Community and economic development organizations are on the front lines of climate change—protecting housing, supporting small businesses, and strengthening local economies in communities most affected by climate risk. But these organizations are rarely resourced to do so and often lack the capacity to integrate climate into their work. What will it take to close this gap?
On Tuesday, July 21, we will dig into this question at an event at the Urban Institute. Whether you work in community development, economic development, disaster and climate resilience, philanthropy, or government — or you just want to learn more about community-based approaches to climate action — we’d love to have you in the room, virtual or otherwise.
We’ll spend the morning with two panels. In the first, leaders from state and national intermediary organizations will help us interpret findings from a new Urban Institute survey of more than 450 community and economic development leaders on how they’re approaching climate. In the second, local leaders from Tucson, Arizona will show what community-led climate action looks like on the ground: embedding climate into economic development and opening up real opportunities for workers and small businesses through resilience and energy-transition investments.
We are truly excited about the lineup of speakers for the event. It’s a rare mix of funders, researchers, and practitioners who don’t usually share a stage:
Jennifer Bradley — Senior Fellow, The Kresge Foundation
Madeleine Chaisson — Senior Manager, Jobs for the Future
Stuart Clarke — Program Director, Hive Fund for Climate & Gender Justice
Krista Egger — Vice President, Building Resilient Futures, Enterprise Community Partners
Kimber Lanning — Founder and CEO, Local First Arizona
Fátima Luna — Chief Resilience Officer, City of Tucson Arizona
Lane Mandle — Office of Community and Economic Impact, City of Tucson
Ginger Sykes Torres — Vice President of Resiliency Programs, Local First Arizona
I’ll be there too, co-hosting with my colleagues Oriya Cohen and Sara McTarnaghan.
Tuesday, July 21, 2026 · 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. ET Hybrid — join us in person at the Urban Institute (500 L’Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC) or online. Check-in and coffee start at 9:30 a.m., and lunch follows the program.
I hope to see you there!
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