Resilient Infrastructure for Sustainable Communities (RISC)
Started in 2020, funded by the Great Lakes Protection Fund (GLPF) and founded by the CEO of CIS, the Resilient Infrastructure for Sustainable Communities (RISC) project was created to establish a resilience and finance leadership Cluster of municipal resilience officers and other sustainability leaders across the binational Great Lakes region.
Project Scope
- A lasting network of public and private sector leaders from across the Great Lakes.
- Share and establish best practices for policy development, program delivery, financing, and asset management.
- Identify priority regions with high need and investment readiness.
- Help execute multiple $10M+ investments that lead to improved water quality and more green neighborhoods across the region.
- Led two of the largest green stormwater infrastructure investments in the Great Lakes region, totaling $104 Million.
The initiative aimed to support the implementation of large-scale investments that fostered sustainable stormwater infrastructure and greener neighborhoods in Great Lakes communities—directly tackling the region’s growing water quality and quantity challenges driven by climate change.
The RISC Cluster served as a platform for regional collaboration and innovation, advancing new approaches to project delivery, financing, investment, and asset management. In addition to fostering peer-to-peer connections, Cluster members provided strategic oversight of the project team, convened virtually on a quarterly basis, and met annually in person. They also utilized their networks to support the project’s objectives and played a central role in ensuring RISC’s long-term sustainability and identifying a permanent organizational home following the conclusion of funding from GLPF for the initiative.
Results
By the end of 2023, nearly two dozen communities were engaged with RISC, including Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago, South Bend, Grand Rapids, Southfield, Merrillville, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Ann Arbor, and others.
RISC produced numerous reports on critical topics such as investments from State Revolving Funds, green stormwater infrastructure, climate change impacts and opportunities across the Great Lakes, and shifting regional rainfall patterns. These reports are available for review/download below. RISC’s efforts also contributed to over $104 million in green stormwater infrastructure investments across two communities.
At the close of 2023, marking the end of the GLPF-funded program period, leadership of RISC transitioned from CIS to the Green Infrastructure Leadership Exchange, a Philadelphia-based initiative of the Global Philanthropy Partnership. The Exchange works to empower local governments and water agencies across the U.S. and Canada to equitably implement green stormwater infrastructure, and was deemed most suitable to carry it forward.
RISC Work Products
- February 2025 report on the Great Lakes Region
Resilient Stormwater Management in the Great Lakes Region - November 2023 report on Greater Milwaukee
A Blueprint to Scale Up Reforestation and Wetland Restoration in Underserved Communities Across the Greater Milwaukee Area - November 2023 report on Green Jobs
Green Job Creation in the Nation’s Largest Stormwater Programs - August 2021 report on GSI Design Templates
A Design Guide for Green Stormwater Infrastructure Best Management Practices
Partners
Great Lakes Protection Fund
Green Infrastructure Leadership Exchange
Timeline
2023 – Ongoing