Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group funds Milwaukee stormwater infrastructure

(UI) — CIS, a leading builder of resilient infrastructure, has secured a second tranche of private financing from the Urban Investment Group (UIG) at Goldman Sachs Alternatives. This funding will support the expansion of stormwater infrastructure in the Greater Milwaukee region, addressing environmental challenges tied to climate change.

Located on the Harley-Davidson headquarters campus on the west side of Milwaukee, Davidson Park transformed what was a large employee parking lot into a signature neighborhood amenity that also has the functional use of capturing up to 225,000 gallons of stormwater after every rain event. (Photo: Business Wire)

CIS is working with the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) through the Fresh Coast Protection Partnership (FCPP). This partnership aims to improve stormwater management by deploying green infrastructure—strategies that slow or capture water before it reaches discharge points, complementing the existing grey infrastructure.

Since the 1990s, MMSD has focused on green solutions to mitigate stormwater runoff. The partnership has already helped achieve over 100 million gallons of storage capacity, contributing to MMSD's target of 740 million gallons by 2035. CIS has played a role in managing over 10% of that capacity in the past five years alone.

The new investment will be used to fund the construction of green infrastructure that will manage an additional 11.5 million gallons of stormwater, reducing flooding and sewer overflows. The initiative also supports compliance with the Clean Water Act and transforms stormwater into a resource, benefiting local communities, particularly in low-to-moderate-income neighborhoods.

CIS is committed to empowering small, local businesses, including women-, minority-, and veteran-owned companies, to implement green infrastructure improvements. The organization has delivered 18 green infrastructure projects across Milwaukee since 2020, with 93% of the projects on private properties and nearly half in underserved areas.

“The ability to source funding from both private sponsors and low-cost public capital while maintaining governance controls is unique to our approach," said Sanjiv Sinha, Ph.D., CEO of CIS. "We’re proud to see the positive impact on our local communities.”

The Urban Investment Group (UIG) has a history of driving impact investing to address social and economic challenges. Since 2001, UIG has committed over $21 billion to transformative projects, including green energy retrofits for public housing.

“We’re proud to partner with CIS to bring much-needed infrastructure upgrades to underserved communities,” said Sherry Wang, Co-head of UIG. "This investment will protect communities from environmental threats and provide jobs for the local workforce.”

Stormwater runoff is a major environmental issue in the U.S., with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimating that 10 trillion gallons of untreated runoff enter waterways annually. CIS’s green infrastructure solutions help capture, filter, and cool stormwater, preventing pollutants from contaminating water supplies.

The funding marks the second installment in a nationwide effort to expand eco-friendly stormwater infrastructure projects. At least 50% of the projects will be in underserved neighborhoods, prioritizing small, minority-, and women-owned businesses in the process.

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