How Liberty Mutual Insurance Helped Shape Strongward’s Climate Resilience Tool

Why Liberty Mutual Insurance Partnered With Strongward on Climate Resilience

When weather-related disasters strike, communities are forced to navigate the aftermath for months or even years as they grapple with costly damage to their local economies. But what would happen if community leaders could prepare for a disaster before it occurs? 

That’s the idea behind Strongward Risk Navigator, a free digital tool developed and launched by Strongward, a nonprofit that helps communities prepare for and recover from disasters, with support from Liberty Mutual Insurance. The tool helps local governments and community organizations understand climate-related risks, navigate funding and planning opportunities, and take practical steps to strengthen community resilience.

Launched in September 2026, the Risk Navigator grew out of a multi-year partnership with Liberty Mutual. Employees from Liberty Mutual’s innovation incubator, Solaria Labs, worked alongside Strongward to help shape the early vision and roadmap for the tool. With funding from Liberty Mutual Foundation, Strongward then built, tested and refined the platform for its national launch. 

The partnership began when Liberty Mutual Foundation awarded Strongward $600,000 to support Resilience and Recovery Fellows in Massachusetts and West Virginia. The program embeds resilience professionals in small communities to help local leaders understand their risks, prioritize resilience projects and navigate complex funding opportunities. Seeking a way to scale the work being done by the Fellows, the two organizations decided to build what is now the Strongward Risk Navigator. 

For Chief Community Investments and Sustainability Officer Francis Hyatt, the launch of the Strongward Risk Navigator is a reflection of what can happen when organizations rally around a shared purpose. 

“Helping communities build resilience requires more than funding; it requires collaboration, innovation and a willingness to share expertise,” Hyatt said. “We’re proud to have partnered with Strongward to create a resource that will help communities prepare for climate-related challenges for years to come.”

How Liberty Mutual Insurance and Strongward Collaborated on the Strongward Risk Navigator

Collaboration between Liberty Mutual Insurance’s Solaria Labs and Strongward was key to bringing the Strongward Risk Navigator to life.

Solaria Labs’s researchers, UX designers, product strategists and engineers partnered with Strongward employees to conduct discovery research, engage community stakeholders and develop digital concepts, a product strategy and a roadmap for the product. Building on that work, Strongward brought the product to fruition, supported by a $1.5 million grant from Liberty Mutual Foundation.

For Solaria Labs employees, the undertaking was a refreshing and impactful opportunity to drive change in partnership with those on the front lines. 

“By bringing the same research, product development and cross-functional collaboration we use every day, we helped Strongward transform community insights into a scalable solution that will help more communities prepare for climate-related risks,” Chief Strategy Officer Ann Stanberry said.

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How the Strongward Partnership Advances Community Resilience 

For Liberty Mutual, helping communities become more climate resilient is a natural extension of its business and purpose. As a global risk expert, the company can bring its expertise, people and resources to help communities better understand climate-related risks and prepare for extreme weather. 

“This partnership reflects what can happen when corporate philanthropy and employee expertise meet deep community knowledge: a lasting impact,” Hyatt said. “It’s just one way we’re bringing our purpose to life — to help people embrace today and confidently pursue tomorrow.”

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