Funding Programs
This tab features federal, state, and local programs that could be used to fund environmental justice or equity focused adaptation. It also includes resources and guides on how and where to access funding. This is not intended to be a list of available grants for adaptation.
Resources are automatically presented by date, but you may also sort by network rating or title. Apply additional filters to narrow the list by organization type of author, state, jurisdictional focus, or region.
74 results are shown below.
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2021
In April 2021, the Department of Transportation (DOT) rebooted its discretionary rail, transit, and port funding program as the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program. The program was initially known as the TIGER grant program , and most recently administered as the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) program. 2021 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFO) prioritizes projects that contemplate and address climate-related concerns such as energy efficiency, resilience, and emissions, requiring that climate and environmental justice impacts be considered by planners. Applications must be submitted by 5:00 PM Eastern on July 12, 2021.
Related Organizations: U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
Resource Category: Funding
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The Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant funding program exists to provide federal funding support to nationally or regionally significant highway and freight projects. In reviewing grant applications, the U. S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) prioritizes projects that support economic vitality, promote or deploy innovation, allow federal funding to be leveraged in attracting private investment, and support accountability. For the first time, however, in 2021 USDOT also began prioritizing projects that promote racial equity, and those that address climate change and environmental justice.
Related Organizations: U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
Resource Category: Funding
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February 16, 2021
In February 2021, Enterprise Community Partners and the City of Miami, Florida released Keep Safe Miami, a set of tools aimed at owners and operators of affordable multifamily housing properties in Miami-Dade County. The tools can help property owners identify potential adaptation actions to increase the resilience of existing affordable housing to local climate change hazards, including sea-level rise and extreme weather events. Owners and operators of affordable housing units can use Keep Safe Miami’s resources to compare climate-related risks, prioritize adaptation strategies, and access local, state, and federal funding sources. As part of the program, the City of Miami also set aside $500,000 in deferred loans for owners and operators participating in the Keep Safe Miami program.
Related Organizations: Enterprise Community Partners, Inc.
Resource Category: Data and tools
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California’s Community Assistance for Climate Equity Program (CACE) provides capacity-building support to the state’s most under-resourced communities enabling them to build community driven leadership, partnerships, and grant writing knowledge and skills. Specifically, CACE provides assistance to these communities to help them obtain state funding from the California Climate Investments (CCI) program to plan and implement projects on climate change mitigation, adaptation, and resiliency.
Related Organizations: California Strategic Growth Council
Resource Category: Education and Outreach
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The City of Tehama, California is working to protect vulnerable residents from flooding through elevation of their homes. Tehama is adjacent to the Sacramento River in the northern Central Valley and has endured several floods over the years. As climate change is anticipated to increase the potential for flooding in this area, residents are at a greater risk of losing their homes to flooding. Many of the residents are unable to pay for the cost of elevating their homes, prompting the city to patch together non-municipal funding sources to substantially reduce residents’ costs. The majority of the cost was covered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) through Section 205 of the Flood Control Act of 1948, and the Central Valley Flood Protection Board. The remaining 10% of the cost could be covered by funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CBDG) program for low income residents.
Related Organizations: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) , City of Tehama, California
Resource Category: Solutions
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2020
In recent years, Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), which is the city’s water utility and provides drinking water and wastewater treatment, has strongly emphasized community engagement and equity issues through the creation of a variety of organizations and programs. One organization, Connect Capital, which is comprised of SPU staff and members of a community foundation and a community organization, advises SPU on how to ensure that the benefits of future investments are equitable and address climate threats to those at risk of displacement. One result of Connect Capital’s encouragement is SPU’s investment in infrastructure in frontline communities, such as the South Park Neighborhood. Another equitable initiative under SPU is the Utility Discount Program, under which seniors, persons with disabilities, and low-income customers receive a reduction in their water and electricity bills. Households with incomes at or below 70% of state median income pay only 50% of their SPU bill. Further still, SPU’s Environmental Justice and Service Equity Division aims to promote inclusive community engagement and collaboration.
Related Organizations: Seattle Public Utilities
Resource Category: Solutions
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2013
The New Orleans Project Home Again (PHA) in Louisiana involved a land swap and redevelopment program implemented post-Hurricane Katrina that can serve as an example for how public-private partnerships can help people retreat away from flood-prone coastal areas. Through this project, PHA aimed to concentrate redevelopment at higher elevations away from low-elevation floodplains and expand relocation options for impacted homeowners. The hurricane-damaged homes on participants’ original properties were demolished and converted to climate resilient open space for flood retention, environmental, and community benefits. Specifically, PHA used a land swap program that enabled low- and middle-income homeowners to relocate to less vulnerable areas with new affordable, clustered housing. The PHA program demonstrates how land swaps can offer a tool for planners and policymakers to effectively guide redevelopment in disaster recovery settings and expand affordable and resilient housing opportunities. A similar land swap model could also be considered in a pre-disaster context and phased over time, if community consensus, vacant or developable land, and funding for housing construction exists.
Related Organizations: Project Home Again, New Orleans Redevelopment Authority
Resource Category: Solutions
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The Catalyst Miami Disaster Matched Savings Account was established as a resource for low- and moderate-income individuals within Miami, Florida neighborhoods to help families build financial stability, and better withstand disaster events. The program helps households build assets and savings through the use of financial coaching, credit coaching, and lending circles. The program encourages savings behavior and offers a 1-to-1 match as an incentive. In addition, Catalyst Miami distributes disaster preparedness kits to those who partake in the Program by saving the full amount of the cost of the kit. It also provides important information about hurricane season, along with emergency preparedness resources available from local government and community partners both before and after storms. By supplying communities with these disaster preparedness kits, as well as with teaching participants how to bank and save responsibly, Catalyst Miami helps low-income, underserved communities better withstand the shocks – economic and otherwise – often associated with disaster events.
Related Organizations: Catalyst Miami
Resource Category: Funding
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New York State’s Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) developed the Clean Energy Workforce Development Program, committing more than $100 million through 2025 to converting the State’s workforce to a cleaner, more resilient future. Working with partners across the State - including small businesses, local governments, frontline community leaders, and more - NYSERDA is focusing on funding five programs in the clean energy sector, including: (1) training in energy efficiency and clean technology; (2) on the job/site training; (3) providing internships to young adults; (4) offering training on building operations and maintenance; and (5) funding contractors that provide clean energy training.
Related Organizations: New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)
Resource Category: Education and Outreach
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Miami-Dade County, Florida’s Million Trees Miami initiative aims to plant 1 million trees in lower-income communities with insufficient tree canopy in order to alleviate heat stress in the county. This initiative stems from the County’s 2006 Street Tree Master Plan, which set a goal to achieve 30% tree canopy in Miami-Dade by 2020. Neat Streets Miami, a multi-jurisdictional County Board, is working to implement this goal through the Million Trees Miami initiative. Through a 2016 Urban Tree Canopy Assessment, the County determined that lower-income areas, including predominantly African American and Hispanic neighborhoods, had significantly less tree canopy than their wealthier counterparts. As a result, the County is prioritizing tree planting in its most impoverished and low-canopy areas through initiatives such as the Street Tree Matching Grant. Increased tree canopy cover in communities provides many important adaptation benefits, including protection from flooding, urban heat island mitigation, and improved water and air quality.
Related Organizations: Miami-Dade County, Florida
Resource Category: Solutions
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