Climate adaptation

Building equitable resilience to climate change

This award recognizes a program or project that demonstrates innovative and equitable approaches to adaptation and increasing the resiliency of communities to climate change. A comprehensive integration of equity considerations, benefits and robust consultation processes within adaptation planning, operationalization, and/or programs will be factored into scoring.

Examples of eligible initiatives:

• Adaptation programs or projects that demonstrate best practices in understanding climate risks or in contributing to a community-wide adaptation plan.
• Infrastructure projects that reduce climate risk for communities, particularly where equity-deserving communities are prioritized.
• Watershed-scale coordination between local governments to manage flood risk.
• Innovative projects that are reducing the risk of climate impacts in a community.
• Partnerships between local governments and other local actors (for example, local housing providers, universities, local businesses and insurance firms) that work to manage and reduce climate risk.

Who can apply?

All Canadian municipalities and their partners are eligible to apply for an FCM Sustainable Communities Award.

Learn about our 2020 climate change category winner, Campbell River, BC, and its action plan to mitigate risks while respecting community values and protecting against rising sea levels.

Get inspired by the City of Vancouver, BC, which partnered with Evergreen to consult with city residents who are most vulnerable to heat and poor air quality. Funded by FCM’s Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program (MCIP), this project aimed to better understand the challenges, needs and preferences of these groups and then used that information to inform the city’s climate adaptation planning, policies and actions, including its extreme heat response.

In spring 2024, the Green Municipal Fund will launch its new Local Leadership for Climate Adaptation initiative. Keep an eye out to learn how we can support your next steps in climate adaptation.

Applications are now closed. Winners will be announced in 2025.