NYC House of Worship Climate Resilience Audits
PRESS RELEASE: At a ceremony today (12/11) at the SAGE Center Bronx at Crotona Pride House, Con Edison announced it is awarding $4 million in grants to NYDIS and five other nonprofits for their creative approaches to combatting the effects of extreme heat and other climate-related weather events on disadvantaged and marginalized communities across the five boroughs and Westchester County.
“Con Edison is proud to invest in these partners who are committed to resiliency and confronting the impacts of climate change in our communities,” said Jen Hensley, senior vice president Corporate Affairs. “These organizations are doing the important work of developing New York’s climate leaders and preparing communities for extreme weather.”
Program Overview
Over ½ of NYC’s 5000 houses of worship (HOWs) serve disadvantaged neighborhoods and are essential partners in the effort to strengthen local climate resiliency across the city. Unfortunately, there are few low-cost resources to increase HOW resiliency to extreme weather impacts. This leaves the hundreds of thousands of vulnerable New Yorkers who are most reliant on house of worship facilities and support without a climate disaster safety net.
With funding from Con Edison’s Climate Justice Signature Grant Program, NYDIS is pleased to announce its new NYC HOW Climate Resilience Audit Program to protect faith buildings against vulnerabilities, improve efficiency and save money.
From 2025-2027, the program will:
- Provide FREE climate resilience “walk through” audits and seed retrofit grants to 75 NYC HOWs across all 5 boroughs. Audits will identify energy efficiency opportunities, green energy potential, emergency power generation needs; storm water management steps; and other climate resilience prospects.
- Promote green, local workforce development and program sustainability by implementing a training program for Green City Force corps members, who will help deliver HOW audits and lead climate resilience round tables for community stakeholders.
- Distribute a FREE, downloadable “NYDIS ‘DIY’ Energy & Climate Resilience Action Workbook for NYC Congregations” (English & Spanish) to HOWs across the city.
- Offer FREE virtual emergency preparedness trainings, such as “How to Write a House of Worship Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) for Flood Emergencies for NYC Faith Leaders”
The program is scheduled to be launched in Q1 2025.
Questions? Contact Dr. Lucy Cummings, Director, Faith Sector Resilience at lcummings@nydis.org
