Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
The Healey-Driscoll administration on Feb. 4 announced more than $3 million in Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness 2.0 planning grants to aid local planning efforts related to climate change.
Twenty-one municipalities and three regional groups representing 11 additional municipalities are included in the round of grantees.
The grant is for municipalities to revisit their climate resilience priorities with a focus on equity and to translate those priorities into action. MVP grants help communities prepare for disasters.
“Every city and town is already planning ahead to address extreme weather,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a prepared statement, “and we want to give them the support they need to protect their residents and their infrastructure.”
Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper noted that cities and towns are frontline responders to climate change impacts.
“That’s why the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program matters,” she said. “We partner with communities to build stronger roads, restore wetlands, plant shade trees, and make sure everyone has a voice in shaping a safer future.”
Grants ranging from $100,000 to $325,000 were awarded to the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, Braintree, Buckland, Concord, Dedham, Dover, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, Falmouth, Gosnold, Grafton, Lawrence, Marion, Mattapoisett, Mendon, Millbury, Milton, Monterey, Newbury, Newton, Norwood, Sandwich, Shrewsbury, Stow, Wareham, Westborough, and Weymouth.
Municipalities receiving grants will work with experts in climate resilience and will have an equity partner to help keep equity at the forefront of their plans and projects. They will form a team of community liaisons with strong ties to the populations most affected by climate change.
The MVP program is a priority of ResilientMass, the statewide program to reduce risk and strengthen communities in the face of climate change impacts.
The administration is seeking to double funding for the MVP program, to $315 million, in its proposed Mass Ready Act, while also allowing nonprofits to apply for grants and partner with municipalities on local projects.