2026 Climate Resilient & Equitable Water Systems (CREWS) Convening

What to Expect

We are excited to invite The Kresge Foundation Climate Resilient & Equitable Water Systems (CREWS) Community to gather with us in New Orleans, Louisiana from March 23-25, 2026.

We are honored that you would consider attending, especially as we celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the CREWS initiative! We look forward to being in community with you; learning from our incredible New Orleans water and equity partners whose wisdom will ground our experience; and strategizing, organizing and dancing together!

**More details, including the agenda, speaker lineup and activities, will be provided as we get closer to the event.**

2026 CREWS Convening Objectives

Purpose and Goals:

Our purpose is to bring together CREWS grant partners and field partners working at the intersection of water, climate and equity in a generative in-person space for shared reflection, learning and mutual support. We aim to create space and enable attendees’ to build power and coordinate action on common equity and climate outcomes.

Attendees will have the opportunity to:

• Experience joy and meaningful connection.
• Gain a deeper understanding of the state of the field and peers’ work in order to identify and move forward strategic collaborations that help meet this moment. 
• Come away with resources useful for movement building and advocacy practices.
• Learn from the important leadership, stories, historical legacy, and promise of water, climate and equity work in New Orleans and generate ideas about how to apply those learnings.
• Contribute your insights and learnings as a key partner in the past 10 years of CREWS and help inform future strategy at the intersection of water, climate and equity. 

Themes:

• Celebration of progress in the field
• Strategies to meet the moment
• Mutual support and advocacy