For Immediate Release: December 14, 2017
Contacts:
Beth Gibbons, American Society of Adaptation Professionals, Executive Director
Email: bgibbons@adaptpros.org
Phone: 734-219-3529
Elliott Bent, Institute for Sustainable Communities, Communications Director
Email: ebent@sustain.org
Phone: 802-225-2949
Professional Adaptation and Resilience Society Hits Milestone
American Society of Adaptation Professionals gets first major grant as independent organization
Ypsilanti, Mich.—December 14, 2017—The American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP) and Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) announced today that after five years of incubation and strategic planning ASAP is now a fully stand-alone organization.
ASAP’s independence is a result of a long-standing collaboration between the newly formed nonprofit and ISC, culminating in a $600,000 award from The Kresge Foundation which serves as a cornerstone of support for the member organization. This grant from The Kresge Foundation marks the second investment the Michigan-based philanthropy has made in ASAP’s future.
“This milestone for ASAP demonstrates the increasing maturity of the field and the recognized need for greater standardization, acceleration, and enhancement of our field. Through The Kresge Foundation’s investment, we will be able to implement a vision of climate adaptation and resilience work that is equitable, ethical, and effective,” said ASAP Executive Director Beth Gibbons. “We’re grateful to ISC for this success and welcome ISC as a close partner in furthering climate resilience and adaptation practices.”
Today, ASAP is the nation’s leading professional society for adaptation and resilience practitioners with over 1,000 members. Beyond this transition, ASAP will continue to develop the field of adaptation professionals at a time of growing importance through network development and thought leadership.
“Climate adaptation remains a relatively young field of practice in the U.S., and ASAP‘s offerings are needed to bring the field to a mature state,” said Lois Debacker, managing director of The Kresge Foundation’s Environment Program. “ISC has done a great service in incubating ASAP, which now is poised to grow further in effectiveness as a stand-alone organization.”
Since 2011, ISC has incubated ASAP as it built a strong membership base of adaptation professionals and advanced innovation and excellence in the field of climate change adaptation. ISC has a long history of enhancing civil society by creating new nonprofits or supporting promising nonprofits that contribute to building stronger communities around the world.
“Over the last five years, we’ve helped ASAP evolve from a great idea, initiated by a small group of committed and creative climate leaders from across the country, into a strong, independent professional society that is poised to take the field of climate adaptation to a higher level,” said ISC Vice President Steve Nicholas. “We’re thrilled with this success and are proud to fulfill the commitment ISC made to the adaptation and resilience community when ASAP was first formed.”
Going forward, ASAP and ISC will remain connected as strategic partners committed to building resilience and strengthening the adaptation field together. ISC is now an institutional partner of ASAP and will continue to serve on ASAP’s Resilience Dialogues Leadership Committee. ISC’s Director of Urban Resilience Steve Adams will also remain the President of the ASAP Board of Directors.
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About American Society of Adaptation Professionals
American Society of Adaptation Professionals is the nation’s leading professional society for adaptation and resilience practitioners. The organization connects and supports climate adaptation professionals, while advancing innovation and excellence in the field of climate change adaptation. Through ASAP’s website, affinity groups, webinars, and meetings, climate adaptation professionals interact, share what’s working, collaborate with their colleagues, and build essential climate resilience for communities across the United States. ASAP is committed to ensuring that climate adaptation and resilience work is equitable, ethical, and effective. Learn more at www.adaptationprofessionals.org.
About Institute for Sustainable Communities
Since 1991, the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) has worked in the United States and around the world to help communities, cities, industry, and NGOs accomplish their environmental, economic, and social goals. ISC uses training, technical assistance, peer-to-peer learning, and demonstration projects to help unleash the power of local people and institutions to address immediate challenges and opportunities – all while building those on-the-ground solutions into national and international best practices and policy. At the heart of the organization’s approach is results-focused, authentic and pragmatic engagement with all stakeholders, which unearths locally-driven and equitable solutions to the biggest challenge we face – global climate change. Learn more at sustain.org