California Resilience Challenge
Calling all Californians to Prepare for Our Future
Leading the world in climate resilience
Climate change is pushing California’s already volatile climate towards greater extremes. The California Resilience Challenge is a statewide effort, led by businesses, with support from the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, and a diverse array of environmental and community leaders, to develop a pipeline of climate adaptation projects across the state to strengthen local and regional resilience to heat, drought, floods, and wildfire. Since 2020, the California Resilience Challenge has provided $6 million to 38 communities across California to support early stage climate adaptation planning.
Climate change is causing California’s already volatile climate to produce increasingly extreme droughts, floods, heatwaves, and wildfires.
Fire
Five of the six largest wildfires in state history burned simultaneously in 2021 as wildfires burned a record 4 million acres.
Drought
California is once again in a drought emergency, and state officials estimate the Sierra snow pack, the source for over one-third of California’s water, will shrink up to 65 percent by 2100.
Flood
Sea levels are projected to rise between 7-23 inches by 2050, and more extreme storms will cause inland flooding.
Heat
August 2020 was the hottest month in state history and saw the hottest temperature ever recorded on the surface of the earth, threatening vulnerable populations.
August 1, 2023
Open request for proposals (RFP) – inviting local communities across California to apply for funding for a project that addresses a unique climate threat: drought, fire, flood, or extreme heat.
September 29, 2023
RFP period closes.
Winter ’23-’24
Challenge leadership will announce awards to winning projects chosen for their feasibility, replicability, geography, effectiveness, community support, and other factors.
If you are interested in keeping up with the California Resilience Challenge, you can sign up here, and we’ll stay in touch:
More Information & Updates
If you are interested in contributing to the California Resilience Challenge Fund, please email resilience(at)bayareacouncil.org.
Flood footage provided by Kevin Lowe