Funding & Building Capacity
Climate resilience strategies often come with a substantial price tag. Additionally, some communities are looking to build capacity to help them develop successful applications for funding or technical assistance. Explore resources below that can help you overcome these barriers to action.
Funding Resources
Funding in Practice
What funding sources might I tap for climate resilience projects?
Communities are often eligible to apply for grant funding from federal, state, non-profit, or private entities for resilience-building projects. They might also be able to raise funds for resilience actions through taxes or fees. Money from either of these sources doesn't need to be repaid.
For longer-term projects, communities may want to explore a range of financing mechanisms that can be paid back over time.
How do I find relevant opportunities for funding or financing?
Some communities fund resilience actions by bundling them with existing (non-climate) plans. Look for alignment or overlap in the goals for resilience-building actions with other funding and finance opportunities.
Partnering with various departments of local, county, state, or Tribal governments, academic institutions, and/or special interest organizations can also reveal new funding opportunities.
How can I increase the chances of receiving funding for our resilience plan?
The Ready-to-Fund Resilience Toolkit can help communities design fundable projects by pulling specific policy levers, seeking key partnerships, and redesigning internal processes. The guide covers ten characteristics of ready-to-fund resilience projects that can help local teams prepare themselves and their communities for climate resilience funding and finance.
How can we build the capacity of our climate resilience team?
Climate adaptation practitioners and consultants can supplement local capability to develop and implement climate resilience plans. Making investments of time, attention, and money in community organizations, groups, and individuals who are willing to support actions to adapt and thrive in a changing climate can build local capacity.
Case Studies
Still image from video, "Fredericktown, Missouri: Water Utility Climate Adaptation Planning" from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock, U.S. Air Force
A 2011 controlled burn in a tan oak gathering area creates defensible space below a nearby home while increasing the quality of the acorns by interrupting the life cycle of the acorn weevil. Image: Mid Klamath Watershed Council. Used with permission
Photo by F. A. Johnson, USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center. Used with permission. https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol25/iss3/art9/
