Climate Resilience

Unpredictable and severe weather events are already shaping the health of Missouri communities.

Rising temperatures, stronger storms, and more frequent floods are testing the systems that keep people safe and healthy.

Our vision is that policies, practices, and resources are put in place to keep residents healthy despite these increased weather events, resulting in a more resilient Missouri.

Why It Matters

Extreme weather is no longer rare in Missouri. In just the past few years, our state has seen record heat waves, catastrophic flooding, and tornadoes that have destroyed homes and disrupted lives. These events don’t just cause property damage—they expose and deepen health inequities. When systems are already strained, a disaster can make it harder for people to access care, stay cool, find safe housing, or afford basic needs.

At Build Missouri Health, we see climate resilience as an essential part of health equity. The same investments that prepare communities for the next storm—affordable housing, clean energy, neighborhood green space—also make daily life healthier, safer, and more connected.

Our Approach

We work alongside local leaders and organizations to strengthen the systems that make resilience possible. Through fiscal sponsorship, we support community-based solutions that help neighborhoods prepare for, respond to, and recover from climate-related health challenges.

Our focus is on:

Building local capacity to plan and respond to extreme weather.
Centering equity and community voice in every climate and health initiative.

Investing in youth and leadership development to ensure lasting impact.

Extreme Heat Report

PDF

Elisabeth Doty, a graduate student at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia, explored extreme heat as a health equity issue in her hometown St. Louis.

Elisabeth's report, "Sounding the Alarm: Building Health Equity in the Face of Extreme Heat in St. Louis", developed in partnership with the Missouri Coalition for the Environment, explores how rising temperatures disproportionately affect neighborhoods that have experienced historic disinvestment and other health inequities. Rather than viewing extreme heat as simply a weather issue, the report defines it as a public health issue—and one that requires community-centered solutions.

"Official counts of heat deaths in the St. Louis area remain in the single digits annually. But those numbers undercount by orders of magnitude all the people who die or are harmed because of other health conditions made worse by heat. Many of the residents and community advocates I spoke to highlighted the harrowing lived experiences of St. Louisans in the face of rising heat, but the gap between official counts and lived realities has meant that we underestimate the threat– with deadly consequences."

Elisabeth Doty, MPP

Download "SoundingtheAlarm_ExtremeHeatReport.pdf"

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Fiscal Sponsorship Highlight

Green City Coalition

We are proud to partner with Green City Coalition as the organization's fiscal sponsor.

Green City Coalition is a formal partnership between the City of St. Louis, St. Louis Development Corporation, Missouri Department of Conservation, and Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District working collaboratively with member organizations and neighbors to convert vacant and abandoned properties to new community-owned green spaces that promote healthy, biodiverse, and resilient neighborhoods.

About Green City Coalition

Get Involved

Building a more resilient Missouri takes collaboration. Whether you’re a local organization, a community leader, or a funder looking to support this work, we invite you to partner with us.

Learn more about fiscal sponsorship and how Build Missouri Health can help you bring your climate and health ideas to life.

About Fiscal Sponsorship