Many of the strategies for increasing climate resilience come with a price tag. Increasingly, funding for local climate adaptation and resilience projects must draw on a range of public and private financing. For instance, groups may apply for federal grant funding, work through public/private partnerships, and/or fund projects through local taxes.
For examples of strategies some municipalities have pursued, see Funding Strategies for Flood Mitigation; Where do you get the money? prepared by the independent non-partisan research group, Headwaters Economics. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute also offers a Fact Sheet on Federal Resources for Nature-Based Solutions to Climate Change.
Additionally, a range of government entities and private foundations offer financial and technical resources to advance local adaptation and mitigation efforts in the United States. For your convenience, we've listed some of them below. For information on any program, please follow the external link to learn more.
2023 Environmental Justice Government-to-Government Program (EJG2G) Request for Applications is Now Open
This EPA grant program supports government activities that lead to measurable environmental or public health impacts in communities disproportionately burdened by environmental harms. Eligible entities include states, tribes, local governments, or U.S. territories in partnership with community-based organizations.
Deadline to apply: April 10, 2023
Visit the EPA website to learn more and apply »
Funding opportunities from NOAA's $2.96 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is a transformational opportunity to make an impact against the climate crisis across the country through multiple funding opportunities. It provides nearly $3 billion for NOAA to take action over 5 years in the areas of habitat restoration, coastal resilience, and weather forecasting infrastructure.
Visit NOAA's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law page to learn more »
FEMA's Recovery and Resilience Resource Library
This tool helps users to find and research federal disaster recovery resources that would be beneficial in pre-disaster recovery planning or in the wake of a disaster.
Find federal Recovery and Resilience Resources relevant to your issues »
National Wildlife Federation Nature-based Solutions Funding Database
Communities interested in pursuing nature-based solutions to environmental issues can explore federal funding opportunities and technical assistance resources in this interactive database.
Find federal funding and technical assistance programs to support nature-based solutions »
American Flood Coalition Flood Funding Finder
This interactive website compiles grant, finance, and technical assistance support opportunities into a user-friendly database that helps communities identify and prioritize opportunities to fund flood resilience.
Visit the Flood Funding Finder to explore relevant funding opportunities »
Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities
USDA is committed to supporting a diverse set of farmers, ranchers, and forest owners through climate solutions that increase resilience, expand market opportunities and strengthen rural America. The new Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities opportunity provides up to $1 billion for pilot projects that create market opportunities for commodities produced using climate-smart practices.
Wildlife Conservation Society's Climate Adaptation Fund
This fund supports applied, on-the-ground projects focused on achieving wildlife and ecosystem conservation outcomes in the face of a changing climate. Specifically, they select one to two-year projects that implement science-driven, on-the-ground actions that assist wildlife and ecosystems to adapt to climate change at a landscape scale. The Program Timeline starts with the release of the annual RFP in February.
Drought.gov Competitive Funding Opportunities
This page describes support that may be available through federal agencies for drought research and for building resilience to the short- and long-term impacts of drought. Links on the page lead to information regarding financial and technical assistance, disaster assistance programs, economic injury loans, and assistance in implementing conservation practices.
EPA Smart Growth Grants and Other Funding
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Sustainable Communities occasionally offers grants to support activities that improve the quality of development and protect human health and the environment.
Kresge Environment Program
The Kresge Foundation Environment Program seeks to help communities build resilience in the face of climate change. They invest in climate resilience through two primary strategies:
- Accelerating place-based innovation through support to efforts that are anchored in cities and have a strong potential to serve as models.
- Building the climate-resilience field by supporting activities to disseminate and bring to scale promising climate-resilience approaches.
Open Space Institute Resilient Landscape Initiative
The Resilient Landscapes Initiative, supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, offers two types of grants for specified locations in the eastern United States. The group’s Capital Grants help land trusts and public agencies increase the conservation of resilient landscapes in areas that represent critical climate priorities. The group’s Catalyst Grants help land trusts and public agencies build the knowledge base of key audiences and advance the practical application of climate science.
Browse funding opportunities in Georgetown's Adaptation Clearinghouse »
The Georgetown Climate Center offers links to a large number of current and past opportunities to obtain support for adaptation activities.
Last modified: 16 March, 2023
