The Martha’s Vineyard Commission (MVC) is happy to announce that it has received grant funding from the Massachusetts Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Program to support climate resilience planning across the six Island towns. This new initiative, the MVP 2.0 Project, builds upon the earlier MVP Community Resilience Building workshops conducted several years ago, which identified key climate resilience priorities for each town. The 2.0 project will review those priorities, with a particular focus on equity and environmental justice to ensure that all Island residents, especially vulnerable populations, are included in climate planning.
What is MVP 2.0?
MVP 2.0 is designed to continue the important work begun through the initial MVP process by:
- Keeping towns eligible to apply for MVP Action grants, a key funding source for climate adaptation projects.
- Review each town’s climate change resilience priorities to reflect current needs and opportunities.
- Providing each town with $50,000 in seed money to focus on priority climate resilience projects, with an emphasis on addressing equity and vulnerable populations.
The project also takes into account work already done on The Vineyard Way Climate Action Plan, allowing towns to build upon existing progress. By working together as a region, MVC and the Island towns can approach parts of the MVP 2.0 process collaboratively, such as equity training and workshops for vulnerable populations.
MVC’s Role in MVP 2.0
As the lead applicant, MVC will serve as the project’s central coordinator, providing essential services such as:
- Project management and oversight, ensuring the Island’s towns fulfill MVP program requirements and stay on track to meet their goals.
- Facilitating a multi-town team to complete training and planning components, promoting collaboration between towns.
- Hosting town-by-town meetings to refine each community’s climate resilience priorities and identify equity-based seed projects that can be initiated with the provided funding.
Why Work Together?
For many small towns, the scope and requirements of the MVP 2.0 program can be challenging. By having MVC manage the project, the towns benefit from a streamlined, collaborative approach that reduces duplication of effort and maximizes efficiency. Regional cooperation allows certain parts of the project—such as training programs and workshops—to be handled on a broader scale, providing benefits to all towns without overwhelming local resources.
Funding Overview
The MVP 2.0 project represents a total of $408,000 in funding, with $300,000 going directly to the towns in the form of seed money for equity-based climate resilience projects. This financial support will allow each town to take meaningful steps toward a more climate-resilient future while ensuring that the needs of vulnerable populations are met.
