Skip to main content
College of Natural Resources

Investigating Funding for Urban Nature-Based Solutions

McIntire Stennis - Investigating Funding Mechanisms for Nature-Based Solutions to Urban Environmental Stressors - College of Natural Resources at NC State

Project Title

Investigating Funding Mechanisms for Nature-Based Solutions to Urban Environmental Stressors

Project Description

About 80% of the U.S. population lives in urban areas, according to the Census Bureau. As cities grow, pressure on limited natural systems to manage water, heat and pollution increases. To address these stressors, local governments are increasingly incorporating nature into the urban landscape. Fiscal constraints, however, have led many to seek external funding and financing mechanisms, often tied to specific goals or outcomes, to support nature-based solutions.

This project examined how funding and financing mechanisms influenced the outcomes of nature-based solutions and the communities they affected. Researchers at the College of Natural Resources investigated how local governments paid for these solutions, using case studies from across the U.S., and translated the findings into a practical list of funding and financing options for local officials.

Principal Investigators

Collaborators

  • Environmental Finance Center at UNC-Chapel Hill, providing guidance and expertise on funding environmental programs and services
  • Conservation Fund of North Carolina, supporting conservation, resilient communities and natural capital investment
  • Environmental Finance Advisory Board to the EPA, advising on investments in natural resources and public health outcomes

Expected Outcomes

  • Distribution of case studies through project collaborators
  • Creation and dissemination of training and informational materials for local governments via the Environmental Finance Center
  • Inventory of available funding and financing mechanisms for nature-based solutions across the U.S., including a results table for practitioners 

A McIntire-Stennis supported project

About McIntire-Stennis

The McIntire-Stennis program, a unique federal-state partnership, cultivates and delivers forestry and natural resource innovations for a better future. By advancing research and education that increases the understanding of emerging challenges and fosters the development of relevant solutions, the program has ensured healthy, resilient forests and communities and an exceptional natural resources workforce since 1962.