This toolkit, funded by the Jane and Mark Pisano Foundation, will help all levels of government move in this direction. The team compiled examples and identified the key mechanisms of effective intergovernmental collaboration and cooperation, described the main obstacles of today’s intergovernmental system, and developed strategies to surmount those obstacles. The result is a toolkit that government officials at all levels can use to address challenges and forge a path forward.

Society cannot stop disasters, whether human-caused or natural, from occurring. These difficult events continue to happen with increased frequency and severity. The outdated funding and oversight mechanisms that are associated with them require new, flexible, and adaptive approaches to generate more economical, effective, efficient, equitable, and resilient outcomes for individuals and communities across the country. Following through on even one of the recommendations developed by this group will result in a more resilient, sustainable future for the United States in the face of predictable disasters and known intergovernmental challenges.

The certainty of continued climate change and the uncertainty of its trajectory create less-than-optimal conditions for local governments to plan and make substantial investments for the future. Federal agencies and research institutions are developing data, analytical tools, and climate models to increase the scientific evidence basis of decision making that can be useful inputs for strategy development. The magnitude and scope of climate change response necessitate partnerships across local, state, and federal governments. 

Yet many partnership governance structures are underdeveloped, cumbersome to create, or non-existent. Working together is the exception rather than the rule. This report highlights examples of local governments overcoming obstacles to collaboration and partnership and finding ways to fund climate change adaptation and resilience-focused projects.