The Office of Sustainability (OOS) is excited to announce the community-based organizations selected for the Climate Resilience Partner Program!

Climate Resilience Partners will play a central role in gathering input from residents and working with their communities to plan for a safe and resilient future, as Philadelphia experiences increasing climate impacts. This includes extreme heat and more frequent flooding and storms.

Over 10 months, each Partner organization will collect feedback from people in their part of the city, both by hosting an in-person engagement event and through virtual outreach. They will receive training and a $10,000 grant to support this work. Using what they learn from their communities, the Partners will help highlight the climate resilience solutions that matter most to residents. This will inform the update to Philadelphia’s Climate Resilience Plan.   

Each Climate Resilience Partner has nominated an Ambassador to represent their organization and participate in program activities. Ambassadors will receive training through a series of workshops and collaborative planning sessions. Climate Resilience Partners and Ambassadors will: 

  • Share community input and concerns from their planning districts with City leadership. 
  • Work with OOS and the project team to design and host community engagement events. 
  • Be part of creating a Climate Resilience Toolkit for residents. 
  • Provide insight on climate resilience solutions to guide future City programs and investments. 

Meet the Climate Resilience Partners and Ambassadors 

  • New Kensington Community Development Corporation, Ivette Velez 
  • East Falls Development Corporation/Manayunk Development Corporation, Jessica Hoffman 
  • Friends of FDR Park, Tara Anastasi 
  • The Mastermind Cooperative, Desiree Riley
  • Sunrise Movement Philadelphia, Sultan Smalley 
  • Deep Space Mind 215, Rashni Stanford 
  • African Cultural Alliance of North America (ACANA), Wonder Guannu 
  • Overbrook Civic Association, Andre Murphy 
  • Strawberry Mansion Community Development Corporation, Tyrone Williams 
  • Delaware River City Corporation dba Riverfront North Partnership, Christopher Dougherty 
  • Center City Residents Association, Jacob Miller 
  • John Bartram Association, Sophia Poe 
  • Germantown Residents for Economic Alternatives Together (GREAT), Celeste Preston 
  • Tookany/Tacony-Frankford (TTF) Watershed Partnership, Cesali Morales 
  • Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Association Coalition (SEAMAAC), Sabia Afroz 
  • Nueva Esperanza, Morgan Doyle 
  • East Torresdale Civic Association, Allan Babnew 

The project team leading this program includes OOS, Hinge Collective, Creative Praxis, and AKRF. Learn more about the Climate Resilience Partners Program.

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