Travelers Excellence in Community Resilience Award

  
Travelers is committed to raising awareness about disaster preparedness and creating discussion about the importance of improving response and recovery actions after major events. Through its charitable giving arm, the Travelers Foundation, and its public policy division, The Travelers Institute^®, the company has created an annual Excellence in Community Resilience Award of $100,000 to recognize an organization that demonstrates leadership in addressing community resiliency.

Award Criteria: Applicants' initiatives should demonstrate leadership in addressing safety, community resiliency, and/or financial threats related to catastrophic events.  In addition, the program should take into consideration the varying needs of all residents of the geographic region.

• Applicant organization must have a demonstrated track record of positive impacts related to disaster preparation, mitigation, response and/or recovery.
• Award may be for a new or existing program related to creating community resilience for communities facing risks from hurricane, tornado/hail, and wildfire. Programs related to creating general community preparedness are also eligible.
• The organization or program must demonstrate innovation in the field and intent to share effective strategies with others.
• Eligible organizations will submit plans to implement, or proof of having implemented, actions in the community. Academic research projects and surveys are not eligible.

Applicant Qualifications: The organization and program must be located within the United States.  Applicants must be IRS-designated public charities or government agencies; individuals are not eligible for the award.  If the project is a collective effort, a single fiduciary organization must be identified.  Applicants must be on sound financial footing and demonstrate strong governance practices. Previous Excellence in Community Resilience Award winners must wait three years from the time of the award before applying again.

The following organizations will not be eligible for the award:

• Organizations that discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, culture, age, physical disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a military veteran or genetic information.
• Universities, except as fiscal agents for collaborative efforts with other entities in action-oriented initiatives.
• Religious organizations, unless it can be shown that the organization is seeking charitable funds in the direct interest of the whole community.
• Fraternal organizations.
• Political or lobbying organizations.

Smart Home America is the fourth annual Travelers Excellence in Community Resilience Award winner. The organization promotes the use of stronger construction methods, improved building codes and policies that create resilient communities. They have been recognized for their leadership in building stronger communities by using a ground-up approach based on partnership, education, and collaboration across both the public and private sectors. Their unique approach to helping communities mitigate against the effects of disasters has led to the creation of a viable market for the FORTIFIED Home™ construction method, a product of the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS).

Past Winners Include:

• Lowlander Center - 2017
• All Hands – 2016
• Team Rubicon – 2015

Application and Award Process

All applicants must complete the Travelers Excellence in Community Resilience Award online application (see above). The application for the 2019 award will be open from November 12 - December 21, 2018.  Applicants must commit to having a senior executive attend the Travelers Institute® Kicking Off Hurricane Preparedness Season Symposium, which will be held in late May or early June 2019.