OUR IMPACT
Partnerships that turn local priorities into measurable progress.
C2P2 brings communities, colleges, technical experts, and funders together to develop practical solutions that improve quality of life and strengthen local capacity.
50+
projects supported
37
communities served
$19M+
in immediate community benefits
6
years of collaborative work
WHERE WE WORK
Local challenges. Far-reaching collaboration.
SELECTED LOCATION
The Bahamas
Protecting island ecosystems
University expertise supported an ecological assessment of limestone mining impacts on Andros Island.
Focus
Environmental resilience
Partner
Thriving Earth Exchange, American Geophysical Union
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Community reach
400 residents attended
WHAT CHANGES
Outcomes that extend beyond a single project.
The strongest impact story combines measurable results with the long-term capacity communities gain through each partnership.
STRONGER COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE
Plans, feasibility studies, designs, and technical strategies help communities compete for resources.
Measure: projects advanced and funding leveraged.
APPLIED LEARNING FOR STUDENTS
Students use classroom knowledge to solve real community challenges alongside local leaders and faculty.
Measure: students, institutions, and disciplines engaged.
greater environmental resilience
Research and planning support communities addressing flooding, sustainability, and environmental risk.
Measure: plans completed and residents reached
DEEPER LOCAL CAPACITY
Communities gain relationships, technical knowledge, and actionable tools that continue after a project ends.
Measure: tools delivered and partnerships sustained
IMPACT IN ACTION
Jackson, MS
Building stronger communities through flood-management planning.
C2P2 connected community leadership with Columbia University to support a comprehensive flooding and communication plan—combining local knowledge with academic expertise.
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VOICES OF PARNTERSHIP
Devon Parfait (Chief Devon)
Coastal Resilience Analyst,
Tribal Chief Grand Caillou/Dulac band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw
Environmental Defense Fund
​Working with Mike Burns is always a joy, and I am consistently impressed with his ability to maintain and build relationships with such a wide variety of people, organizations, and institutions. It is this skillset and web of connections that has allowed Mike to do great work with me and my community, and over the summer we had a number of students who worked with us.
One student produced hand-drawn architectural designs for a solar hub, which we quickly turned around (in a matter of days!) to submit as part of the materials package we are applying for to increase investment in our Community Resilience Hub.
Other students researched nature-based solutions, helping us develop projects using existing ideas that we might implement in our own work. Other students also used insights and data from previous partnerships to build a new and better iteration of our coastal planning map, which helps guide coastal project decisions.
Even more students helped us work on disaster relief and resilience planning materials, so that we could have them to better communicate to our community what is going to be in our plan, and how they can connect, as well as materials that will help our community members be more prepared for when the next bad storm season comes.
And much more.
All of this to say that with Mike Burns' skillset and the resources made available, we have been able to work together to train the next generation of environmentalists, while also working on projects and materials that are directly and immediately relevant to the work we are doing on the ground to adapt in place in the face of climate change, and with applicable lessons and materials for other communities!
This, is how the work should be done, and what is possible when you have leadership that is well resourced, well-connected, and given the freedom to be able to adjust decisions and work based on community needs and priorities.
Delmi Lupe
Student, University of California, Santa Barbara - Bred School of Environmental Management
I hope you are doing well! I just wanted to express how grateful I am to you, C2P2, and Voces for giving me the opportunity to volunteer for your organizations this summer. I also recently received an email from Bren about a stipend from C2P2 and Voces, and I just have to say that I'm extremely thankful.
You once said that the best things you've learned in life didn't come with financial benefits and I truly believe that because this summer experience made me realize that there is so much need in our community. Oftentimes, you have to imagine what it's like to live in other people's shoes to understand their situations, but that only provides a small glimpse of their hardships-- never providing a full scope of what it's like to be them. This makes me want to be a better person, a better advocate, and to use my knowledge as an attempt to voice out their needs. Volunteering with Voces has been a gift and a realization that there is still so much work to be done.
I admire the passion and dedication you have towards the community and the people. I also remember feeling sad when I received the "rejection" email for the Dulac project in Louisiana, but looking at it now, it was the best decision because it allowed me to make a small contribution to a project that now feels very close to home. This, of course, couldn't have been possible without your help and mentorship-- and for that I will always be grateful.