The Climate Smart Communities Initiative (CSCI) recently announced that they are now accepting grant applications. The awards, estimated at $100,000 each, will help communities accelerate their climate resilience plans and projects. The funds, as well as the training and technical support that comes with each grant, can be used over a twelve-month period to advance activities ranging from risk assessments and community engagement to project prioritization and initial implementation.
To be eligible for consideration, a community must be located in the United States and facing significant climate-related challenges, based on environmental and socioeconomic considerations. For the purposes of the grant program, a community must be represented by a community-based organization and a local, regional or Tribal government entity working collaboratively, and they must complete the application in partnership with an adaptation professional.
One of the unique aspects of the initiative is the ability to connect communities and practitioners through the Registry of Climate Adaptation and Resilience Professionals. The community can complete a short community sign-up form to indicate their interest, and the program will help them find a good match from within the Registry.
The initiative will be accepting grant applications into March 2025, and expects to announce multiple awards in the summer of 2025.
- For more details on the initiative, including the benefits, the requirements, and the application, please click here.
- For more information about the Registry, including how organizations offering climate adaptation and resilience services can join and be matched with interested communities, please click here.
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.
