This workshop would convene universities, NGOs, representatives of indigenous community and community-based NGOs, regional NGOs and local government representatives. This could be aligned with/partnered with the Lima Adaptation Knowledge Initiative (LAKI) and the Climate Change and Universities Partnership Programme. In convening these groups together with aligned funders (foundations, impact investors), the focus is to foster authentic assistance by universities to community organizations and local government in designing community driven climate solutions. University-community relationships have often suffered from trust deficits, in large part due to historic extractive approaches. Effective university-community relationships require deep, durable, longstanding engagement. The session will explore frameworks for partnerships between communities and universities to link community priority setting and knowledge with universities’ research expertise, and data analysis to foster community driven climate solutions, and supportive teaching and research. The workshop would focus on urgent near-term areas such as adaptation and resilience strategies, emergency preparedness and early warning systems and a focus on communities of greatest risk/disparities.