The Issue
The impacts of climate change are increasingly difficult to assign to a far distant future. Extreme wildfires; prolonged heat waves; intensifying weather patterns; and rising sea levels have become the new normal in California. Planning and action at the state, regional, and local levels, both to reduce carbon emissions and to address climate impacts, have become increasingly relevant and critical as federal policymakers actively retreat from a leadership role on climate change. And individuals and communities that have long endured chronic stressors, including poverty and racial segregation, are more vulnerable to the health, economic, and environmental impacts of climate change.
Our Approach
MCF’s decades of grantmaking in support of low-income and communities of color in Marin affirms that these same communities already possess remarkable resilience. However, without access to financial, social, and political capital, their capacity to both prepare for adverse climate events and to advance climate change initiatives that increase overall community wellness is limited.
This initiative seeks to support efforts that are rooted in the strengths, cultures, and potential of such communities to further strengthen their resilience in the face of a fast-changing climate. In this context, climate resilience is the ability to ‘bounce forward’ rather than ‘bounce back’ to a former status quo.
**Please note: MCF is no longer accepting proposals for this program.**
Grantmaking
This initiative currently uses an invitation-only application process.
Current Grantees
Reports & Resources
Reports
Community-Driven Climate Resilience Planning
Courtesy the National Association of Climate Resilience Planners May 2017
View ResourceAdvancing Climate Justice in California
Courtesy the Climate Justice Working Group August 2017
View Resource