2024 Riverine Community Resilience Challenge
$1 million for disaster protection innovators in Southwest Virginia
Be the solution for vulnerable flood-prone riverine communities
On August 30, 2021, the remnants of Hurricane Ida dropped 7 inches of rain in the small Southwest Virginia community of Hurley. The consequences were severe, including a flood that destroyed 19 homes, severely damaged 24 more, and tragically took one life. Less than a year later, similar circumstances struck Virginia’s Whitewood and Pilgrims Knob communities. Twenty-one homes were destroyed and 25 damaged, but fortunately, no lives were lost. Yet in both cases, FEMA did not provide individual homeowner assistance, and few affected residents received insurance payouts.
With its rich biodiversity and socio-economic fabric, Southwest Virginia offers a unique testbed for developing, testing, and refining innovative solutions that enhance environmental adaptability. Innovators have a rare opportunity to validate their technologies in real-world conditions, ensuring their solutions are both effective and scalable across different ecosystems and cultures. This living laboratory allows you to turn today's threats into tomorrow's sustainable opportunities, fostering a replicable model of adaptation.
Is Your Business Ready To Apply?
Take our screener and fill out just a few short questions to find out!
From 2000-2018 water-related disasters led to 326,000+ fatalities & economic losses over $1.7 trillion.
Challenge Topics
Topic Areas
Join Our Weekly Challenge Webinars
Overview of the Challenge, topic areas, and insights on how to apply.
Paul Robinson, Executive Director, RISE
Join us for an overview of the Riverine Challenge, topic areas and insights on the application process.
Watch Now →Beyond the Banks: Emergency Management Flood Response Strategies in Rural Riverine Communities
Jessica Swinney, GISP, Emergency Management Coordinator, Wise County
Thinking about applying for the RISE Riverine Community Resilience Challenge? Start here with this informational video in which RISE Executive Director Paul Robinson and Wise County GISP Jessica Swinney discuss challenges facing SW Virginia.
Watch Now →Riverine Community Resilience Challenge Webinar Three
Scotty Wampler, Executive Director, Cumberland Plateau PDC & Kevin Kochersberger, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech
Thinking about applying for the RISE Riverine Community Resilience Challenge? Start here with this informational video in which RISE Executive Director Paul Robinson, along with guests Scotty Wampler, Executive Director of the Cumberland Plateau PDC and Prof. Kevin Kochersberger of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech,discuss challenges facing SW Virginia.
Watch Now →Riverine Community Resilience Challenge Webinar Four
Francis Bouchard, Managing Director, Climate, Marsh McLennan & Paul Robinson, Executive Director, RISE
A discussion of the current and future possibilities of insurance protection in rural riverine communities
Watch Now →Eligibility
- You have to be a business entity.
- Your business has to be able to deploy your solution in Southwest Virginia, either by yourselves or by hiring a local partner.
- Your solution has to be at the prototype stage or later.
- If you are selected as a finalist, you will be required to submit additional documentation, including technical details of your solution and a work plan.
- Finalists will be required to register with the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC).
Awards
- Real-world pilot sites in Southwest Virginia
- Feedback from government pilot hosts
- Government, technical, and business mentors
- Regulatory assistance with permits and government funding
- PR opportunities and media visibility
- Introductions to potential investors and customers
- The only ecosystem of coastal resilience entrepreneurs in the U.S.
Timeline
* All dates are subject to change
The eligibility requirements differ for each Challenge, but generally:
- Your company will be required to meet the definition of a small business, as defined by the U.S. Small Business Administration and found under 13 CFR Section 121.201, or qualify as a 501(c)(3) non-profit entity.
- Your company must be able to test/pilot your solution in Southwest Virginia
- You must be prepared to deploy your solution and spend all of the revenue-based loan or grant by a predetermined date stated with each Challenge
- Your technology has to be past the prototype stage or already have customers using your technology
- If you are accepted as a finalist, you will be required to submit further documentation such as technical details of your solution, a work plan, and financial projections within 14 calendar days of being notified of you finalist status
- Finalists will be also required to obtain a DUNS number and register on Sam.gov
For detailed information, please read the Applicant Guidelines posted on the Challenge webpage.