watershed restoration
- vegetation planting
Funding was initially allocated through the Economic and Climate Resilience Act of 2019 and has since grown to include federal funding, grants, and voter-approved bonds.
Publication Date: February 25, 2019
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