Neighborhood Climate Resilience Grant Program

The Neighborhood Climate Resilience Grant Program supports the implementation of equity-centered, neighborhood-based planning and climate resilience projects within the City of Richmond.

2024-2025 Cohort

As the Office of Sustainability and the City of Richmond continues to implement RVAgreen 2050, we are excited to announce that we are now accepting applications for the second cohort of the Neighborhood Climate Resilience Grant Program! This program supports organizations and their projects that build climate resilience in frontline communities throughout Richmond. Grant applications will be accepted on a rolling basis starting July 15th and will be reviewed quarterly until funds are exhausted. The program overall budget is $250,000. Total grant amounts will not exceed $50,000.

To be eligible, organizations must: 

  • Provide services to Richmond residents in the areas of equitable climate change, climate action, and climate resilience.

  • Demonstrate a clear connection between their work and the RVAgreen 2050 Climate Equity Action Plan.

  • Submit a completed application with all required documents.

  • Submit a scope of work and project budget.

Eligible cost areas include, but are not limited to:  

  • Job and workforce training for climate resilience.

  • Parks, green spaces, and recreational facilities.

  • Neighborhood cleanups and public space revitalization projects.

  • Minor facility updates.

  • Heat mitigation.

  • Support for food banks and other facilities addressing food insecurity.

  • Rehabilitation, renovation, remediation, or cleanup of vacant or abandoned properties.

  • Alternative transportation infrastructure.

Key Dates

  • July 15th: Applications open.

  • August 30th: Priority deadline.

  • September 1st: September 30th: First round of review.

  • October 10th: Notify first round of grant awardees of conditional offer.

  • October 14th: November 1st: Second round of application (based on funding still available).

Funding Timeline

Final approval and fund disbursement will not be granted until all pre-opening requirements are met. Until final approval is granted, the Office of Sustainability has the right to alter, suspend, or revoke this preliminary conditional approval should any interim developments warrant such action. Be aware you will be required to complete additional paperwork and go through the City of Richmond’s internal funding processes, which can take up to 60-90 days after a conditional offer has been extended.

The Office of Sustainability may request additional information after reviewing your application. We will also be hosting periodic informational sessions to answer questions about the program on the dates below. For questions or other inquiries, please contact ncrgrantprogram@rva.gov

2023-2024 Cohort

The Office of Sustainability officially announced the Neighborhood Climate Resilience Grant Program on Tuesday, June 6, 2023 with an application due date of August 4, 2023. In total, the OOS received 20 applications which were reviewed and scored by a diverse panel of city staff members spanning the Office of Sustainability, Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities, Department of Public Works, and the Department of Public Utilities.

Total Awarded: $865,000

  • This project will provide solar panels, rainwater catchments, and electric water pumps to enhance the respective community gardens’ irrigation systems leading to more effective food systems. These enhancements would produce and harvest more food production and sustainability to subsidize food in the respective communities. 

    Organization: Bridging the Gap in Virginia
    Amount Awarded: $77,400
    Status: Planning

  • These funds will go to supporting the Greening Richmond Public Libraries initiative, specifically the implementation of the green infrastructure site plan underway at East End Branch Library Funds will be used to purchase 234 herbaceous plants, a combination of native switchgrasses and river oats, and mulch to help conserve soil moisture and limit the growth of weeds."

    Organization: James River Association
    Amount Awarded: $4,375
    Status: Planning

  • These funds will be used to plant trees along public streets, restore tree wells along public streets, and educate and engage residents. A particular goal is helping the people of our neighborhood who are the most socially vulnerable.

    Organization: The Church Hill Association of RVA
    Amount Awarded: $10,000
    Status: Planning

  • Together with Swansboro West Civic Association (SWCA), Southside ReLeaf, Groundwork RVA, and Colesville Nursery, Richmond Tree Stewards plan to focus on planting young street trees. SWCA has inventoried most of the streets in the Swansboro West area and has identified planting spots for 100 street trees.

    Organization: Richmond Tree Stewards
    Amount Awarded: $63,000
    Status: Planning

  • The Chimborazo Native Food Project is using our grant funds to expand the native community orchard with native fruit tree and shrub plantings, and the construction of a grapevine trellis. We’re also now expanding our invasive plant removal with goat grazing and targeted treatment so that we can install a large native grassland on a hillside. 

    Organization: Chimborazo Native Food Project
    Amount Awarded: $11,673
    Status: In Process

  • Southside ReLeaf is seeking funding to improve Blackwell/Charlie Sydnor Playground (Blackwell Playground) in the Blackwell neighborhood on Richmond’s Southside. Partners, alongside community members, will convert an underused open, grass-lawn park that lacks adequate amenities into a thoughtfully planned, beautiful community asset featuring urban green infrastructure stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs).

    Organization: Southside ReLeaf
    Amount Awarded: $61,079
    Status: Planning

  • This project will specifically focus on analyzing neighborhood-level energy consumption data in the City of Richmond, creating a heat map to identify energy disparities, and formulating targeted solutions to improve the quality of life for residents.

    Organization: Community Climate Collaborative
    Amount Awarded: $27,000
    Status: Planning

  • These funds will help them to continue making meals utilizing locally grown, sustainable produce for those in need and to partner with more community organizations. Their goal is to reach more kids of low-income families and provide meals after school or on the weekends when they may not have steady access to food.

    Organization: SevaTruck Richmond Foundation
    Amount Awarded: $7,500
    Status: Planning

  • Happily Natural will leverage these funds to train community members in urban farming and enhance the Sankofa Community Orchards infrastructure as a sustainable urban farm demonstration. HND’s training programs work in synergy with our 6 urban farms and gardens located in both Northside and Southside.

    Organization: Happily Natural
    Amount Awarded: $125,000
    Status: Planning

  • Tech for Troops would use the funds to promote electronics drives across RVA to lessen the amount of e-waste landfill, promote recycling, and support general waste reduction and sustainability efforts. 

    Organization: Tech for Troops
    Amount Awarded: $60,000
    Status: Planning

  • This project would support both staffing costs but importantly the costs associated with transferring properties to the City of Richmond for future parks that have been coordinated with the Department of Parks and Recreation.

    Organization: Capital Region Land Conservancy
    Amount Awarded: $100,000
    Status: Planning

  • This funding will primarily support the walking for fresh fruits and veggies plus supplies and promotion. Taken-A-Lap exercise and nutrition incentive program to increase purchasing power for fresh fruits and vegetables and to encourage healthy eating and exercise, and promoting a healthier, more sustainable community.

    Organization: Second Baptist Church
    Amount Awarded: $58,450
    Status: Planning

  • Storefront aims to leverage these funds to bring the two programs (Design Session and City Builders Design Workshop) together to continue working with the partner and guide this project into the next phase through additional educational opportunities, design development, and multi-level resources (i.e. connections to professional contacts, similar case studies, cost estimates, and material sourcing) Storefront will convene community members to envision a garden plan with climate resilience at its center.

    Organization: Storefront for Community Design
    Amount Awarded: $98,820
    Status: Planning

  • Girls For A Change would like to leverage these funds for a school-based food sustainability and justice program. Through our program, they will partner with organizations that produce locally sourced, sustainble food products for schools and the community, like Eat Smart, Sankofa Farms, The Kitchen Magician, 1115 Mobile Kitchen and two RPS schools (preferably an elementary school and/or a small population high school to start) to provide sustainable lunches once a week.

    Organization: Girls for a Change
    Amount Awarded: $50,000
    Status: Planning

  • Living Waters Community Center will leverage these funds is to increase the number of native trees in the Southside of Richmond, particularly along streets and medians. 

    Organization: Living Water Community Center
    Amount Awarded: $40,000
    Status: Planning

  • Capital Trees aims to use these funds to support their work to transform the Hotchkiss Field and Community Center’s 1.88 underused acres of turf into an inviting urban landscape that includes walking trails, seating areas, shade trees, a pollinator garden, and native shrubs and perennials. The green space is designed to meet the needs of the humans who call the surrounding neighborhoods home, and the wildlife and pollinators who need an oasis amidst a largely urban area. 

    Organization: Capital Trees
    Amount Awarded: $36,000
    Status: Planning

  • Kinfolk Community’s conservation/urban agriculture workforce development program will offer youth paid training and work experience on a variety of conservation projects as well as the chance to build valuable life skills and personal resilience in a supportive environment. Some of those projects include:

    Training – urban agriculture and life skills (3 teams of 10 = 30 youth)

    Building and maintenance of community gardens at MLK Middle School and Gilpin Court

    Planting trees at Gilpin and MLK Middle School (50 fruit bearing trees, 50 other)

    Beautification and cleaning – Gilpin Court

    Organization: Kinfolk Community
    Amount Awarded: $35,000
    Status: Planning