Medford Secures $750K Grant to Help Strengthen its Climate Resiliency

The City has secured a Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Grant for $750K from the state to continue the expansion of its Medford Connects project, announced Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn. The Medford Connects project will use this MVP funding to continue improving climate resiliency throughout the community. 

Building upon three MVP grant rounds, this fourth round of funding secured by the Health Department will allow Medford Connects to strengthen Environmental Justice (EJ) and climate-sensitive populations by building community supports and increasing accessible communications. This funding will support the current Community Engagement Team, help formalize a network of community organizations invested in this mission, and create a virtual, centralized resource center.  

“As the effects of climate change continue to impact many aspects of daily life, we’re working to create a more resilient community and the MVP grant funding has been critical to strengthening those efforts,” said Mayor Lungo-Koehn. “We have been able to build a robust Medford Connects program that will be able to support and engage communities before, during, and after climate emergencies.” 

Awarded by the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program, which is administered by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), MVP grants support communities in identifying climate hazards, developing strategies to improve resilience, and implementing priority actions to adapt to climate change. Medford is one of 71 projects to have received action grant funding in the latest round of applications. 

"Medford Connects has been working diligently since its creation in 2020 to close the gap that marginalized communities face during climate crises and other emergencies,” said Catherine Dhingra, Prevention and Outreach Manager. “We are proud to say that our project has become an example for other communities, and we look forward to continuing this work with our new funding round.” 

To learn more about the project, visit www.medfordma.org/medford-connects.