Waltham Receives $362K State Grant For Climate Resilience

WALTHAM, MA — The Baker-Polito Administration has awarded $362,000 to the City of Waltham for efforts related to climate resilience.

The funding, which was awarded through the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Action Grant program, is part of the $21 million given to Massachusetts communities this year and represents a doubling of the program budget since 2020. Waltham's share will go towards bringing climate resilience to Beaver Brook.

“With the ongoing success of the MVP program, we are pleased to double the program’s funding this year to support local climate change resilience projects throughout the Commonwealth,” said Gov. Charlie Baker in a statement. “Massachusetts communities are implementing important, nation-leading efforts to adapt to climate change. Our Administration is committed to working with municipalities across the Commonwealth to tackle these urgent challenges, which is why we have proposed a significant increase in funding for climate adaptation projects through our federal ARPA spending plan.”

The MVP program was created in 2017 as part of Baker’s Executive Order 569 and provides communities with funding and technical support to identify climate hazards, develop strategies to improve resilience, and implement priority actions to adapt to climate change.

Supported projects include retrofitting and adapting infrastructure, actions to invest in and protect environmental justice communities and improve public health, detailed vulnerability assessments or design and engineering studies, stormwater upgrades, dam retrofits and removals, culvert upgrades, drought mitigation, energy resilience, and projects that focus on implementing nature-based solutions.

For more information on the MVP program or to view a full list of recipients, click here.