Request for Heat Resilience Pilot Program Grant Acceptance_memo — File 25-0018

CITY HALL ANNEX● 50 EVERGREEN AVENUE ● SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS 02145 [phone removed] ● www.somervillema.gov/OSE EMAIL: OSE@somervillema.gov 1 of 1 CITY OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENT KATJANA BALLANTYNE MAYOR TO: The Honorable City Council FROM: Elyse Belarge (Sustainability and Resiliency Planner) and Emily Sullivan (Climate Change Program Manager) CC: Christine Blais (Director of the Office of Sustainability and Environment), Kathy Cole (Financial Analyst) RE: Requesting approval to accept and expend a $100,000 grant with no match required from the City of Somerville in FY25 and FY26, from the Barr Foundation for the Community Heat Resilience Pilot Grant Program. DATE: December 30, 2024 Mayor Ballantyne respectfully requests that this Council approve acceptance of a $100,000 (no match required) grant from the Barr Foundation’s Community Heat Resilience Pilot Grant Program. This grant is funded through the Barr Foundation but co-administered by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC). The grant award is a 2-year award--$50,000 in FY25 and $50,000 in FY26. OSE is requesting acceptance of these funds to support the City’s planning for community heat resilience. Through this grant program, the City will design and implement a community-driven solution that advances resilience to extreme heat, while centering the experiences and needs of those most impacted by extreme heat. The grant program encourages Somerville to move beyond emergency response and develop a solution that builds lasting impacts. This project supports strategy CR-3.2 identified in Climate Forward: Identify and mitigate existing environmental hazards that are exacerbated through climate change and negatively impact community health. This project also furthers community heat resilience work initiated through Somerville’s Keep Cool Strategies Toolkit, developed in 2021.