The Climate Resiliency Challenge invites organizations and teams from across the world to create solutions that will enable frontline communities to be ready and resilient to catastrophes induced by climate change, namely wildfires, floods, and extreme weather.
Climate change and climate-related disasters are having an increasing impact on human lives, surroundings, and ecosystems. Disruptive climatic events such as wildfires, floods, and extreme weather are frequently associated with loss of life, poor quality of life, lengthy recovery times, and property loss and destruction. Climate-related disasters cost the United States $120 billion per year. That sum is five times more than it was 50 years ago, and forecasts show that it will be $2 trillion by the end of the century.
Themes:
This Challenge is built around three themes that inspire our thinking about where innovation can most benefit frontline communities. Themes are not meant to be exclusionary of each other, and solution ideas can fit under any and all of the themes.
1. PREVENTION: Eliminating the risk of climate-related disasters and/or reducing the likelihood or severity of its impacts.
2. PREPAREDNESS: Taking actions to prepare communities and individuals for climate-related disasters.
3. RECOVERY: Taking immediate and long-term actions to recover from the impacts of disasters.
Awards:
Multiple awards will be given in each category listed below, making up to a total of $1 million. Winners will be announced on or around August 1, 2023. We are excited to support innovators across multiple stages of development:
Emerging Innovator Award: Early-stage concepts: Up to $50K USD
Mid-stage Innovator Award: Growth-stage concepts: Up to $100K USD
Advanced Solutions Award: Scaling-stage concepts: Up to $200K USD
Moreover, solutions submitted will receive:
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Media Coverage and Visibility: Throughout the Challenge, participants will be promoted through a variety of media and channels, including an extensive partner media, social media, website, and email campaign.
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Exposure to Networks: All submissions and participants will be visible to experts, investors, and funders across a wide range of industries, academia, policy organizations, and sponsor partners.
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Connections to Like-minded Partners: All submissions and participants will benefit from engaging with the open innovation community and getting acquainted with like-minded individuals who can become future collaborators and/or partners in each others’ ideas.
Eligibility:
- They are looking for innovative thinkers – experts, community members, and designers – from all industries and sectors who are passionate about creating climate-resilient communities.
- Invites participation from communities on the frontlines of climate change, and organizations or entities that work directly with those communities. They particularly encourage people of color, people who identify as women or non-binary, Native individuals, and members of the LGBTQ+ community to apply.
- This Challenge is open to individuals, teams of individuals, and legal entities. While the primary focus for solutions is on North America, we will accept scalable and transferable solutions from around the world.
- The primary participant submitting the proposal must be at least 18 years old.
Criteria:
This challenge is focused on empowering frontline communities to prevent, prepare for and recover from climate-related disasters. While we are open to all compelling climate-related disaster solutions, we are particularly focused on wildfires, floods, and extreme weather events.
The winning solutions will meet FIVE specific criteria:
1. RELEVANT: Solutions that stay true to the How Might We question by centering frontline communities, and helping reduce and/or eliminate damage from climate-related disasters, or recover from them.
- Does the solution answer the core How Might We question, address the Challenge goal, and target the theme(s) of the Challenge?
- Does this solution reduce or eliminate damage from climate-related disasters, and/or contribute to recovering from them
- Does this solution strike an appropriate tone for the people it serves?
2. NOVEL: Solutions that change the structures, technologies, and standards of today’s effects of climate-related disasters on our lives, environments and ecosystems. Solutions should launch us into a new reality of the climate era, make us anticipate what could go wrong , and show us how we can adapt accordingly.
- Does this solution offer a new, fresh, and creative approach compared to existing ideas and initiatives?
- Does this solution push the limits on how CSAA, Aon, and IDEO can think about their role in designing for climate resiliency?
- Does this solution have “design potential” — to be further developed and refined through design methods and craft?
3. IMPACTFUL: Solutions that are actionable and scalable that can be initiated in the next 1-5 years. These solutions should be informed by quantitative and qualitative data; grounded in future trends, projections, and local/global insights; have traction; and describe a credible pathway for realization.
- Does this solution have the potential to influence practical or systemic change?
- Does this solution have the potential to inspire action within Challenge partner organizations, and frontline communities
- Does this solution have the potential to scale across a broad range of communities, regions, and/or disasters?
- Does this solution have measurable outcomes and/or metrics?
4. EQUITABLE: Solutions that contribute to building an equitable future frontline communities that are disproportionately impacted by climate related risks and disasters. The solutions also consider how to reduce harm and burden placed on individuals, communities, and the environment.
- Does the solution consider for and aim to overcome the current inequities faced by frontline communities in responding to climate disasters?
- Does this solution have potential to be accessible to a broad range of individuals and communities?
- Does this solution center diverse perspectives, languages, and literacies?
*Historically, populations affected include:
- People of color
- Indigenous peoples
- Children and aging populations
- People who identify as womxn or non-binary
- People who identify as LGBTQ+
- People who have lower incomes
- People with disabilities
- Children and aging populations
- People who are physically exposed to climate risks due to the locations of their homes and businesses
- People who have fewer resources, capacity or political power to respond to those climate risks
5. COMMUNITY-INFORMED: Solutions that have the needs and opinions of frontline communities at the heart of their operation; demonstrate understanding and consideration of unique challenges various community members face (eg: income, accessibility, living and working conditions, power in policy-making, etc.); and propose a hopeful future that addresses those challenges.
- Does the solution directly address an established need of frontline community members?
- Does the solution demonstrate involvement and/or engagement of frontline communities in its creation, future development and/or implementation?
To submit a Solution, start by creating an account. We then have four phases:
1. Open Submission Phase
After creating an account, feel free to start browsing the Resources tab to see what might nudge your thinking. You’re also invited to add content to inspire your peers and share knowledge. When you’re ready, click on Submit a New Solution to start drafting your submission. To submit your solution, you will need to complete the questions in the form and click Submit Solution.
By creating an account, adding inspiration and submitting a solution, you’ll meet people who are passionate about climate resiliency, and you’ll engage with a community of experts and innovators throughout this eight-week phase (May 23 – July 10). You’ll also learn about what’s happening all around the world and find inspiration in what others are doing. Your submission will be seen by thousands of people, and you’ll be able to comment, post, and “like” other solutions. Deadline for submissions is July 10, 11:59PM ET 2023.
2. Evaluation Phase (Selecting Finalists)
After July 10, a panel of judges will begin reviewing all ideas to select finalists for the prizes. Finalists will be announced by July 18, 2023, they will receive feedback from the judges on how to improve and revise their submissions. Ideas that were not selected will no longer be considered for the prizes.
3. Refinement Phase
Selected finalists will refine their ideas for the Challenge and resubmit their ideas by July 25, 2023.
4. Final Evaluation Phase (Selecting Winners)
Another panel of judges will review the finalists’ submissions and select winners for each prize category. Winners will be announced on August 1, 2023.
