PROVIDENCE, R.I – Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank today announced $5.2 million in Action Grants for participants of the Municipal Resilience Program (MRP). Communities prioritized local actions through the program and will use grant funds to implement projects that will increase their climate resilience. Funding for the action grants comes from the 2022 voter approved Green Bond, which provided $16 million for municipal resilience projects. A previous round of $12 million in MRP Action Grants was awarded in January 2024.
“Our cities and towns are all feeling the impacts of more frequent storms and flooding events,”
“From more frequent and severe storms, to increased flooding, to coastal erosion, Rhode Island’s municipalities are experiencing the impacts of climate change,”
“As a coastal community, Providence is seeing the deep impacts of climate change. That is why my Administration has prioritized building partnerships and supporting initiatives that create a more sustainable, resilient city,”
“I am very grateful to Executive Director William Fazioli and everyone at the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank for the awarding of this $750,000 grant to Johnston,”
With support from The Nature Conservancy, 38 of Rhode Island’s 39 municipalities have participated in the MRP workshop process to develop prioritized lists of actionable resilience plans and projects. Municipalities are then eligible to submit applications for MRP Action Grants with a 25% local match requirement.
For this round of MRP Action Grants, the Infrastructure Bank received 19 proposals totaling $11.4 million in grant requests. Far exceeding currently available funding. After a competitive review process, the selection committee (with representatives from the Infrastructure Bank, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Statewide Planning, and the Coastal Resources Management Council) recommended the following proposals to receive funding for implementation:
For this round of MRP Action Grants, the Infrastructure Bank also partnered with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) to review applications to RIDEM’s Climate Resilience Fund (CRF), which is designed to work in tandem with MRP. Another $1.1 million from the CRF will be allocated to resiliency and habitat restoration projects across the state. RIDEM anticipates announcing CRF award winners in October.
“Rhode Island’s communities face significant and diverse risks from climate change, and the projects funded by RIIB in this round of MRP grants represent more critical investments to prepare our state for the continued impacts from climate change,”
“The Nature Conservancy has proudly partnered with the Infrastructure Bank to facilitate municipal resilience planning in nearly every Rhode Island municipality, and we are thrilled to see cities and towns taking advantage of action grants to implement necessary resilience related projects in their communities,”
About Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank
Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank is Rhode Island’s central hub for financing infrastructure improvements for municipalities, businesses, and homeowners. We leverage capital in a revolving fund to offer innovative financing for an array of infrastructure-based projects including water and wastewater, road and bridge, energy efficiency and renewable energy, and brownfield remediation. These quality of life projects improve the State’s infrastructure, create jobs, promote economic development and enhance the environment. For more information, please visit www.riib.org.
About The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions such as Community Resilience Building to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable. Working in 72 countries, we use a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit www.nature.org or follow @nature_press on Twitter.