Wells Fargo Foundation and NFWF Announce Release of the Resilient Communities Program 2020 Request for Proposals

WASHINGTON D.C. (January 23, 2020) – The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and Wells Fargo today announced the release of the 2020 Request for Proposals for the Resilient Communities program, which provides grant funding to enhance community capacity to plan and implement resiliency projects, and improve the protections afforded by natural ecosystems, by investing in conservation and nature-based infrastructure.

Pre-proposals are due February 18, 2020. The full Request for Proposals can be found here: https://www.nfwf.org/resilientcommunities/Pages/2020rfp.aspx. 

The Resilient Communities program will invest up to $3 million in projects to increase and enhance preparedness by taking advantage of natural and nature-based features like wetlands, resilient shorelines, urban tree canopies, natural forests and healthy watersheds to improve quality of life and sustainability for communities. 

Specific funding priorities for this program include:

• ​High-impact resiliency adaptations to help communities prepare for fire, floods, and droughts as well as sea-level rise 
• Demonstration and capacity-building projects that help communities understand environmental risks and opportunities and organize and take actions to improve local resiliency by enhancing natural buffers and system functions
• Scalable, nature-based resilience solutions that positively impact housing affordability and/or the ability of small-businesses to thrive in communities vulnerable to impacts from natural disasters

Competitive proposals will yield measurable and sustainable benefits for natural habitats while also providing measurable and enhanced community benefits to improve resilience and serve vulnerable low- and moderate-income communities that tend to be disproportionally impacted. Priority is given to projects serving these communities. 

For additional information about the Resilient Communities program please visit: www.nfwf.org/resilientcommunities 

About the Resilient Communities Program
The Resilient Communities program is a five-year, $12.5 million collaboration between NFWF and Wells Fargo that helps communities take advantage of natural features such as wetlands, resilient shorelines, urban tree canopies, natural forests and healthy upstream watersheds to be better prepared for foreseeable resilience challenges, fortify fish and wildlife resources and habitat, and accrue quality of life benefits for all residents. The program places special emphasis on helping traditionally low- and moderate-income communities build capacity to better prepare for and respond to extreme weather and climate-related events, and supports Indigenous peoples whose livelihoods and economies rely on their self-determined management of water, land and other natural resources. To date, the program has supported 27 projects across the U.S., with more than $8.9 million in Wells Fargo funds which have unlocked $28.9 million in federal funds and local matching contributions, for a total conservation impact of $37.8 million. Together, these projects are restoring and protecting more than 40,000 acres of land and engaging 21,500 people in conservation and capacity building. For additional information, visit: www.nfwf.org/resilientcommunities 

About the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Chartered by Congress in 1984, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) protects and restores the nation's fish, wildlife, plants and habitats. Working with federal, corporate and individual partners, NFWF has funded more than 4,500 organizations and committed more than $5.3 billion to conservation projects. Learn more at www.nfwf.org.

About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.9 trillion in assets. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through 7,400 locations, more than 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 32 countries and territories to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 260,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 29 on Fortune’s 2019 rankings of America’s largest corporations. News, insights and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories.  Additional information may be found at www.wellsfargo.com​​ | Twitter: @WellsFargo

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Contact: 
Rob Blumenthal, 202-857-0166, rob.blumenthal@nfwf.org