Strategic Message Reframer

The Problem

Sustainability and community resilience work is chronically underfunded while defense budgets balloon. NATO members are directing 5% of GDP toward defense by 2035—split between 3.5% military and 1.5% “broader security”—representing approximately $1.4 trillion annually in new funding streams.

Meanwhile, sustainability projects already deliver national security outcomes but speak the wrong language. Renewable energy IS energy security. Community resilience IS national preparedness. Food system strengthening IS critical infrastructure protection. But funders can’t see the alignment because the narratives don’t translate.

The gap: projects doing security-relevant work can’t access security funding because they frame their value in environmental or social impact terms that don’t resonate with defense procurement priorities.

What I Built

A strategic messaging tool that translates sustainability-focused content into security and business language while maintaining project integrity and values:

Narrative Translation Engine

• Users paste sustainability project descriptions, grant applications, or marketing content
• AI reframes the work using security terminology (energy security, supply chain resilience, critical infrastructure)
• Output preserves the original mission while aligning language with funder priorities

Transparency & Education

• Explanations show HOW the transformation works—not just what changed
• Techniques documented so users can apply the approach to future projects independently
• Examples demonstrate that the work itself already aligns; only the framing shifts

Community Applications

• Open-access tool for NGOs, municipalities, and project developers
• Adaptable framework applicable across diverse sustainability domains
• Real-world validation through community feedback on food systems, port sustainability, and renewable energy projects

The Tech Stack

• Platform: Claude AI (Anthropic) for natural language processing and narrative transformation
• Interface: Web-based artifact for immediate accessibility and sharing
• Methodology: Prompt engineering to identify security-relevant aspects of sustainability work and translate terminology without changing substance
• Distribution: Public artifact link for open community access and iteration

Lessons Learned

Values + Funding Aren’t Mutually Exclusive The most powerful insight was recognizing that “speaking funder language” doesn’t mean abandoning mission. Projects can maintain their climate/community values while framing outcomes in terms that unlock funding. The work hasn’t changed—renewable energy always was energy security—we just need to say so explicitly.

Language Is Infrastructure Funding flows follow terminology. When “coastal restoration” becomes “maritime critical infrastructure protection” or “local food systems” become “supply chain resilience,” the same projects suddenly qualify for vastly larger budgets. Strategic vocabulary choices are competitive advantage.

Open Beats Proprietary for Movement Building Releasing the tool publicly (not as a consulting service) sparked collaborative improvement and diverse applications I hadn’t imagined—port authorities using it for maritime security proposals, agricultural cooperatives for food security grants. Lesson: tools that enable movements need to be freely accessible, not monetized.

Funders Want Same Outcomes, Different Words Deep conversations revealed that defense/security funders actually care about climate resilience, community stability, and resource security—they just can’t justify budgets using those terms. Our tool bridges the vocabulary gap, not the values gap. Both sides win when translation enables alignment.

Specificity Unlocks Credibility Generic reframing (“make it sound businessy”) fails. Precise translation using actual security frameworks (NATO broader security doctrine, critical infrastructure categories, supply chain risk terminology) creates legitimate narratives that withstand due diligence. Lesson: strategic messaging requires domain expertise, not just copywriting.

Timing Is Strategic The 2035 NATO commitment creates a 10-year window where new “broader security” funding streams are being defined. Projects that establish security-relevant framing NOW will shape procurement categories. First-movers in narrative translation gain structural advantage as budgets solidify.