JOINT BENEFITS AUTHORITY FAQ

The Joint Benefits Authority (JBA) is a proposed governance and finance model based on the Joint Powers Authority (JPA) structure. It aims to overcome the challenges of siloed city departments and tight budgets by pooling resources and using advanced capital planning to deliver multi-purpose, nature-based infrastructure. The JBA focuses on capturing co-benefits, pioneering creative municipal financing, and advancing social equity by prioritizing underserved neighborhoods. The concept is currently being piloted in San Francisco through a partnership between the World Resources Institute, Encourage Capital, the Liquid Assets Project, and the San Francisco Public Utility Commission, with funding from the Kresge Foundation, Spring Point Partners, and the Moore Foundation.

• The Joint Benefits Authority (JBA) is designed as a governance and finance tool to integrate multiple city departments and community partners to deliver infrastructure that builds climate resilience and transforms neighborhoods.
• The JBA model is based on the Joint Powers Authority (JPA), a legal entity formed by two or more government agencies to execute projects of regional importance, which allows for the consolidation of resources and the ability to issue bonds.
• The JBA seeks to address urban climate impacts—such as inland flooding, sea level rise, and the heat island effect—which disproportionately affect vulnerable and underserved communities.
• A core objective of the JBA is to advance social equity by directing resources to historically underserved areas and ensuring that existing communities have a voice in shaping and owning neighborhood investments.
• The JBA aims to solve governance inefficiencies caused by 'siloed' city departments, which often have independent project management, funding, and schedules, leading to overlapping services and higher costs.
• The JBA is being piloted in San Francisco through a collaboration involving the World Resources Institute, Encourage Capital, the Liquid Assets Project, and the San Francisco Public Utility Commission, with financial support from the Kresge Foundation, Spring Point Partners, and the Moore Foundation.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). JOINT BENEFITS AUTHORITY FAQ. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-01/joint-benefits-authority-faqs.pdf

Chicago

World Resources Institute. JOINT BENEFITS AUTHORITY FAQ. n.d. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-01/joint-benefits-authority-faqs.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=JOINT BENEFITS AUTHORITY FAQ |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-01/joint-benefits-authority-faqs.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendjoint, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{JOINT BENEFITS AUTHORITY FAQ}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-01/joint-benefits-authority-faqs.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }