North Austin News

The 2023 Resilience Mini Grants Program has successfully distributed $78,000 to community organizations dedicated to enhancing preparedness, recovery, and response to extreme weather events. The initiative was designed to support the essential work of these organizations while fostering stronger connections between the City and community-focused groups. Recipients were chosen based on their project proposals, past achievements in resilience building in Austin, and their personal experiences related to their work.

Over the past year, 26 projects received funding from this program, impacting more than 20,000 community members. The funded projects included efforts such as restoring waterways, developing workforce programs, creating networks around flood preparedness, and offering translation services at local clinics.

Award recipients were invited to participate in a ceremony aimed at community building where City staff met with resilience advocates.

A notable project under this program was Keep Austin Fed. Initially aiming to purchase a solar generator for backup power for their cooler, they faced challenges when it didn't meet capacity needs. Compounded by the breakdown of their primary cooler that handles around 330,000 pounds of food annually, they had to adapt quickly. This led them not only to repair their East Austin location but also maintain a backup cooler and establish an additional hub in South Austin. This strategic move ensured continued food rescue services during localized power outages.

Ruby, a recipient of Keep Austin Fed's services shared her experience: "I can count on [the food] being very healthy and good every week. And it gives me a lot of variety."

Another highlighted organization is the Austin Vietnamese American Medical Professional Society (AVAMPS), which has been serving Austinites facing language and financial barriers for over two decades. In 2023 alone, AVAMPS organized multiple health events reaching over 900 residents using grant funds for event logistics and hiring translators fluent in Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, Burmese, and Hindu languages.

Lucy Nguyen from the Austin Asian Community Health Initiative commented on AVAMPS' impact: “The AVAMPS team and Dr. Luan Tran's unwavering dedication to our community's health... inspires us.”

In recognition of the interconnectedness between food justice and climate equity issues with resilience efforts, the offices of Sustainability and Resilience merged their grant programs in 2024 into what is now known as Food and Climate Equity (FACE) Grants.