Contact: Tori Field, Sustained Engagement Specialist, GLISA, [email protected] 

ANN ARBOR—Ten organizations whose projects focus on advancing equitable climate adaptation efforts have been awarded funding from the GLISA Small Grants Program.

The awardees will receive two-year grants of up to $35,000 each to collaborate with GLISA, NOAA’s Great Lakes CAP/RISA team, in developing equitable climate adaptation projects and advancing the priorities of frontline communities in the Great Lakes region, according to Jenna Jorns, Co-Director at GLISA.

“All of these projects will amplify justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in climate adaptation efforts in the Great Lakes,” said Jorns. “Five of the awards have been given to community-based organizations that GLISA has not partnered with before, and we’re excited to support their work to implement equitable climate adaptation programs in their communities.”

The 2024 awardees and their projects are:

• American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP): “Training Communities to Access Climate Resilience Funding and Finance.” This project will update and deliver ASAP’s Ready-to-Fund Resilience Training and Toolkit to a cohort of frontline communities in the Great Lakes region. The cohort will receive specialized training in designing more fundable climate resilience projects while addressing systemic barriers disproportionately affecting urban low-income, African American, and Hispanic American communities. 

  “The American Society of Adaptation Professionals is thrilled to collaborate with climate-impacted communities in the Great Lakes region through the GLISA initiative,” said Debra Butler, Executive Director of ASAP. “We know that long-term disinvestment and barriers have prevented economic growth-adaptive capacity in both urban and rural communities. ASAP’s goal is to provide the tools that will lead to sustainable, direct impact funding and financing resources for projects that grow resilience, entrepreneurs, community banking and finance, climate-centric employment, and healthy vibrant neighborhoods.” 
   

• Comunidades Organizando el Poder y la Acción Latina (COPAL): “Equitable Climate Adaptation for Latine Minnesotans.” COPAL educates families about climate adaptation, the impact of pollution on human health, and how to mitigate these effects. COPAL’s approach to addressing these issues will center on community education, direct services, outdoor community engagement, justice for workers, and coalition leadership.
   

• Detroit Future City: “McDougall-Hunt Climate Resiliency Initiative.” ​​Detroit Future City will partner with the Bailey Park Neighborhood Development Corporation to engage residents in the McDougall Hunt neighborhood of Detroit in land use and climate adaptation planning over 24 months. 

  “The GLISA funding will support Detroit Future City and our community partner, Bailey Park Neighborhood Development Corporation, to work closely with residents and partners to create a neighborhood plan for activating vacant land through forestry-based approaches, native plantings, green stormwater infrastructure, and solar power installations,” said Sarah Hayosh, Detroit Future City’s Director of Land Use & Design. “This work will advance a model for sustainable land use that can be replicated to foster more thriving, resilient neighborhoods throughout Detroit.”
   

• Faith in Place: “Empowering People of Faith in Northern Indiana to Advance Environmental Justice and Climate Adaptation through Education and Collaboration.” Faith in Place’s proposed project will utilize its Green Team Coaching organizing model to educate and empower diverse faith communities in Northern Indiana about climate adaptation. 
   
• Grand Valley State University: “Elevating Youth Leadership and Peer-Learning to Support Climate Adaptation in West Michigan Lakeshore Frontline Communities.” The proposed project will develop a multi-tier community-based climate change education system fostering support, engagement, and empowerment of high school and college students in Muskegon County, Michigan.
   
• ICLEI—Local Governments for Sustainability USA: “FloodWise Communities Learn/Do Cohorts.” ​​ICLEI USA will deliver two learn/do cohorts that support Michigan and Wisconsin local governments in developing a stormwater system vulnerability assessment leveraging GLISA’s FloodWise Communities program. 
   
• Michigan State University: “Equitable Access to Technologies for Underrepresented and Small-Scale Farmers to Build Resilience to Climate Change.” This initiative seeks to address the unequal effects of climate change on Native growers grappling with changing climate patterns that impact their way of life. This partnership is anticipated to identify technology gaps and yield innovative solutions, enabling effective climate resilience strategies aligned with cultural and environmental values.
   
• Michigan State University Knight Center for Environmental Journalism: “Reporting on Climate Adaptation in Marginalized Communities.” The project’s goal is to use journalism to improve public understanding of climate adaptation challenges and solutions in the Great Lakes region, particularly those relevant to marginalized communities suffering a disproportionate share of climate harm. By developing a diverse cohort of student reporters, the project will produce stories with a more comprehensive picture of the options for climate adaptation. 
   
• Reflo: “Milwaukee Environmental Justice Collaborative Climate Education Resources Serving High School Summer Interns.” Reflo and its environmental justice (EJ) partners will share resources to support Milwaukee’s summer environmental youth internships. The expected outcome is a more effective EJ youth sector focused on green infrastructure, climate change, network building, land stewardship, and nature’s connection to human and environmental health. 
   
• River Institute: “River Futures: Climate Scenario Planning for Improved Climate Resilience and Preparedness in the St. Lawrence River Area of Concern.” The project will expand GLISA’s scenario planning approach to support climate adaptation planning for the St. Lawrence River Area of Concern and its tributaries in an area that spans the Mohawk Territory of Akwesasne, Ontario and New York.

To learn more about the 2024 small grants projects, visit GLISA’s Small Grants webpage which includes links to individual project web pages and lists additional project partners.

Since 2011, GLISA has awarded 34 small grants to regional organizations committed to integrating climate information with adaptation decision-making. The program has evolved from more technical research-based projects in early years to funding strategic partnerships and collaborations that boost the effectiveness and impact of climate adaptation efforts. GLISA’s small grant framework has now been scaled up to several teams in the NOAA CAP/RISA network.

GLISA was established in 2010 and is a collaboration between the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, the College of Menominee Nation, and the University of Wisconsin. GLISA is the Climate Adaptation Partnership (CAP, formerly Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments, or RISA) team for the Great Lakes region and is one of a network of regional teams supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Program Office. GLISA works at the boundary between climate science and decision makers, striving to enhance Great Lakes communities’ capacity to understand, plan for, and respond to climate impacts now and in the future.