Disaster Resilience Network

What Disaster Resilience Network does

Disaster Resilience Network (DRN) is a Tulsa, Oklahoma-based nonprofit organization incorporated in December 2000 (formerly Tulsa Partners, Inc.) whose mission is to empower people, businesses, and communities to reduce the impact of disasters. DRN is the institutional outgrowth of the Tulsa Project Impact program and operates three community-focused councils: the Business Council, which educates small businesses and nonprofits on emergency and continuity planning; the Cross-Cultural Council, a grassroots network that delivers multilingual emergency preparedness materials in over a dozen languages plus ASL; and the Housing Council, which promotes IBHS FORTIFIED Home construction standards and low impact development techniques such as rain gardens, bioswales, permeable concrete, green roofs, and rainwater harvesting. The organization does not develop proprietary technology, instead implementing established resilience methodologies and connecting Oklahoma residents with trained roofers, contractors, and FORTIFIED Evaluators through the IBHS directory.

DRN operates as a free community education and outreach hub, funded through a tiered corporate sponsorship program (Patron through Bronze) with disclosed sponsors including State Farm, Public Service of Oklahoma, the Brannin Foundation, Tulsa Community Foundation, Cox Communications, and Titan Data Services; individual donations; and project-specific grants such as the State Farm Good Neighbor grants of $20,000 each in 2019 and 2020. Its go-to-market is community-led: educational workshops, demonstration projects, FORTIFIED construction showcases, multilingual PSAs, and co-hosted virtual training series with Oklahoma VOAD and Oklahoma AmeriCorps. The organization reaches hundreds of individuals, businesses, and organizations annually and contributes to City of Tulsa programming that helped secure an NFIP Community Rating System Class 1 designation — one of only two cities nationally — delivering up to a 45% flood insurance discount to Tulsa property owners from April 2022.

Strategically, DRN functions as a neutral coordination layer across public agencies (City of Tulsa, FEMA, National Weather Service), insurers (State Farm, the broader FORTIFIED-discounting carrier market of nearly 100 carriers), trade and standards bodies (IBHS, U.S. Green Building Council, FLASH, Firewise), and community organizations (American Red Cross, Oklahoma VOAD, Oklahoma AmeriCorps, Metropolitan Environmental Trust). It is governed by a volunteer board and a small executive team led by Executive Director Tim Lovell, with no parent company or institutional investor ownership. The economic engine is therefore donation-and-grant funded rather than revenue-generating, and the underlying 'technology' is human-curated educational programming and partnership orchestration rather than software.

Name

Disaster Resilience Network

Legal name

The Disaster Resilience Network

Website

https://disasterresiliencenetwork.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Disaster Resilience Network is a Tulsa, Oklahoma-based nonprofit that educates homeowners, small businesses, and multicultural communities on disaster preparedness and resilient construction, including promotion of the IBHS FORTIFIED Home program, through three councils and a network of public, private, and nonprofit partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disaster Preparedness and Community Resilience Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

akta.pro primary industry

Disaster Preparedness, Risk Reduction & Early Warning (DRR) (BPAGAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disaster Recovery, Reconstruction & Resilience Programs (BPAGAAAK), Climate Resilience & Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) (BPAGABAK)

Keywords

• Disaster preparedness education
• Community resilience programs
• Emergency planning services
• FORTIFIED home construction
• Multilingual preparedness materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Tulsa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors provide funding at various tiers (Patron, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze) including State Farm, PSO, Brannin Foundation, Tulsa Community Foundation, Cox Communications, Titan Data Services, and others. Sponsorship supports the three council programs and organizational operations.
2. Individual Donations: The organization accepts donations from individuals to support its mission of empowering people, businesses, and communities to reduce disaster impact through its three councils.
3. Grants: DRN receives grant funding from organizations such as State Farm's Good Neighbor Citizenship Grants ($20,000 in 2019 and $20,000 in 2020) to fund specific programs like the Housing Council's FORTIFIED Home outreach and the Good Neighbor Resilient Oklahoma Partnership.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

DRN is a nonprofit community education organization that delivers free disaster preparedness and resilience programming through three councils: the Housing Council promotes IBHS FORTIFIED Home construction standards, the Business Council educates small businesses and nonprofits on continuity planning, and the Cross-Cultural Council provides multilingual emergency preparedness materials and learning sessions. All programs, resources, and workshops are provided free of charge to Oklahoma residents, homeowners, and community organizations.

Product overview

The Disaster Resilience Network (DRN) is a non-profit organization (formerly Tulsa Partners, Inc.) that operates as a community education and outreach organization rather than a software product company. DRN offers a portfolio of community programs organized through three councils: the Business Council provides business continuity planning education, the Cross-Cultural Council delivers multilingual emergency preparedness materials and learning sessions, and the Housing Council promotes FORTIFIED home construction standards. Additional offerings include newsletters, disaster planning resources, and educational blog content. The organization does not offer software products, APIs, or technical platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Council Program A public-private partnership program designed to educate small businesses and nonprofit organizations in Oklahoma about emergency and continuity planning. Provides networking opportunities and promotes business disaster resiliency, including classes and educational resources to help businesses and nonprofits prepare for fire, flood, wind, power loss, or other emergencies.
• Cross-Cultural Council Program A grassroots network of multicultural and multilingual groups that provides emergency preparedness materials and learning sessions in multiple languages including Arabic, Burmese, Chinese, English, Hmong, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu, Vietnamese, Zomi, and ASL to help community members prepare for disasters and receive emergency communications in an accessible manner.
• Housing Council Program A collaborative program promoting stronger and weather-resistant homes in Oklahoma through the IBHS FORTIFIED Homes program (Roof, Silver, and Gold designations), low impact development, and green infrastructure strategies for storm water management. Connects homeowners with FORTIFIED-trained roofers, evaluators, and contractors.
• IBHS FORTIFIED Home Program Promotion Outreach and education service promoting the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety FORTIFIED Home program in Oklahoma, offering three designation levels (FORTIFIED Roof, FORTIFIED Silver, and FORTIFIED Gold) based on 20+ years of scientific research for high wind, hail, and hurricane resistance. Connects homeowners with the IBHS directory of trained roofers, contractors, and FORTIFIED Evaluators.
• Oklahoma VOAD Public Outreach Training Series Virtual training series co-hosted by DRN with Oklahoma VOAD and Oklahoma AmeriCorps, featuring presentations on disaster response best practices, inclusion in disaster planning, and adapted outreach methods delivered during the pandemic.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 45% flood insurance discount for Tulsa property owners with CRS Class 1 designation
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBHS is the developer of the FORTIFIED Home program, which DRN promotes in Oklahoma. DRN serves as an outreach partner for FORTIFIED, connecting homeowners with the program that provides superior construction standards based on 20+ years of scientific research. IBHS provides the designation process and standards while DRN conducts educational workshops and promotional outreach.
• Business Council Members (2017)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Business Council includes Bank of Oklahoma, CK Consulting LLC, IBHS, LSU Stephenson Disaster Management Institute, Meshek and Associates, Oklahoma Small Business Development Center, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, The Resilience Institute, SERVPRO of South Tulsa and Edmond, Titan Data Services, TRC Disaster Solutions, Tulsa City County Health Department, and Tulsa Regional Chamber. Chaired by David Hall with State Farm Insurance, the council educates businesses and nonprofits about emergency planning.
• Metropolitan Environmental Trust (M.e.t.)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe M.e.t. in the Tulsa area is listed as a partner in DRN's Housing Council under the 'Live Green' sustainability initiative, supporting low impact development and environmental sustainability practices.
• Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFLASH is listed as a BUILD SAFE partner resource for the Housing Council, providing additional disaster resilience information and resources for construction safety.
• U.S. Green Building CouncilsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSGBC is listed as a BUILD SAFE partner resource for the Housing Council, supporting green building initiatives and sustainable construction practices in Oklahoma.
• American Red CrosssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe American Red Cross is listed as a LIVE SAFE partner resource for the Housing Council, providing fire safety and emergency preparedness resources.
• Firewise CommunitiessecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirewise Communities is listed as a LIVE SAFE partner resource, helping homeowners make their properties wildfire resistant.
• FEMAsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFEMA is listed as a LIVE SAFE partner resource and partner in DRN's mission, with DRN referencing FEMA programs and data extensively in educational materials.
• National Weather ServicesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe National Weather Service is listed as a partner for weather forecasting and storm prediction resources, helping communities understand weather watches and warnings.
• Oklahoma Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (Oklahoma VOAD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOklahoma VOAD and DRN co-host the Public Outreach During a Pandemic Series, with DRN serving as co-host along with Oklahoma AmeriCorps. This partnership enables delivery of virtual training on disaster response and community outreach best practices.
• Smart Home AmericasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmart Home America is a partner with DRN and IBHS in promoting stronger, resilient homes in Oklahoma through the FORTIFIED Home program.
• Oklahoma AmeriCorpscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOklahoma AmeriCorps co-hosts the Public Outreach During a Pandemic Series with DRN and Oklahoma VOAD, providing volunteer coordination and support for disaster resilience programs.
• City of TulsacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDRN partners with the City of Tulsa on the National Flood Insurance Program Community Rating System, sharing monthly key messages as part of the Program for Public Information. This partnership helped Tulsa achieve Class 1 CRS designation, providing up to 45% flood insurance discounts for property owners.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Red Cross: The American Red Cross is the largest U.S. disaster preparedness, response, and recovery organization and is listed as a DRN partner. It produces household-level preparedness content in multiple languages and serves as the broad incumbent whose national footprint DRN complements at a regional level.
• Mercy Corps: Mercy Corps is a global humanitarian organization with active disaster preparedness and community resilience programs, including small-business recovery. It serves as the broad-incumbent analog of DRN's Business Council work at a national and international scale.
• Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS): IBHS is the research-and-standards body behind DRN's flagship FORTIFIED Home program. As the originator of the FORTIFIED designation framework and a national laboratory operator, IBHS is the upstream standards-setter whose work DRN extends to homeowners in Oklahoma.

Direct peers

• Firewise Communities: Firewise USA is an NFPA-recognized program that helps homeowners and communities reduce wildfire risk through education and site-level action. It is listed by DRN as a LIVE SAFE partner and operates a structurally similar community-recognition-and-education model in a different hazard vertical.
• Build Change: Build Change is a nonprofit that works to build disaster-resilient homes and change construction practices in vulnerable communities worldwide. It is highly comparable in mission (resilient housing) and methodology (training builders, codes advocacy) to DRN's Housing Council.
• Smart Home America: Smart Home America is a nonprofit that advocates for stronger, more resilient homes and partners with IBHS on FORTIFIED outreach — listed by DRN as a partner. It pursues the same homeowner-focused resilient construction mission in other states, functioning as a sibling regional peer.
• All Hands and Hearts: All Hands and Hearts is a volunteer-driven nonprofit that provides disaster response and resilience programs, including community-preparedness and safer-rebuilding efforts. It is comparable in operating model (community-led, nonprofit, volunteer-supported) and in resilience-plus-recovery scope to DRN.
• Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH): FLASH is a nonprofit dedicated to disaster-resilient housing and safe-home education. Like DRN, it promotes stronger building practices, partners with insurers, and produces consumer-facing preparedness content, making it the closest national peer in mission and operating model.

Regional players

• Oklahoma VOAD: Oklahoma Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters is the statewide coordination body for disaster-related nonprofits. DRN co-hosts the Public Outreach During a Pandemic series with Oklahoma VOAD, making it both a peer and a close operating partner in the same Oklahoma ecosystem.

Others

• Habitat for Humanity: Habitat for Humanity is a large nonprofit housing organization with a disaster response and resilient-rebuilding program. While its primary mission is affordable homebuilding, its disaster arm competes for similar corporate-sponsor dollars and operates in adjacent construction-and-resilience space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/DRNintheUSA
• Facebookfacebook.com/DisasterResilienceUS
• Instagraminstagram.com/disasterresilienceus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Disaster Resilience Network