Norfolk, VA – RISE Resilience Innovations today announced the launch of its $500,000 Blue Ridge Regional Resilience Challenge, a competition designed to fund and pilot real-world solutions that help local governments and communities better prepare for, respond to, and recover from flooding and other escalating disaster risks.

Applications opened January 30 and will close in late March. Small businesses and entrepreneurs developing tools, technologies or approaches that can be tested in rural and mountain communities across western Virginia are encouraged to apply.

The Challenge responds to a growing pattern of compound disaster threats in the region, where flooding, extreme rainfall, landslides and debris flow and extreme heat increasingly occur together. Recent flooding and storm impacts across Southwest Virginia have underscored how these overlapping hazards can strain local infrastructure, emergency response capacity and long-term recovery efforts.

RISE developed the Challenge topic areas by working directly with local leaders and community stakeholders, identifying gaps where existing tools fall short. Rather than addressing hazards one at a time, the Blue Ridge Challenge is structured to support integrated, system-level solutions that enable a coordinated, regional approach to resilience.

“This Challenge recognizes that resilience is not only about avoiding losses,” said RISE Executive Director Paul Robinson, Ph.D. “It’s about enabling communities to recover faster, function under pressure, and build lasting economic and social strength even as risks continue to grow in size and scope.”

Building on lessons from its 2024 and 2025 Riverine Community Resilience Challenges, the Blue Ridge Regional Resilience Challenge emphasizes multi-hazard solutions designed to function under real-world constraints, including limited staffing, degraded communications, and complex coordination across agencies and jurisdictions. Solutions are expected to support preparedness, response, and recovery as a connected system rather than as isolated tools.

“Through our previous Challenges, we’ve spent a lot of time learning from and with the communities most affected by flooding and related hazards, and those conversations directly shaped the topic areas of the Blue Ridge Challenge,” said Betsy Hnath, RISE Deputy Executive Director. “By solving for the system rather than the silo, we’re identifying solutions that reflect how these risks actually present on the ground and supporting a smarter, broader approach to hazards that can often be treated as isolated events.”

RISE has $500,000 in available funding, and applicants may address one or more priority areas. The Blue Ridge Regional Resilience Challenge moves solutions from application to action through a three-phase process: applicants advance to semifinalists, and then to three to five funded finalists, each receiving up to $50,000 for the early development of their solutions. One or more winners will ultimately receive a bulk implementation award to complete a pilot project in partnership with Blue Ridge communities.

“We’re looking for solutions that strengthen coordination across multiple localities, work within the realities facing rural municipalities, and deliver measurable value before, during and after a disaster,” Robinson said.

The Challenge focuses on three priority areas:

Resilience Recovery After an Event: Debris Removal and Landscape Remediation: Safe and effective debris removal, landscape remediation, slope stabilization, and debris-flow mitigation following floods, landslides, and wind events.
Integrated Resilience Solutions: Systems and platforms that enhance situational awareness, coordination and actionable insights for first responders and communities.
The Regional Resilience Value Case: Frameworks and metrics that support smarter planning, funding and long-term community benefit

For more information about RISE and the Blue Ridge Regional Resilience Challenge, visit riseresilience.org

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About RISE Resilience Solutions

Since its founding in 2016, RISE has been at the forefront of identifying, funding, and scaling solutions to the biggest challenges facing flood-prone communities. The organization has awarded over $10 million in funding to small business innovators, received more than 400 submissions from 30 countries, and supported the development of over 45 novel pilot projects. RISE-funded businesses have collectively raised over $48 million and created more than 180 jobs, advancing practical solutions that safeguard communities and build long-term resilience.

RISE Launches $500K Challenge to Tackle Flooding and Escalating Disaster Risks in Virginia’s Blue Ridge