Storm Surge organized in 2013 and with the help of a grow grant, the group was incorporated and acquired non profit status in 2022.   under an umbrella group with an environmental focus, ACES. We continue to grow, and over the past few years there has been confusion in our area between ACES’ purpose and ours. The main issue is that our goal or purpose is educating people in our region about climate change, storms and sea level rise, and the impacts of these linked areas on our lives, while their goal is to take positions and advocate for specific policies and legislation regarding environmental issues in ways that are, at times, in conflict with individual and collective positions at Storm Surge. By separating the groups into separate 501(c)3 groups, our purpose and mission can be clarified. In addition, as a stand-alone 501(c)3, we can take advantage of software discounts through TechSoup and others to improve our online capabilities and reduce operating costs.