River Rally 2026

Join advocates, organizers, and leaders from across the country for a day long, highly interactive national convening focused on unlocking the full power of the water movement. Together we’ll map what’s already happening at the local, state, and federal levels; surface gaps and opportunities; and imagine and co-create a more connected, better-resourced movement for clean and healthy water for people and ecosystems.  
  
Participants will leave with a clearer picture of the national landscape, concrete ways to plug in and sustain momentum, and new partnerships and pathways to help turn local and state wins into durable federal policy and funding—while centering on the ground leadership and broad, inclusive participation. 

By invitation only.  As we joined alongside field partners throughout the week, Thursday offers funders across connected networks a shared space to reflect on what surfaced at River Rally and consider how philanthropy can respond. This day is designed to build on that broader context by creating space to process what we heard, listen to one another, strengthen relationships, and explore where greater connection across our work could sharpen strategy and inform future action.

The SRF State Advocates Forum invites Forum members and any River Rally attendees interested in State Revolving Fund (SRF) or other water infrastructure investment advocacy to join this Community Convening. Fostering in-person connections and building momentum across our national community of practice, the Community Convening will include small group activities to reflect on state SRF advocacy strategies to get more funds to communities most in need, discuss and share examples of effective state funding programs beyond the SRFs, and provide creative space to contemplate state-level campaigns and communications for water funding. 

Guardians of Flushing Bay and the NYC Urban Field Station will present the social assessment toolkit, a participatory research approach for studying how people use and value blue and green spaces, and showcase its application to Flushing Waterways. This workshop is for everyone: we will provide introductory information about the toolkit and its application, and an outdoor, interactive social assessment training to learn how to use the tool. The outcomes for participants will be 1. An introductory understanding of the social assessment research approach, 2. Trained knowledge on how to conduct a social assessment for a green/blue space, and 3. Introductory understanding of how a water-focused advocacy group could apply insights gained from the social assessment.

The Water Equity and Climate Resilience (WECR) Caucus is convening its members to strategize and reflect on our shared policy priorities and advocacy strategy.  The WECR Caucus (climatewaterequity.org), anchored by PolicyLink, is a national network of over 80 organizations centering low-income communities and frontline communities of color in working to achieve water equity and climate justice through federal and state policy advocacy. Please note that this community convening is closed and only open to WECR Caucus members. 

Harm in the Water (90 minutes) is a powerful documentary that examines the devastating impact of industrial water pollution on Black communities along the Mississippi River. Director Kendall Moore takes viewers on a journey through affected communities, highlighting both the struggles and resilience of residents fighting for clean water and environmental justice. The documentary combines compelling personal stories with rigorous scientific evidence to create an urgent call for change. 
 
The screening is followed by a 90-minute interactive workshop, creating space for deeper reflection and dialogue on the film’s themes. Participants will engage in facilitated small-group discussions to connect the film’s exploration of water inequities and environmental justice to challenges in their own communities, share lived experiences, and exchange community-driven solutions and strategies. The session emphasizes cross-sector collaboration and actionable next steps, leaving attendees with new insights, connections, and approaches to advance more equitable water outcomes in their regions.    
 

Join advocates, organizers, and leaders from across the country for a day long, highly interactive national convening focused on unlocking the full power of the water movement. Together we’ll map what’s already happening at the local, state, and federal levels; surface gaps and opportunities; and imagine and co-create a more connected, better-resourced movement for clean and healthy water for people and ecosystems.  
  
Participants will leave with a clearer picture of the national landscape, concrete ways to plug in and sustain momentum, and new partnerships and pathways to help turn local and state wins into durable federal policy and funding—while centering on the ground leadership and broad, inclusive participation. 

By invitation only.  As we joined alongside field partners throughout the week, Thursday offers funders across connected networks a shared space to reflect on what surfaced at River Rally and consider how philanthropy can respond. This day is designed to build on that broader context by creating space to process what we heard, listen to one another, strengthen relationships, and explore where greater connection across our work could sharpen strategy and inform future action.

From Big Bend to Brownsville, communities along the Rio Grande in Texas are confronting a rapidly escalating crisis as the Department of Homeland Security accelerates its plans to construct border wall and buoy barrier infrastructure along the Rio Grande, placing riverfront neighborhoods, public lands, critical infrastructure, and the river’s ecological integrity at immediate risk. This session is designed for a broad audience - advocates, frontline leaders, and technical professionals - and will explore how environmental risks, such as flooding, erosion, and infrastructure threats, directly intersect with environmental justice concerns, including the use of sweeping federal waivers that bypass foundational environmental laws. Participants will hear perspectives from scientists, frontline advocates, and riverfront landowners, gaining both technical insight alongside personal lived experiences from across the Texas border region to illustrate the magnitude of what is at stake. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how this issue is reshaping water advocacy and with concrete strategies to engage, organize, and actively push back against similar threats in their own communities.