We are on the cusp of a historic moment for GSI.

With estimated capital investment in stormwater infrastructure of more than $270 billion over the next 20 years, as well as historic levels of new federal water funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, the need to establish more comprehensive approaches to GSI that benefit local communities is critical.

With this momentous opportunity to expand GSI in the framing of community development, the Accelerator requires partnership between community organizations and a range of departments within public entities. The vision goes beyond just learning new skills, rather it is the experience and connection around growing the workforce of living wage jobs in GSI as part of a broader definition of “Green Infrastructure.” As public sector entities have resources and opportunities to direct toward collaborative community elements, there is a timely opportunity to bring leading players in GSI into ongoing discussion of how to direct investments into expanding an equitable GSI workforce.

With an infusion of investment into integrated approaches that center equity, economics, and environmental best practices, the GSI sector can replicate the recent up-leveling of the Urban & Community Forestry sector. In this sector, a broad coalition of both public sector professionals, community-based organizations and advocates, workforce development initiatives, and elected officials successfully advocated for significant increases in priority and investment in. It was through the formation of this broader coalition—beyond simply the subject matter specialists—that this increased profile and prioritization was achieved.

This includes increasing the visibility of new approaches that demonstrate the integration of multiple sectors such as GSI and urban forestry. “Cooling corridors” are one such example already being demonstrated in other countries like Colombia. In these areas, transportation medians are being redesigned to serve simultaneously as stormwater retention basins and self-watering tree and vegetation-based cooling corridors that are achieving significant storm water flow reductions, reductions in extreme heat through vegetative cooling, and important biodiversity habitat development.

Objectives of the GSI Accelerator include:

✔ Rapid development and prototyping of new knowledge, tools and systems needed to address critical climate change threats and opportunities through nature-based solutions.

✔ Equity-centered models to promote community and economic development through implementation of nature-based climate solutions.

✔ Collaboration and coordination across local governments, community-based organizations and the private sector to leverage their shared resources, capacities, and spheres of influence/control to shift power and resources to those who’ve previously been excluded from climate action planning and implementation.

✔ New approaches to financing significant scale-up of urban nature-based climate solution sectors, both public and private sector based.

✔ Explore the potential for a coordinated effort to significantly increase the perceived priority and level of investment to GSI efforts locally, regionally and nationally as part of a larger nature-based climate solutions agenda.

Modules of the GSI Accelerator include:

Module 1: Power of People/Changing the Narrative

Module 2: Green Infrastructure Stormwater Emerging Practices

Module 3: Enacting Change Through Local/National Policy: Roles & Best Practices

Important Dates:

• April 2nd Pre-Application Opens

• April 25th CBO & Public Sector Partner Info Session (Click here to RSVP)

• May 1st Pre-Application Closes

• May 15th Full Application Opens

• June 7th Accelerator Informational/Q&A Webinar

• June 28th Full Application Closes

• July 12th Selected Communities Announced

• Early Aug Accelerator Orientation/Prep with CBOs

• Sept 5th Green Infrastructure Modules Begin

• Dec 5th Green Infrastructure Sequence Closing Session

GSI Accelerator Pre-Application - Click Here to Apply

To express your interest in this Fall’s GSI Accelerator, please complete this short pre-application. If you have any questions about the program or pre-application please reach out to Ellena Ignacio.

GSI Accelerator Application - Forthcoming

If your community is ready to engage in the full capacity building pathway (Track 1), Applications will be open starting May 1st through June 28th. Given the extensive support provided to Track 1 core participants, we will only be able to accept 15-20 communities into this track. We will inform Track 1 applicants by July 5th if their communities have been selected. Communities we are not able to accept in Track 1 will automatically be registered for Track 2.

APPLICATION FORM FOR TRACK 1 — CORE PARTICIPANT (forthcoming)

REGISTRATION FORM FOR TRACK 2 — OBSERVER PARTICIPANT (forthcoming)