Coastal Resilience

What Coastal Resilience does

Coastal Resilience is a nonprofit program operated by The Nature Conservancy (TNC), founded in 2007 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. The program builds and distributes a web-based spatial decision support platform that helps coastal communities, government agencies, and practitioners assess climate-related risks (sea level rise, storm surge, flooding) and identify nature-based solutions such as mangrove, marsh, oyster reef, and coral reef restoration. Its core product is the Coastal Resilience Web Mapping Tool — a data-viewing platform and suite of more than a dozen specialized web apps (Community Planning, Flood & Sea Level Rise, Risk Explorer, Coastal Defense, Habitat Explorer, Restoration Explorer, CRS Explorer, Resilient Coastal Cities, Resilient Islands, and others) — built on Esri ArcGIS technology and hosted on Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure. The platform applies a four-step methodology (Assess Risk and Vulnerability, Identify Solutions, Take Action, Measure Effectiveness) and integrates with FEMA's Community Rating System to help municipalities identify Open Space Preservation credit opportunities that lower flood insurance premiums.

The program's customers are federal/state/local government agencies, coastal planners, GIS specialists, Small Island Developing States in the Caribbean, humanitarian organizations (notably the International Federation of the Red Cross), and to a lesser extent insurance and risk management firms. Coastal Resilience operates as a free public good, generating no direct revenue. It is funded indirectly through TNC's institutional resources — foundation grants, corporate partnerships (Microsoft being the most prominent), government grants (NOAA, German Federal Ministry for the Environment, World Bank, Alcoa Foundation), and donations. Distribution occurs through the self-serve mapping portal, direct technical assistance and training engagements, regional coordinators across 15+ geographies, and partner networks such as the Red Cross/Red Crescent humanitarian system.

The program sits within a broader public-private partnership ecosystem that includes NOAA, USGS, UN University, the Natural Capital Project, the Association of State Floodplain Managers, universities (UC Santa Cruz, University of Southern Mississippi, University of New Hampshire), IFRC, Lloyd's Tercentenary Research Foundation, Risk Management Solutions, and Guy Carpenter. It received the 2018 Geospatial World Excellence Award. Geographic reach spans 17 U.S. coastal states and 11 countries (Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, Australia, Indonesia), with 100+ communities engaged since inception.

Name

Coastal Resilience

Legal name

The Nature Conservancy

Website

https://coastalresilience.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Coastal Resilience is a nonprofit program of The Nature Conservancy that provides a free web-based mapping and decision support platform to help government agencies, coastal planners, and communities in 11 countries assess climate risks and implement nature-based coastal protection solutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Coastal Resilience Planning Software

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Adaptation & Resilience Programs (BPADALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF), Urban Flood Resilience & Adaptation Planning (Climate, Nature-Based Solutions) (EUANAEAJ), Satellite Imagery & Remote Sensing Geospatial Platforms (BPAMANAM)

Keywords

• Coastal resilience planning
• Climate adaptation software
• Nature-based solutions
• GIS decision support
• Disaster risk reduction

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding and Donations: Coastal Resilience is a program of The Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit conservation organization. The program is funded through a combination of foundation grants, corporate partnerships (notably Microsoft), government grants, and individual donations to The Nature Conservancy.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Coastal Resilience provides a free web-based mapping decision support platform and suite of specialized applications that help coastal communities, government agencies, and planners assess coastal vulnerability, visualize flood and sea level rise risks, identify nature-based solutions, and plan climate adaptation strategies. The platform combines GIS-based mapping tools built on Esri ArcGIS with Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure and is offered free of charge as a program of The Nature Conservancy, funded through grants, corporate partnerships, and donations.

Product overview

Coastal Resilience is a program led by The Nature Conservancy that consists of an approach, a web mapping tool, and a network of practitioners supporting hazard mitigation and climate adaptation planning. The core offering is the Coastal Resilience Web Mapping Tool—a data-viewing platform and suite of web apps built on Esri ArcGIS technology and hosted on Microsoft Azure cloud. The Natural Solutions Toolkit provides the overarching framework containing multiple specialized applications including Community Planning, Flood & Sea Level Rise, Future Habitat, Risk Explorer, Coastal Defense, Habitat Explorer, Restoration Explorer, and the Community Rating System Explorer. The program operates through a Four-Step Approach (Assess, Identify, Action, Measure) and includes regional tools like the Resilient Islands Decision Support Tool for Caribbean applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Coastal Resilience Web Mapping Tool An online decision support tool providing a data-viewing platform and suite of web apps for coastal management policies, post-storm disaster decision-making, community assessments, hazard mitigation plans, and cost-effectiveness evaluations. Built on Esri ArcGIS technology and hosted on Microsoft Azure cloud.
• Natural Solutions Toolkit A suite of spatial decision support tools and web apps that puts scientific information in the hands of public agencies, communities, and stakeholders. Includes Coastal Resilience, Freshwater Network, Floodplains by Design, Atlas of Ocean Wealth, and Natural Resource Navigator programs.
• Community Planning App A platform where resilient communities host locally specific data to inform decisions and track successes. Provides community-level engagement process information over time by allowing communities to layer their own data alongside Coastal Resilience datasets.
• Flood & Sea Level Rise App An application allowing users to view areas affected by current and future increased sea level rise, storm surge from hurricanes, and inland flooding. Used by planners and communities to visualize flood exposure over time.
• Future Habitat App Categorizes various tidal marsh advancement scenarios from spatial model outputs, examining how ecosystems like coastal wetlands can move landward as sea level rises.
• Risk Explorer Organized by state, permits users to easily visualize coastal hazards exposure, social vulnerability, and overall risk. Allows exploration of where people and properties benefit most from habitat risk reduction benefits.
• Coastal Defense App Quantifies how natural habitats (oyster and coral reefs, tidal marshes, seagrass beds) protect coastal areas by reducing wave-induced erosion and inundation using standard engineering techniques.
• Habitat Explorer Allows users to interactively identify tidal marshes that can protect people, property, and infrastructure by weighting variables such as marsh size, infrastructure, critical facilities, and demographic information.
• Restoration Explorer Allows stakeholders to examine ecological and socio-economic factors for restoration suitability. Compiles coastal habitat index for restoration scenario planning with individually weighted factors.
• Community Rating System Explorer Helps planners identify areas eligible for Open Space Preservation (OSP) credits in FEMA's Community Rating System. Provides exportable information to support the application process for discounted flood insurance premiums.
• Resilient Coastal Cities App Visualizes flood risk and adaptation options for coastal cities, incorporating social media data on flood location and magnitude with socioeconomic and ecological data for city planning purposes.
• Living Shoreline Explorer Guides the design of living shorelines, combining engineered structures with nature-based elements for shoreline protection.
• Marsh Explorer Aids marsh restoration efforts by helping identify and plan restoration projects.
• Aquatic Barrier Prioritization Helps protect valuable fish habitat by identifying and prioritizing aquatic barriers for removal or modification.
• Resilient Islands Decision Support Tool An adaptation toolkit and mobile app for Caribbean islands to promote better decision-making around disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, integrating nature-based solutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Coastal wetlands prevented US$625 million in property damages during Hurricane Sandy; wetlands can reduce property damages by 20% on average
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability3 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

32 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 October 2018A major partnership announced in October 2018 to integrate nature-based climate adaptation within the humanitarian cycle. Focuses on projects in Southeast Asia and the Caribbean including Resilient Islands and Resilient Coastal Cities initiatives.
• Microsoft AI for EarthcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 April 2017Microsoft's AI for Earth program provides cloud-computing services and resources to organizations working on climate change and environmental technology. Microsoft committed $50 million to this program, supporting TNC's geospatial expansion and AI capabilities.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2007Microsoft has partnered with TNC since 2007, providing technology support and more recently AI for Earth grants to evolve Coastal Resilience on Azure cloud. The collaboration explores AI capabilities to magnify conservation impacts and nature-based climate adaptation solutions, including the Data Science Virtual Machine and Azure cloud architecture.
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007NOAA is a founding public partner in Coastal Resilience, providing scientific data, coastal management expertise, and funding. The partnership since 2001 includes habitat restoration projects to build natural defenses against storms and sea level rise.
• United Nations UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNU is a founding public partner in Coastal Resilience, contributing academic research and global reach for disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation.
• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSGS is a founding public partner providing scientific research, geological data, and technical expertise for coastal resilience assessments.
• The Natural Capital ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA founding partnership bringing ecosystem services valuation tools and methodologies to Coastal Resilience's nature-based solution framework.
• Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA founding partner providing expertise in floodplain management and FEMA CRS program implementation for Coastal Resilience tools and training.
• University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA founding academic partner contributing research on coastal ecosystems, risk modeling, and the science behind nature-based solutions.
• University of Southern MississippicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA founding academic partner contributing coastal research and geospatial expertise to the Coastal Resilience program.
• The Alliance for Development WorkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA founding partner contributing to World Risk and Coasts@Risk reports and broader disaster risk reduction frameworks.
• American Red Cross Global Disaster Preparedness Center (GDPC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership joining TNC's conservation expertise with Red Cross community mobilization capabilities for disaster preparedness and climate adaptation in coastal cities.
• EsricoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner providing ArcGIS platform support. Collaborates on CRS Explorer app development and national Open Space Preservation mapping using Living Atlas.
• NOAA's Office for Coastal ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive in the Digital Coast Partnership, providing workflows for CRS credit calculation and the Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper tool. Co-develops training resources with TNC.
• Coastal States Organization (CSO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Digital Coast Partnership contributing to CRS Green Guide and best practices for floodplain management.
• World BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with TNC on the Philippines mangrove study, providing funding and institutional support for technical reports on risk reduction benefits from mangroves.
• Environmental Hydraulics Institute IHCantabriaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical partner providing high-resolution flooding modeling expertise for the Philippines mangrove valuation study.
• University of California Santa CruzcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead academic institution for the study on value of coastal wetlands for flood damage reduction. Conducted modeling of Hurricane Sandy impacts.
• Wildlife Conservation SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the research team studying salt marsh protection benefits and storm damage reduction.
• Risk Management Solutions (RMS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInsurance industry partner providing North Atlantic Hurricane Model for storm surge and damage modeling in the coastal wetlands study.
• Guy CarpenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReinsurance broker partner contributing to the research on economic value of coastal wetlands for risk reduction.
• Center for the Blue Economy at Middlebury InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner for the Financing Natural Infrastructure report, exploring funding opportunities for natural coastal defenses.
• Grenada Fund for ConservationcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal partner in Grenada implementing At the Water's Edge and Resilient Islands projects. Provides community engagement and on-the-ground conservation work.
• Sustainable Grenadines Inc. (SusGren)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal NGO partner in the Grenadines implementing restoration projects including Ashton Lagoon ecosystem restoration and community work.
• Grenada Red CrosscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal Red Cross chapter partner in Grenada for community-based adaptation and disaster risk reduction activities.
• University of New HampshireminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner providing research and technical support for the At the Water's Edge project in the Grenadines.
• Peel-Harvey Catchment CouncilcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal partner in Western Australia for the Estuary coastal resilience project, providing community engagement and conservation expertise.
• Greening AustraliacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNational conservation organization partner for the Peel-Harvey Estuary project, contributing to restoration planning and implementation.
• Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (5C's)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner for the Resilient Islands initiative, supporting climate adaptation across Caribbean nations.
• Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional disaster management partner for Resilient Islands, integrating ecosystem-based adaptation into Caribbean disaster risk reduction.
• Wetlands InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational environmental organization partner for Indonesia project, contributing expertise on wetland conservation and restoration.
• 100-1000 Restore Coastal Alabama CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition including Alabama Coastal Foundation, Mobile Baykeeper, and The Ocean Foundation spearheading the project to build 100 miles of oyster reefs and grow 1,000 acres of marsh and seagrass in Mobile Bay, Alabama.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• AIR Worldwide: Catastrophe modeling firm producing hurricane, flood, and coastal storm surge models for insurers and governments — competing in the same risk-quantification space that underpins Coastal Resilience's insurance industry use cases.
• Risk Management Solutions (RMS): Global catastrophe risk modeling firm and existing Coastal Resilience partner; RMS models hurricane storm surge and damage for insurers and produces outputs that overlap with the program's Coastal Defense and Flood & Sea Level Rise apps.
• Esri: The GIS platform on which Coastal Resilience is built; Esri offers its own coastal and climate resilience templates and apps to the same government/customer base, making it both a partner and a broad competitive incumbent.

Emerging players

• The Climate Service: Climate risk analytics platform serving financial institutions and corporates with physical climate risk and adaptation planning — emerging commercial competitor in the climate decision-support category adjacent to Coastal Resilience's insurance work.
• Risilience: Climate analytics SaaS for organizations to model physical climate risk and adaptation pathways, including coastal flooding — an emerging commercial rival addressing overlapping enterprise and infrastructure buyers.
• Cervest: AI-driven climate risk analytics provider offering asset-level physical climate risk scoring, including coastal flood exposure, to enterprises and financial institutions — emerging competitor targeting similar risk-reduction use cases.
• Jupiter Intelligence: Climate risk analytics platform quantifying physical climate risk (including coastal flood and hurricane) for infrastructure, real estate, and government buyers — a venture-backed emerging rival in adjacent decision-support workflows.

Direct peers

• Climate Central: Climate Central produces sea level rise and coastal flood risk visualizations and decision-support tools for communities, planners, and media — directly overlapping Coastal Resilience's core mission and end users.

Others

• Deltares: Dutch applied research institute specializing in water, subsurface, and coastal engineering — already a Coastal Resilience technical partner for Indonesia mangrove restoration simulations and a comparable provider of coastal engineering expertise.

Regional players

• European Climate Adaptation Platform (Climate-ADAPT): EEA-hosted EU platform sharing climate adaptation data, case studies, and tools across European member states — a regional analog with comparable web-based decision-support functionality but EU geographic focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CoastResilience
• GitHubgithub.com/coastalresiliencenetwork

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Coastal Resilience