The Climate Smart Communities Initiative (CSCI) today announced its first round of awards, with more than $1 million going to help 11 communities on the front lines of the climate crisis. The awards include funding and technical support to help communities accelerate their own climate resilience efforts. Each project matches a funded climate adaptation expert with local officials and community representatives.
In 2023, NOAA’s Climate Program Office Communication, Education, and Engagement Division awarded $12.7 million in funding to advance the CSCI. In collaboration with NOAA, the CSCI is managed by a consortium of partners, including the Climate Resilience Fund, EcoAdapt, Fernleaf, Geos Institute, ICF, and the Environment, Equity and Justice Center at NRDC. The initiative is made possible by funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, and is part of NOAA’s efforts to help American communities prepare, adapt and build resilience to weather and climate events.
Priority for this round of awards was given to communities that had a higher relative level of climate risk, based on environmental, as well as social and economic considerations; and already were connected with an adaptation professional who had been trained in the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit Steps to Resilience framework. The awardees also will help the CSCI identify best practices, develop replicable approaches, and establish common metrics to accelerate learning from resilience efforts across the country. The 11 communities receiving awards are as follows.
- Brentwood, Maryland (20722)- An award of $50,707 to advance projects identified as priorities in their Climate Action Plan, engage and empower community members, and explore the use of green infrastructure to address flooding risks in the neighborhoods most in need.
- Charleston County, South Carolina (29405)- An award of $121,821 to enable a systematic approach to flood mitigation investments and catalyze climate-smart community revitalization through brownfields redevelopment.
- Cook County, Illinois (60602)- An award of $115,516 to allow five Cook County communities to evaluate resilience measures and help historically underserved populations adapt to the impacts of flooding and excessive heat.
- Coushatta Tribe, Louisiana (70468)– An award of $80,089 to revise the climate vulnerability assessment, solicit community input, and draft a corresponding climate resilience plan in a community that is increasingly vulnerable to climate related impacts, including flash flooding, extreme heat, and wildfires.
- East Palo Alto, California (94303)– An award of $115,000 to engage with and uplift a community facing challenges related to a changing climate, including sunny day flooding from rising seas, and poor air quality from more intense wildfires.
- Fremont, Nebraska (68025)– An award of $114,978 to focus on the families that live in mobile and manufactured homes on the southwest side of the city, which increasingly are at risk from intense storms, ice jams, and flash flooding, and could benefit from improved flood management and infrastructure.
- Grand Caillou/Dulac Band of the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw, Louisiana (70363)– An award of $122,000 to create a community resilience plan with goals and approaches that incorporate the lived experience of local residents and the traditional ecological knowledge of the Tribe.
- Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, South Dakota (57548)– An award of $121,400 to develop a climate resilience plan that addresses the increasing threat of drought, flood, and wildfire, while staying rooted in the Tribe’s principles of respect, inclusivity, and collaboration.
- Ottawa County, Oklahoma (74354)– An award of $119,000 to engage the local community, conduct a vulnerability analysis, and develop a corresponding climate resilience plan and pilot project in a community that is now experiencing the pain of various climate related impacts, including severe storms and toxic flooding.
- Sandpoint, Idaho (83864)– An award of $122,629 to the Model Forest Policy Program will enable development of a climate resilience plan with effective, durable, and fundable strategies in this community where extreme weather conditions and temperature fluctuations now threaten the forests, lakes, and streams that provide the foundation for a recreation-based economy.
- South San Francisco, California (94080)– An award of $95,000 to facilitate the implementation of a tree canopy project to provide frontline communities with climate resilience education and solutions to combat urban heat and pollution.
Efforts are led by practitioners, government entities and community champions working as a team. The next funding opportunity for community applications is expected in Fall 2024. Meanwhile, many resources are already available or being developed to accelerate adaptation and resilience across the nation, including the following: A searchable registry of adaptation professionals who are willing and able to assist communities with plans and projects; expansion of workforce development training in the Steps to Resilience framework; augmentation of the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit (toolkit.climate.gov) with a help desk to quickly answer questions; and the launch of an online “knowledge sharing platform” for CSCI participants. Additional information about the initiative and the awardee communities can be found at www.climatesmartcommunity.org.
Interested local officials, community representatives, and adaptation professionals are encouraged to follow CSCI on LinkedIn, or join the CSCI mailing list at https://climatesmartcommunity.org/contact-us.
Media contact: Monica Allen, monica.allen@noaa.gov
