Raleigh will receive Bloomberg Philanthropies’ support to turbocharge local climate action and create more prosperous communities in the United States.
The City of Raleigh was just selected to join the new Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities initiative. It’s designed to help cities with local solutions to build low-carbon, resilient, and economically thriving communities. Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin announced Raleigh’s selection today (Tuesday).
“We are honored that Raleigh has been selected for this program, recognizing the many innovative ways we are already tackling today’s biggest challenges,” Mayor Baldwin said. “The dedicated innovation team will boost our work with community partners to deliver climate-change solutions that close the racial wealth gap, address affordability and entrepreneurship, and build a more equitable and resilient community.”
Raleigh is a leader in piloting solutions that tackle the overlapping crises of climate change and racial wealth inequity. The Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities initiative will provide support and a total of $200 million to selected cities to pursue solutions in the buildings and transportation sectors through partnerships. Partners include PolicyLink, Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University, and Natural Resources Defense Council.
The Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities initiative will help Raleigh build on our leadership in piloting climate change solutions, in areas including:
- Developing affordable, sustainable, and energy-efficient housing
- Increasing equitable access to electric vehicles and infrastructure
- Accelerating the transition and expanding access to clean energy
- Enhancing programs to reach a diversity of entrepreneurs, such as the Impact Partner Grant and the Small Business Toolkit
- Funding new pilots with community-based organizations
Each city will also receive a Bloomberg Philanthropies-funded innovation team with dedicated staff members with expertise in:
- Data analysis;
- Insight development;
- Human-centered design; and,
- Project management.
These experts will bolster Raleigh’s capacity to deliver programs such as residential solar energy to communities where these solutions seem out of reach. This mitigates climate impacts and improves equity. Raleigh will also receive customized policy and technical assistance in collaboration with community organizations to mobilize public, private, and philanthropic investments.
Track Record of Commitments
Bloomberg Philanthropies chose Raleigh based on the City’s leadership and ambition to build resilient, equitable communities. Despite facing significant vulnerabilities, including flooding and extreme heat, Raleigh has persisted in advancing community prosperity and economic development.
The City Council has led the way by supporting various actions and strategies, including Raleigh’s Community Climate Action Plan, Raleigh’s Strategic Plan and Comprehensive Plan, and direct partnerships with community organizations that increase economic opportunities and entrepreneurship. Examples of Raleigh’s commitments that set the foundation for continued innovation include:
- Implementing the Community Climate Action Plan by reducing community-wide greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050, addressing equity and environmental justice, and building community resilience to the impacts of climate change;
- Transitioning the City’s 4,000+ fleet to 100 percent electric and clean energy in the next 10 years; and increasing equitable community access to clean transportation options;
- Creating programs for community participation on climate action initiatives that increase access to clean energy and prioritize action on mitigation strategies for those most vulnerable to climate change;
- Investing more than $125,000 annually in Impact Partner Grants to support the innovation ecosystem to help underrepresented innovators, entrepreneurs, and small businesses start, stay, and grow in Raleigh; and,
- Leveraging public, private, and philanthropic resources to prototype new ideas and solutions.
Leveraging Federal Funding
More than $400 billion in federal funding is available to local governments through the Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. The Bloomberg initiative aims to help cities access and implement this historic funding for critical local projects, especially in disadvantaged communities overburdened by pollution. In Raleigh there are already several examples of using federal funding for climate action.