Preparing Communities, Fighting for Change

The Tightline team handled media relations, government affairs and community engagement in Missouri for The Pew Charitable Trust’s Flood-Prepared Communities project, with a primary focus on building support for reform of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) as well as policies that promote mitigation and nature-based solutions. On the ground, that meant forging alliances with local, regional and national interest groups ranging from Great Rivers Habitat Alliance and the American Planning Association to citizen activists in DeSoto and Maryland Heights. We connected Pew leadership and staff in D.C. with state and local elected officials and policymakers and leveraged our media contacts and expertise to produce a steady stream of op-eds and letters to the editor in news outlets across Missouri.

In early 2020, we helped organize a St. Louis event for Pew highlighting its Mitigation Matters report, a case study featuring innovative public policy approaches at the state and local level. Tightline’s local engagement led to a Pew partnership with Washington University as event hosts, and the Mississippi Rivers Cities and Towns Initiative as co-sponsors.