Climate Resilience Fund

What Climate Resilience Fund does

Climate Resilience Fund (CRF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2017 by John Nordgren and headquartered in Bainbridge Island, WA, with a distributed team of 1-10 employees across multiple U.S. locations. The organization advances climate resilience in the United States through three core initiatives: the Climate Smart Communities Initiative (CSCI), a public-private partnership providing competitive grants, practitioner training, and technical support to communities; the Wildfire Resilience Funders (WRF), a learning and action network with 140+ member and affiliate organizations; and the Climate Resilience Regional Challenge (CRRC), a coastal resilience grant program. Supplementary resources include the Registry of Adaptation Practitioners (125+ vetted service providers), the Adaptation Help Desk (technical assistance), and integration with NOAA's U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit.

CRF's technology stack is built around grantmaking platform operations and network coordination rather than commercial software products. The Registry of Adaptation Practitioners is a searchable directory connecting communities with vetted service providers, addressing the absence of standard certification in the adaptation field. The organization has administered 49 grants totaling nearly $1.9M through its prior CCRE program (2017-2022), awarded $1M in initial CSCI grants in August 2024, and grew CSCI to $2.2M across 21 grants in August 2025. The CSCI consortium includes six partner organizations (EcoAdapt, Fernleaf, Geos Institute, ICF, NRDC) that deliver programming through a federated model.

CRF's business model is philanthropic grantmaking funded by foundations, corporations, and individual donors, with major support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Walton Family Foundation, NOAA Climate Program Office, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, The Coca-Cola Foundation, Resources Legacy Fund, and MacArthur Foundation. The WRF network charges sliding-scale annual membership dues based on each member's wildfire-related grantmaking budget. The organization does not sell products or services; rather, it distributes grants and coordinates technical assistance to U.S. communities, tribal nations, local governments, philanthropic funders, and climate adaptation practitioners across wildfire, coastal resilience, and general climate adaptation verticals.

Name

Climate Resilience Fund

Legal name

Climate Resilience Fund

Website

https://climateresiliencefund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Climate Resilience Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that advances U.S. climate resilience through competitive grants, a funder network, and practitioner coordination. It serves communities, tribal nations, local governments, philanthropic funders, and adaptation practitioners across wildfire, coastal, and general climate resilience verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Resilience Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate Adaptation & Resilience Programs (BPADALAD), Disaster Risk Reduction & Climate Risk Management (BPADALAK), Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK)

Keywords

• Climate resilience funding
• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Community adaptation grants
• Wildfire resilience network
• Coastal resilience programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Bainbridge Island, WA

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grants and Donations: CRF operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization funded by foundations, corporations, and individual donors. The organization distributes grants to communities, practitioners, and organizations working on climate resilience projects.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Climate Resilience Fund (CRF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that advances climate resilience across the United States through competitive grant programs (CSCI, CRRC), a funder learning-and-action network (WRF), practitioner training and technical assistance (Adaptation Help Desk), and a searchable Registry of Adaptation Practitioners connecting vetted service providers with communities in need of climate adaptation expertise.

Product overview

The Climate Resilience Fund operates as a collaborative grantmaking and capacity-building organization rather than a traditional software product company. Its core offerings include the Climate Smart Communities Initiative (CSCI), a public-private partnership providing competitive grants and technical support; the Wildfire Resilience Funders (WRF) network for funder collaboration; the Climate Resilience Regional Challenge (CRRC) for coastal resilience; and the Adaptation Help Desk for practitioner support. These programs are complemented by tools including the Registry of Adaptation Practitioners and connections to the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit. CRF also supported prior initiatives including the Resilience Accelerator and the CCRE program (2017-2022).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Climate Smart Communities Initiative (CSCI) A competitive grantmaking program offering funding, practitioner training, and technical support to help communities across the United States develop climate resilience plans and implement nature-based solutions for extreme weather events.
• Wildfire Resilience Funders (WRF) A learning and action network that fosters collaboration among philanthropic funders through member-only meetings, annual convenings, wildfire action groups, and a member portal to advance progress towards wildfire-resilient communities and landscapes.
• Climate Resilience Regional Challenge (CRRC) A competitive grant program that awarded funding to 19 coastal resilience projects, with CRF coordinating technical assistance to help grantees complete their resilience projects through the Registry of Adaptation Practitioners.
• Adaptation Help Desk A technical assistance service that provides expert advice to climate adaptation practitioners on how to overcome challenges and maximize impact, developed in partnership with the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit.
• Registry of Adaptation Practitioners A searchable directory developed by CRF and partners that connects vetted adaptation service providers with communities seeking climate adaptation expertise, with over 125 approved practitioners listed.
• U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit A wealth of tools and resources developed by NOAA's Climate Program Office to help communities build climate resilience, including the Steps to Resilience framework that is foundational to CSCI.

Quantifiable outcome

• CSCI grants help communities plan and prepare for extreme weather events and other climate impacts
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and notable.

• NOAA Climate Program OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore strategic partner working with CRF on CSCI and CCRE programs. Provides access to the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit and Steps to Resilience framework.
• EcoAdaptcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in CSCI leading development of the Registry of Adaptation Practitioners. Provides climate adaptation expertise and resources.
• FernleafcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in CSCI providing climate resilience planning expertise and practitioner services.
• Geos InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in CSCI contributing climate adaptation science and planning expertise.
• ICFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in CSCI providing climate resilience consulting and planning services.
• NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in CSCI contributing environmental expertise through their Environment, Equity and Justice Center.
• U.S. Climate Resilience ToolkitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNOAA resource integrated with CRF programs providing tools and framework for community climate resilience planning.
• Philanthropy CalifornianotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in coordinating statewide philanthropic efforts for wildfire resilience and community climate adaptation.
• Philanthropy CAnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on funder coordination during California wildfire disasters and WRF programming.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Kresge Foundation: U.S. foundation with a longstanding climate and environment program that employed CRF's founder in senior advisory and program officer roles. Comparable as a foundation funder in the climate resilience and community development space.
• The Nature Conservancy: Global environmental nonprofit that operates nature-based resilience and climate adaptation programs across U.S. communities. Comparable in deploying science-based approaches to community climate adaptation, though at significantly greater scale.
• Walton Family Foundation: Major foundation supporting CSCI grants and the Resilience Accelerator initiative. Comparable as a major U.S. climate funder with grantee relationships in community resilience and ocean/coastal systems.
• Doris Duke Charitable Foundation: Large U.S. private foundation with a major climate adaptation grantmaking portfolio, including funding the Wildlife Conservation Society's Climate Adaptation Fund. Comparable as a foundation funder of community climate resilience, but operating as a direct grantmaker rather than intermediary.
• Wildlife Conservation Society: Global conservation organization that operates the Climate Adaptation Fund, the prior employer of CRF's deputy director. Comparable in deploying philanthropic capital into community-led climate adaptation projects in the U.S.
• Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation: Major U.S. foundation supporting CRF's Wildfire Resilience Funders network and broader climate resilience programs. Comparable as a large-scale climate and conservation grantmaker, though at materially greater scale.

Direct peers

• ClimateWorks Foundation: Major climate philanthropy grantmaking and regranting organization that convenes funders and deploys capital toward climate mitigation and adaptation globally. Highly comparable to CRF in operating as an intermediary that channels philanthropic dollars to climate initiatives.
• EcoAdapt: Climate adaptation-focused nonprofit that is both a CSCI consortium partner and a practitioner operating in the same community resilience space. Directly comparable as a nonprofit delivering adaptation knowledge, tools, and practitioner services to U.S. communities.

Emerging players

• Aspen Institute: Nonprofit that convenes funders and operates cross-sector programs including on community resilience and climate. Comparable as a convener platform that brings together philanthropic and policy stakeholders around resilience themes.

Others

• Resources Legacy Fund: Foundation supporting the WRF network and California wildfire resilience initiatives. Comparable as a philanthropic funder focused on natural resources, climate, and disaster resilience, though operating as a direct grantmaker rather than intermediary.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/climateresiliencefund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Climate Resilience Fund