Greenprint Partners is a woman-owned, mission- and impact-driven planning, engineering and design firm. They have established a national track record in sourcing, designing, and delivering community-driven green infrastructure projects on public and private property across America. Their equity-driven approach to project sourcing has successfully propelled millions of dollars of green infrastructure investment into historically under-engaged communities, activating community anchor institutions such as schools, houses of worship, and healthcare facilities to advocate for and steward green infrastructure on their sites.
Outdated water infrastructure and changing weather patterns lead to increased urban flooding and water pollution that disproportionally affect historically disinvested communities. Founders April Mendez and Nicole Chavas combined their entrepreneurial and investment backgrounds to create a firm that is rooted in the belief that green infrastructure has the potential to transform communities when it is distributed equitably, developed at scale, and designed and stewarded by the communities it serves.
Reinvestment Fund’s loan supports the installation of stormwater infrastructure, enabling private property owners to tap into the financial and environmental benefits of green infrastructure grant programs that would otherwise be inaccessible. Historically, despite being available in many cities across the US, these programs are highly under-utilized by the communities that need them most.
A certified B Corporation, GP uses stormwater analysis and manages relationships with property owners, utility companies and subcontractors to deploy green stormwater infrastructure in urban communities.
Green stormwater infrastructure helps to mitigate outdated water infrastructure and changing weather patterns that lead to increased urban flooding and water pollution, all of which disproportionately impact low-income communities. By working closely with utilities or water authorities, community organizations and private landowners, GP is developing stormwater solutions that reduce runoff and overflow while enhancing community livability.
In 2021, Reinvestment Fund extended a line of credit to support GP projects in a variety of markets, with initial funding for projects in St. Louis, MO, where GP has multiple contracted projects already underway. Our loan supports the installation of stormwater infrastructure on private properties, bridging receipt of the city’s green infrastructure incentive grants. In 2023, we provided a loan for their Aspire Academy projec,t which will will primarily be for the installation of GSI in St. Louis as part of that city’s Metropolitan Sewer District’s (“MSD”) Project Clear which is a long-term incentive program to improve water quality and alleviate wastewater concerns.
GP explicitly targets low-to-moderate income census tracts and engages with property-owning partners that have high proportions of impervious infrastructure and that otherwise would not have the resources to navigate the process of securing rebates and managing the installation of stormwater infrastructure. GP also builds public private partnerships to deliver green infrastructure by designing, building and maintaining green stormwater infrastructure for the long term that meets a community’s specifications.
GP has completed similar work with success in Philadelphia, PA; San Francisco, CA; Youngstown, OH; and Peoria, IL.
In 2017, Kresge Foundation released a “Climate Resilient & Equitable Water Systems Capital Scan” report, which identified that inadequate investment in aging infrastructure leaves low-income communities particularly vulnerable to climate threats, which includes people who are most negatively impacted by temporary loss of income, dislocation or need to repair following a flood. Kresge identified green stormwater infrastructure and planning as high in investment opportunity.