
RIVERINE COMMUNITY RESILIENCE CHALLENGE II
$1 Million for Flood Resilience Innovations in Western Virginia

As storms grow more frequent and intense, riverine communities face an urgent threat from fast-moving floods that can upend lives in an instant. Expanding on our first Riverine Community Resilience Challenge, we’re awarding up to $1 million toward innovative solutions that enhance pre- and post-disaster protection for vulnerable communities in western Virginia.
Be the solution for vulnerable flood-prone riverine communities
Severe storms and flash floods have repeatedly devastated Southwest Virginia’s riverine communities. Our first Riverine Community Resilience Challenge highlighted the destruction in Hurley, Whitewood, and Pilgrim’s Knob. Since then, major storms, including a deadly flash flood in late 2024 and Hurricane Helene, have caused widespread damage across Buchanan, Dickenson, and Tazewell counties, washing out roads, destroying homes, and compounding economic hardship.
Most recently, catastrophic flooding in February 2025 once again exposed the region’s vulnerability. In Buchanan County, unprecedented flood levels in Grundy and Hurley caused major infrastructure damage and required over 150 swiftwater rescues. In Tazewell County, rising waters forced the evacuation of 60 residents near the Clinch River. Many homes remain damaged or inaccessible, with recovery efforts ongoing.
This Challenge expands testbed opportunities across the Southwest, Northwest, and Roanoke Valley regions of Virginia, giving innovators a chance to develop and validate solutions in real-world conditions. By ensuring scalability across diverse environments, this effort helps turn today’s flooding threats into sustainable, replicable models for long-term resilience.
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
The RISE Riverine Community Resilience Challenge II seeks innovative solutions for strengthening flood resilience, to be deployed and tested across Southwest Virginia and the Middle Peninsula. This year’s challenge focuses on five key areas:
Topic Areas
Join Our Weekly Challenge Webinars
Learn more about the application process and hear from industry experts!
Webinar 1
Paul Robinson, Executive Director of RISE
Join us for an overview of the Riverine Challenge, topic areas and insights on the application process.
Webinar 2
Subject Matter Expert Panel
Hear from subject matter experts & participate in a live Q&A!
Webinar 3
Paul Robinson, Executive Director of RISE
TBD
Eligibility
- You have to be a business entity.
- Your business has to be able to deploy your solution in the Blue Ridge region of Virginia, either by yourselves or by hiring a local partner.
- Your solution has to be at the prototype stage or later.
- Must be able to execute a grant agreement by June 6, 2025.
- Must be able to complete a proposed project by June 2026.
- Finalists will be required to register with the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC).
Awards
Applicants can apply for up to $300,000 in non-dilutive grant and revenue-based loan funding
The Selection Committee may recommend making the award (or a portion of it) contingent upon refinement of a business plan and/or work plan. In such case, the winners may be required to participate in a Resilience Innovation Accelerator. Each winner will receive up to $10,000 for their participation.
In addition to funding, the winners will also gain access to a suite of benefits including:
- Assistance with securing real-world pilot sites in the Northwest or Southwest region of Virginia
- Feedback from government pilot hosts
- Datasets
- Government, technical, and business mentors
- PR opportunities and media visibility
- Regulatory assistance with government funding
- Introductions to potential investors and customers
- Customized business accelerator curriculum
- The only ecosystem of coastal resilience entrepreneurs in the U.S.
Timeline
* All dates are subject to change
Challenge Launch
Informational Webinars
Application submission deadline.
Finalists Selected
Winners Announced
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.
Yes, you can partner with a larger company as long as your project proposed to the Challenge is led by you as a small business.
RISE offers one-stop-shop resources and a living testbed to innovators in the coastal resilience sector. Winners receive wrap-around support including:
- Non-equity funding in the form of a grant
- Customized business accelerator curriculum
- Technical, government, and business mentors
- Assistance with securing real-world pilot and test sites in the Southwest Virginia region
- PR and media visibility
- Technical assistance with government regulatory compliance
- Ongoing support throughout the duration of your project
- Introductions to leaders, experts, and other stakeholders in Southwest Virginia
- Introductions to potential investors
- The only ecosystem (40+ previous Challenge winners) of coastal resilience entrepreneurs in the U.S.
Applicants can apply for non-equity funding up to a predetermined amount for each Challenge. RISE Resilience Innovation Fund awards come in two forms: 1) Revenue Based Loan and 2) Grant. Grant awards may be combined with the Revenue Based Loan. The award type and amount is determined by the RISE Executive Director based on the scoring and recommendations of the RIF Investment Committee.
Grants
Grants are awarded for the costs of product development, project setup in Southwest Virginia, and Southwest Virginia-focused use case discovery and development. All grant funds must be fully expended by a predetermined date set with each Challenge.
Payments made to the awardee under the grant are made on a reimbursement basis for eligible costs.
Our grant has come from a variety of sources aligned with each Challenge, including funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Community Development, Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, and GO Virginia.
We look for startups, small businesses (as defined by the U.S. Small Business Administration) and nonprofit entities that are at the post prototype stage. Please see the definitions below:
Prototype: An entity building and testing its product, service, or business model. Typically described as “Pre-Seed” if For Profit. Pilot: An enterprise deploying a tested product, service, or business model in at least one community. Hybrids and For Profits would typically be in a “Seed” round and generating revenue (whether or not they are cash flow positive). Growth: An entity with an established product, service, or business model rolled out, which is poised for further growth in multiple communities or countries. Organizations at this stage should have a clear path to sustainability. For Profits at this stage would be “Seed” or “Series A.” Scale: A sustainable entity working in several communities or countries and that is looking to scale significantly, focusing on increased efficiency. For Profits in this stage would be “Series A” or “Series B.”
Eligibility extends to U.S.-based companies and registered nonprofit organizations.
Businesses that are accepted into our program need to deploy their solution in western Virginia, either themselves or by hiring or partnering with a local entity to deploy your solution. We only select projects that can provide a demonstrable benefit to our testing ground in the Greater Northwest, Southwest and Roanoke Valley regions, while being scalable to other communities.
The project can be implemented in a smaller target area with a view to scaling with additional funding. The actual location can be decided by the winner and the PDC’s. The project funded in this Challenge will be a proof of concept.
The funding will be in the form of a grant, a revenue based loan, or a combination of the two. This is the approach that has been used in the past.
None yet since none of the costs (or solutions) are known. There needs to be a discussion with the Commonwealth on what they are willing to support. However the premise behind the State giving RISE funds to run this Challenge I s that they wanted us to find solutions and they know that the PDCs are limited in resources.
We will not know until May 5.
I am sure there are riverine flooding issues in Georgia per the FEMA map (southwest/northwest Georgia), For our Challenge the work must be done in Virginia.
That would be for the team to ascertain if needed. We have no relationships with the local weather services.
No. Submissions are due May 5 2pm. EST. If you have other specific questions please send them and we will answer.
Arcgis and Arcgis pro to publish REST services. We utilize an online interactive gis platform to display our data for public use.
Wise county does not promote flood insurance.
Wise County follows the County ordinances and FEMA guidelines for flood mitigation. There have been no FMA grants in the past three years. The last grant award was in the Town of Wise in 2019 for 16 acquisitions.
There is a list in the applicant guidelines that will tell you what can be covered/not be covered.
The info was from press reports only. I would imagine NWS has some archived data.
It could be included in either one. Please make sure it is clearly indicated.
Yes. June 20, 2026.
Yes. Letters of Support may be submitted.
No. Preference is to keep them separate and to make sure the Work Plan/Approach is developed to support the Technical Approach and Economic Impact. Also the Work Plan/Approach may be subject to amendment during Phase 2 if company is selected.
Apply now to submit your plan for making an impact on these pressing resilience threats in Southwest Virginia.