Equitable, sustainable, and resilient water infrastructure

Lower Lake Michigan: Green Infrastructure Service Sharing

The Lower Lake Michigan team comprises three community foundations working with a variety of partners in northern Illinois and northwest Indiana. This team plans to create and sustain green infrastructure maintenance teams of low-income-area residents who are trained and experienced in green infrastructure projects to provide services to shoreline communities in the region. Municipalities can experience cost savings through shared service agreements with each other while green infrastructure is skillfully maintained.

Community foundations include:

1. The Chicago Community Trust
2. Legacy Foundation
3. Unity Foundation of La Porte County

Upper Great Lakes: The Resilient Future Project

The Upper Great Lakes is lead by the M&M Area Community Foundation and was developed in response to increased storm events in the region and aims to raise awareness of green- and graywater infrastructure tools that can mitigate the negative impacts of storm events on the health and well-being of communities across the Upper Great Lakes.

Lake Erie: Smart Citizen Science

The Lake Erie team includes seven community foundations along the south shore of Lake Erie from Detroit, Michigan, to Buffalo, New York, and 16 community partners. The Smart Citizen Science initiative is a movement of citizen scientists using simple technology to protect the future of Lake Erie. They will promote citizen science across their region using open-source, portable, scalable technology to compile and organize water-quality data useful for regional policymakers and researchers.

Community foundations include:

1. Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
2. Toledo Community Foundation
3. Erie County Community Foundation
4. Community Foundation of Lorain County
5. The Cleveland Foundation
6. Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation
7. Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo

Upper Lake Michigan: Water First: Campaign for Our Future

The Upper Lake Michigan team comprises five community foundations and eight partners in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula along the Lake Michigan shoreline from Manistee County to the Mackinac Bridge. This regional team has focused on engaging municipal leaders, assessing watershed plans, and supporting technical policy planning around water quality protections and green infrastructure.

Community foundations include:

1. Manistee County Community Foundation
2. Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation
3. Leelanau Township Community Foundation

Unflood Ontario: A Network of Local Collaboration

The Lake Ontario team comprises ten community foundations that extend from the area known as the Greater Golden Horseshoe along western Lake Ontario to the beginning of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The team aims to minimize the impact of flooding on communities and people by improving understanding of green infrastructure, increasing permeable surfaces, improving municipal policies, and encouraging investment in green infrastructure. Educating the population about natural solutions to flooding is a key component of this team’s strategy.

Community foundations include:

1. Community Foundations of Canada
2. Community Foundation for Kingston & Area
3. Community Foundation for Lennox & Addington
4. The County Foundation
5. Niagara Community Foundation
6. Hamilton Community Foundation
7. Burlington Foundation
8. Oakville Community Foundation
9. Community Foundation of Mississauga
10. Durham Community Foundation

Lake Huron: Lake Huron Forever

The Lake Huron team includes three community foundations and six community partners in Canada and the United States, including collaborations with First Nations and indigenous peoples. Recognizing the need to increase awareness of nature-based solutions to stormwater management challenges, the team is creating a Lake Huron Forever commendation for lake communities committing to certain green infrastructure solutions. The pledge signifies a commitment by community leaders to work together to support the future of healthy water for the entire region. The goal of the Lake Huron team is to create a regional plan of action to help Lake Huron communities ensure the long-term health of the Great Lakes. Supported by Northeast Michigan conservation nonprofit Huron Pines, the Lake Huron team has created an action agenda with a set of community recommendations.

Community foundations include:

1. Bay Area Community Foundation
2. Community Foundation Grey Bruce
3. Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan

Lake Superior

The Lake Superior team includes Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation and their community partners in Duluth, Minnesota. The team developed its action agenda in response to increased storm events in the region and aims to raise awareness of green- and gray-water infrastructure tools that can mitigate the negative impacts of storm events on the health and well-being of communities along the Lake Superior shoreline.