Resilience Action Fund

What Resilience Action Fund does

Resilience Action Fund (RAF) is a US 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 2015 in Miami, Florida, with a parallel UK charitable entity (RAF-I) established in 2016. Its mission is to advance awareness, research, education, and advisory programs on resilience in the built environment, with a particular focus on the gap between minimum building codes and the actual hazard exposure borne by households. The organization targets individual homebuyers and homeowners as its primary audience, alongside secondary segments including small businesses and real estate investors, university students and faculty, public policymakers, and insurance and financial institutions.

RAF's core offerings span publications, films, education, research, and action programs. Proprietary content includes the registered ResilieNomics economic framework, two books (Resilience – The Ultimate Sustainability, 2015; ResilieNomics – Value in an Age of Disasters, 2025), two PBS-broadcast documentaries (Built to Last? with 500+ broadcasts since 2018; Built to Last – Buyer Beware, 2025), the Ask Uncle Resy illustrated series, the Buyers Guide to Resilient Homes (co-developed with FLASH), the Resilient-Smart Quiz, the Resilience Halls of Fame/Shame watchdog platform, and the Mark Samuelian Awards in Residential Resilience. RAF also serves as lead technical advisor to the World Bank/IFC for the Building Resilience Index (BRI) and runs graduate seminars at Florida International University's Extreme Events Institute, alongside the ResilieNomics-in-Action Fellowship launching in June 2026.

RAF's business model is a hybrid nonprofit mix: tax-deductible donations and corporate sponsorships (including a 10-year $50,000 Mark Samuelian Awards pledge), low-priced book sales through its own website (PayPal), Amazon, and a bundle offering, plus fee-based ResilieNomics Advisory Services launched in April 2025 for property stakeholders. Documentary distribution is free via PBS and NETA, serving as mission-aligned awareness rather than direct revenue. Geographic reach is anchored in the US and UK with informal international extension through the UNDRR ARISE network and alignment with the UN Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.

Name

Resilience Action Fund

Legal name

Resilience Action Fund

Website

https://buildingresilient.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Resilience Action Fund is a US 501(c)3 nonprofit that educates homebuyers, policymakers, and industry on built-environment hazard resilience through books, PBS documentaries, research, and the proprietary ResilieNomics economic framework.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Built Environment Resilience Education and Advisory

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

akta.pro primary industry

Disaster Recovery, Reconstruction & Resilience Programs (BPAGAAAK)

Keywords

• Built environment resilience
• Disaster risk reduction
• Resilient construction education
• Climate adaptation policy
• Property hazard assessment

Headquarters

HQ city

Miami

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: RAF publishes and sells books directly through its website (using PayPal) and through Amazon. Book proceeds are donated to the nonprofit. Two primary books: 'Resilience - The Ultimate Sustainability' ($19 on Amazon) and 'ResilieNomics - Value in an Age of Disasters' ($29 via RAF website). Bundles available. Bulk orders offered for 20+ copies with discounts.
2. ResilieNomics Advisory Services: Fee-based advisory consulting services for homeowners, small businesses, investors, corporate professionals, and public policymakers seeking to apply ResilieNomics principles to their property-related decisions. Contact-based engagement model via [email protected].
3. Donations and Sponsorships: RAF accepts tax-deductible donations and operates sponsorship programs, notably for the Mark Samuelian Awards in Residential Resilience. Gold sponsors contribute $5,000+, Silver $3,000-$4,999, Bronze $1,000-$2,999, with individual donors at $100-$999.
4. Documentary Distribution: RAF produces and distributes documentary films freely through its website and YouTube channel. 'Built to Last?' has broadcast over 500 times on PBS and other stations. 'Built to Last - Buyer Beware' began PBS broadcast in summer 2025. Films are freely distributed; revenue generation is indirect through awareness and mission advancement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Resilience Action Fund (RAF) is a US 501(c)3 nonprofit that advances awareness, research, education, and advisory programs on resilience in the built environment. It publishes books and produces documentaries, runs the ResilieNomics-in-Action Fellowship, delivers university academic seminars, and offers paid advisory services to governments, financial institutions, and businesses using its proprietary ResilieNomics framework.

Product overview

Resilience Action Fund is a nonprofit organization (US 501(c)3) focused on advancing awareness, transparency, and education for greater resilience in the built environment. The organization operates through four main program axes: Publications/Films, Education, Research, and Action. Its core offerings include published books ('Resilience - The Ultimate Sustainability' and 'ResilieNomics – Value in an Age of Disasters'), documentary films ('Built to Last?' and 'Built to Last – Buyer Beware'), educational programs ('Ask Uncle Resy' series, FIU seminars, and RNAF Fellowship), advisory services, the Mark Samuelian Awards for residential resilience, and various consumer tools including the Buyer's Guide to Resilient Homes, hazard maps, and resilience quizzes. The organization works with universities, public-interest entities, and international organizations to promote resilient building policies and practices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ResilieNomics book

Quantifiable outcome

• Working-class families in Shore Acres, FL lost 35% of home value (average $140,000) after 2024 hurricane season, while similar homeowners 5 miles away in Disston Heights gained 25% (average $60,000), demonstrating the economic impact of resilience awareness
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 January 2025RAF presented the Building Resilience Index (BRI) to RICS, an organization with thousands of members engaged in the built environment globally. The BRI, developed by World Bank/IFC with RAF as lead technical advisor, is a first-of-its-kind tool for rating hazard resilience of any building type anywhere in the world. RICS members are beginning to use BRI in property lending evaluations.
• Disasters Expo USAminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 March 2024RAF collaborated with Disasters Expo USA (Miami Beach Convention Center, March 6-7 2024), the leading event addressing natural and climate hazards. RAF Founding Chair delivered the keynote 'The World Bank's Free Tool for Rating Resilience' presenting the IFC Building Resilience Index. RAF promoted the event with promo code ARIS100 for free admission.
• Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRAF collaborated with FLASH to develop the Buyers Guide to Resilient Homes, a comprehensive consumer resource for evaluating homes against natural hazards. Both organizations jointly hold the copyright. RAF also partnered with FLASH to develop the Resilient-Smart Homebuyers Guide.
• Florida International University (FIU) - Extreme Events InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRAF supports FIU-EEI through graduate-level seminars on resilience in the built environment, co-authoring white papers, engaging interns, organizing the External Advisory Board (7-member board of industry veterans), connecting with international organizations, and providing communications support. Aris Papadopoulos serves as FIU Distinguished Expert in Resilience and chairs the EEI Advisory Board.
• Sustainability Curriculum Consortium (SCC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRAF assisted SCC in incorporating resilience into university faculty professional development and generating academic curriculum materials. RAF helped create a training webinar on the Sendai Framework and resilience in the built environment.
• UNDRR ARISE (Private Sector Initiative)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAris Papadopoulos served as founding chair of UNDRR ARISE (formerly UNISDR private sector initiative) for 10 years. ARISE is the private sector arm of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, with a global network promoting disaster risk reduction and resilient development. RAF continues to coordinate with this network.
• World Bank / International Finance Corporation (IFC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRAF served as lead technical advisor to World Bank/IFC in developing the Building Resilience Index (BRI), a first-of-its-kind tool for rating hazard resilience of any type of building anywhere in the world. Financial institutions are beginning to use BRI in property lending evaluations. RAF is now engaged in the BRI's US launch.
• Resilience Youth NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRAF helped found the Resilience Youth Network, which fosters next-generation resilience champions. Robert Fetell, President & Founder of Resilience Youth Network, serves on the Mark Samuelian Awards Committee.
• InteRaCt (5-University Consortium)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRAF participated in an InteRaCt webinar series on 'Affordable Resilience in the Built Environment' organized by this 5-university consortium, attracting over 400 attendees. The consortium amplifies RAF's educational reach to university communities.
• NETA (Public Television Distributor)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNETA selected RAF's 'Built to Last?' documentary for national distribution to public television stations, expanding reach beyond PBS to a wider national audience.
• FIU External Advisory BoardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRAF helped organize and launch the FIU-EEI External Advisory Board, a 7-member board of industry veterans from engineering, construction, finance, insurance, and media, providing high-level perspectives on EEI's strategy, growth directions, and organizational challenges.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Direct Relief: Direct Relief is a humanitarian aid organization that provides emergency medical assistance and disaster relief worldwide. Adjacent rather than directly competitive - both operate in the disaster resilience/humanitarian space, but Direct Relief focuses on medical and supply-chain disaster response while RAF focuses on built-environment resilience education before disasters occur.

Broad incumbents

• Habitat for Humanity International: Habitat for Humanity is a global nonprofit that builds affordable housing with partner families. Broader incumbent in the built environment with adjacency through resilient construction and disaster recovery programs, especially post-hurricane reconstruction efforts that overlap with RAF's mission of code-plus building standards in disaster-prone areas.
• National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS): NIBS is a nonprofit organization that brings together the building community to advance building science and technology. Broader incumbent in the built-environment space with overlapping interests in building codes, resilience, and whole-building performance, though NIBS operates across the entire building sector rather than specializing in disaster resilience education for consumers.
• Enterprise Community Partners: Enterprise Community Partners is a national nonprofit that invests in affordable housing and community development. Broader incumbent with overlapping interest in resilient affordable housing (RAF's Encore Redevelopment winner is exactly this category), but operates a much larger portfolio across many housing dimensions rather than focusing specifically on disaster resilience economics.

Direct peers

• Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS): IBHS is a nonprofit scientific research organization that conducts building safety research to identify causes of structural failures and develop recommendations for stronger, safer homes. Direct peer in the built-environment resilience advocacy and research space, with similar focus on consumer education, building code improvement, and demonstrating the economic value of resilient construction.
• Build Change: Build Change is a nonprofit social enterprise that works in disaster-prone areas to build earthquake-, typhoon-, and hurricane-resistant houses and schools. Direct peer operating internationally on built-environment resilience, with adjacent methodology on building code advocacy and disaster-resilient construction training that overlaps with RAF's ResilieNomics framework.
• Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH): FLASH is a nonprofit public education organization dedicated to strengthening homes and safeguarding families from natural and manmade disasters. It is a direct peer - RAF and FLASH jointly developed the Buyers Guide to Resilient Homes and Resilient-Smart Homebuyers Guide, and both organizations operate as consumer-facing resilience education nonprofits serving overlapping audiences with similar frameworks.
• Center for Disaster Philanthropy: Center for Disaster Philanthropy is a nonprofit that organizes philanthropic resources toward effective disaster response, recovery, and resilience. Direct peer in the disaster resilience ecosystem with overlapping stakeholders in philanthropy, policy, and risk reduction; comparable focus on educating funders and policymakers about the long-term economics of disaster risk.
• Smart Home America: Smart Home America is a nonprofit that promotes stronger, safer, and smarter homes through consumer education and rating systems. Direct peer with parallel mission in built-environment resilience consumer education, particularly in disaster-prone US regions, and overlapping interest in insurance discounts for resilient construction features.
• Resilience Youth Network: Resilience Youth Network is a nonprofit organization that fosters next-generation resilience champions and is a partner organization founded with RAF's support. Direct peer in building the resilience advocacy pipeline, with overlapping interests in youth engagement, ResilieNomics-adjacent training, and Mark Samuelian Awards Committee participation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ResilienceAF
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ResilienceActionFundChannel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Resilience Action Fund