What 100 Resilient Cities does

Resilient Cities Network (R-Cities), the legal successor to the Bloomberg Philanthropies- and Rockefeller Foundation-originated 100 Resilient Cities initiative founded in 2013 and relaunched as an independent, city-governed network in 2020, operates a global urban resilience platform serving 100+ member cities across 46 countries in five regions. The core product is the network itself, which connects Chief Resilience Officers (CROs) embedded in city governments through a Global Steering Committee for peer learning, knowledge exchange and cross-city replication of resilience strategies. Supporting this core are several digital offerings: the R-Cities Learning Hub (a Matrix LMS-based e-learning platform), the Resilience Resource Center (publications, white papers, news), the Resilience AI Assistant (a knowledge-retrieval chatbot), the Urban Exchange Podcast and the Cities on the Frontline speaker series; branded programs include Resilience for Communities (R4C) and the OASIS Schoolyards initiative.

R-Cities is registered in Singapore (with the primary operating office at 182 Cecil Street, Frasers Tower) and maintains regional offices in New York City and Amsterdam, alongside regional heads of city engagement for Africa, APAC, Latin America & the Caribbean, and North America. The technology stack is knowledge-management and content-distribution oriented rather than proprietary software, with cloud infrastructure support from AWS. There is no public API, no SDK and no mobile app; the organization explicitly operates as a network and knowledge-sharing platform rather than a product vendor. Content is curated from over a decade of CRO case studies and city-level resilience strategies.

The business model is a non-profit membership and grant-funded structure. Revenue streams include foundation and development partner funding (Bloomberg Philanthropies, Rockefeller Foundation, Adrienne Arsht Rock, European Commission, Lloyd's Register Foundation, S&P Global Foundation, Temasek, CAF), corporate and institutional partnerships (Zurich Insurance, Tokio Marine, Visa, AWS, Bupa, Reckitt, Sanofi Foundation), and city membership/engagement arrangements whose specific fees are not publicly disclosed. Distribution occurs through direct field engagement with city governments, partner ecosystems (World Bank/GDFRR, ICLEI, C40, WRI, UNDRR) and major event convenings (World Cities Summit, Resilient Cities Forum). Leadership is in transition: Lina Liakou and Katrin Bruebach were appointed Co-Managing Directors in June 2026, succeeding inaugural Executive Director Lauren Sorkin.

Name

100 Resilient Cities

Legal name

Resilient Cities Network

Website

https://resilientcitiesnetwork.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Resilient Cities Network is a Singapore-domiciled non-profit that operates a global urban resilience network connecting 100+ cities across 46 countries and five regions through Chief Resilience Officers, providing peer learning, knowledge resources, technical assistance and event convenings funded by foundations and corporate partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Development Partner Funding: R-Cities receives significant funding from foundation partners including Bloomberg Philanthropies (originator of 100 Resilient Cities), Rockefeller Foundation, and other international development organizations. This supports network operations, program delivery, and city engagement.
2. City Membership and Engagement Fees: Cities participate in the network through membership arrangements. While the specific fee structure is not publicly disclosed, cities contribute to sustain network operations and gain access to peer learning, technical assistance, and resilience finance opportunities.
3. Corporate and Institutional Partnerships: Partnerships with corporations (Visa, AWS, Tokio Marine, Zurich Insurance), multilateral organizations (World Bank, WRI, ICLEI), and government agencies provide programmatic funding, in-kind support, and co-investment in specific resilience initiatives.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Resilient Cities Network (R-Cities) is a global city-governed nonprofit network that helps municipal governments build urban resilience to economic, social and physical challenges. It connects more than 100 cities across 46 countries through Chief Resilience Officers (CROs), peer learning exchanges, knowledge platforms (Learning Hub, Resilience AI Assistant, Resource Center), technical assistance, and convenings like the World Cities Summit and Resilient Cities Forum to scale proven resilience solutions across regions.

Product overview

Resilient Cities Network (R-Cities) operates as a global urban resilience network connecting over 100 cities across 46 countries. The core offering is the network itself, which provides cities and Chief Resilience Officers with knowledge sharing, peer learning, and connection capabilities. Supporting this core network are several integrated products: the Resilience AI Assistant for knowledge retrieval, the R-Cities Learning Hub for capacity building, the Resilience Resource Center for publications and research, and the Urban Exchange Podcast and Cities on the Frontline speaker series for knowledge dissemination. The Resilience for Communities (R4C) Program enables community-level engagement, while Resilience Journals document practitioner stories. Additional offerings include the OASIS Schoolyards program and climate-health research reports. The architecture is platform-centric with modular knowledge and engagement tools that collectively support cities in scaling urban resilience solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Resilience for Communities (R4C): A program focused on listening to communities facing barriers and amplifying their voices so local governments can better address their needs.
• Resilience Journals
• Urban Exchange Podcast
• Resilience AI Assistant
• R-Cities Learning Hub

Products and services

• Resilient Cities Network (R-Cities) Membership A global network of more than 100 cities across 46 countries enabling cities to share resilience practices, connect Chief Resilience Officers, and scale proven urban resilience solutions worldwide.
• Resilience AI Assistant

Quantifiable outcome

• 725,000 lives could be saved annually when intervention bundles are applied across 11,000 cities, with $70 billion in healthcare cost reductions and 15.6 million metric tons CO2e avoided.
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• World Bank GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld Bank Group, including GFDRR (Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery), partners with R-Cities on resilience finance, technical assistance, and city-level programming. Niels Holm-Nielsen from World Bank serves on the R-Cities Board.
• ArupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArup, the global engineering firm, partners with R-Cities on sustainable development and urban resilience projects. Jo da Silva, Arup's Global Sustainable Development Director, serves on the R-Cities Board.
• ICLEI - Local Governments for SustainabilitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICLEI is a global network of local governments committed to sustainability. The partnership enables collaboration on urban resilience, climate action, and city-to-city knowledge sharing.
• C40 Cities Climate Leadership GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerC40 is a network of major cities taking climate action. The partnership with R-Cities enables coordination on urban climate resilience and joint programming on climate-health intersections.
• World Resources Institute (WRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWRI partners with R-Cities on urban resilience research, data, and city-level implementation support. WRI brings research capabilities and urban expertise to complement R-Cities' practitioner network.
• UNDRR (UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNDRR partners with R-Cities on the Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) initiative, connecting local government resilience efforts to global frameworks.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)supportingTechnology or IntegrationAWS provides cloud infrastructure and technology support to R-Cities, enabling digital platforms including the Learning Hub, Resource Center, and Resilience AI Assistant.
• Yale School of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYale University, through its School of Public Health, partners on research and evidence development for urban resilience and health, contributing to the Case for Action report.
• Centre for Liveable Cities SingaporecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCLC Singapore co-organizes the biennial World Cities Summit with URA, creating a major platform for government leaders and industry experts to address liveable and sustainable city challenges.
• Urban Redevelopment Authority (Singapore)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerURA partners with R-Cities through the World Cities Summit, providing a platform for city leaders and industry experts to address urban challenges.
• Ocean ConservancysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOcean Conservancy partners on urban ocean resilience initiatives, including the Urban Ocean program focused on circularity and waste management in cities.
• Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMI's Health Systems Task Force co-leads the climate and health initiative with R-Cities, bringing together private sector partners to advance prevention-focused urban health.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative: City leadership program backed by Bloomberg Philanthropies—the same founder of 100 Resilient Cities. Targets the same mayoral and senior city official audience for capacity building, creating both a sibling relationship and direct competition for city engagement.
• Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy: Largest international alliance of city leaders addressing climate change, including through resilience. Competes for city-level data aggregation, climate commitments, and engagement with the same CRO-equivalent officials.
• C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group: C40 is a global network of major cities focused on climate action and resilience. It directly competes with R-Cities for the same city government members, corporate sponsors (Visa, AWS-class), and policy influence, particularly on climate-health and urban infrastructure.
• ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability: ICLEI is a global network of local governments focused on sustainability. R-Cities lists ICLEI as a core strategic partner, but the two networks overlap heavily in member cities and compete for philanthropic funding and policy convening attention.
• UNDRR Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030): UNDRR's flagship city resilience program with which R-Cities partners directly on Greater Manchester and other cities. Operates in the same resilience capacity-building space targeting local governments, with overlapping policy frameworks.

Broad incumbents

• UN-Habitat: United Nations agency for sustainable urbanization. Operates at scale across cities globally and overlaps with R-Cities on urban resilience programming and policy frameworks; R-Cities' board includes former UN-Habitat ED Maimunah Sharif.
• CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project): Global disclosure system for city and corporate climate data including resilience. Competes for the same corporate funders and city-level data partnerships, with a stronger data infrastructure footprint than R-Cities.
• World Resources Institute (WRI): WRI is a core R-Cities strategic partner on urban resilience research and city implementation, and operates across cities globally on climate and sustainability. Both organizations serve cities with research-to-implementation services, though WRI is broader and well-funded.

Emerging players

• Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI): Independent energy and climate think tank increasingly active in city-level climate resilience and energy transition. Adjacent thematic overlap with R-Cities' climate-health and resilience finance programming for cities.

Others

• The Rockefeller Foundation (100RC Program Office legacy): Founding funder of the original 100 Resilient Cities initiative. While not a peer, its ongoing support shape and the foundation's continued resilience and climate work make it the most relevant adjacent ecosystem actor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/100-resilient-cities

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 100 Resilient Cities