Opportunities for Funding

The Center for Heat Resilient Communities supports communities in determining the best locally-tailored strategies to advance heat resilience that are “shovel-ready” for investment. This first-of-its-kind opportunity will directly fund and support communities and tribal entities across the U.S. and internationally utilizing novel and complementary decision support tools to create a roadmap for equitable community heat resilience. The Center brings together teams of experts and over 50 cross-sector partners including scholar specialists, chief heat and resilience officers, municipal climate and sustainability networks, national and international advocacy groups, private climate services providers, and more.

Distinct from mapping-focused federal programs, the Center will help turn data into action by aligning local goals and strategies with the resources needed for action. As a convening space between local communities innovating new ways to address heat impacts and national governmental and non-governmental policymakers and funders, center outputs are designed to both position communities to be highly competitive for state, federal, and philanthropic funding AND prepare policymakers and funders to be responsive to local needs. The Center shares the Federal Government’s vision for a “Nation of Heat Resilient Communities” and will work with communities across the nation to ensure that the tools necessary to become heat resilient — protecting people’s health and well-being where they live, learn, work, and play — are available for all.

To fulfill this vision, the central objectives of the Center are to:

Develop a comprehensive Heat Resilient Communities Workbook

Enable the development of locally tailored heat-action blueprints in at least 30 communities in the U.S. and beyond

Recommend actionable strategies for NOAA, NIHHIS, and federal partners to prioritize and coordinate investments in communities.

Principal investigators for the project include:

Dr. V. Kelly Turner, Associate Director, UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, University of California, Los Angeles (Lead Principal Investigator)

Dr. Ladd Keith, Assistant Professor of Planning and Sustainable Built Environments, University of Arizona (Principal Investigator)

Dr. Sara Meerow, Associate Professor in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, Arizona State University (Principal Investigator)

The collection of “The Center for Heat Resilient Communities” information is authorized under the OMB Control Number 0648-0828 included in the Paperwork Reduction Act and Privacy Act statements.

Visit this page and subscribe to the Heat Beat Newsletter for updates on the Center and the application. Questions can be sent to heat@ucla.edu and nihhis@noaa.gov.

The Center for Collaborative Heat Monitoring will support community science observations and data collection on extreme heat so communities can observe, monitor and evaluate factors influencing heat risk at a local scale. The center will be based at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, N.C. with additional technical support from CAPA Strategies, Utah State University, and AQUEHS Corp. The center will also include three additional geographically dispersed sites, each serving a different region of the U.S. This will enable work to engage regional communities and connect with existing networks for public education and engagement. In addition to the Museum of Life and Science, these hubs include the Arizona Science Center, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and the Museum of Science in Boston. The center will build on eight years of NIHHIS efforts to map urban heat islands in over 80 U.S. and international communities.

The goals of the Center for Collaborative Heat Monitoring include:

A novel applied participatory action research approach to equitably support communities in co-creating new knowledge about extreme heat
Delivery and integration of decision-support data, information, and knowledge through comprehensive models to quantitatively evaluate heat distribution and exposure across heat-imperiled communities to community members, policymakers, and the Center for Heat Resilient Communities
Supporting communities by enhancing expertise, agency, and self-determination to make decisions on how to prepare for and mitigate heat
Increasing literacy and community support for ongoing on-the-ground work about the hazards posed by extreme heat and climate change to meaningfully reduce the amount of heat mortality in the U.S.
It is important to note that the Center for Collaborative Monitoring will be accepting applications from all types of U.S. communities- not just urban communities. Rural communities, Tribal Nations, U.S. territories, and states that have not previously undergone heat mapping are especially encouraged to apply.

Principal investigators for the project include:

Mr. Max Cawley, Director of Climate Research and Engagement, North Carolina Museum of Life and Science (Lead Principal Investigator)

Dr. David Sittenfeld, Director of the Center for the Environment, Museum of Science, Boston (Principal Investigator)

Dr. Vivek Shandas, Founder and Advisor, Climate Adaptation Planning and Analytics (CAPA) Strategies (Principal Investigator)

Dr. Wei Zhang, Assistant Professor of Climate Science, Utah State University (Principal Investigator)

Dr. Daniel Mendoza, Founder and CEO, AQUEHS, Corp (Principal Investigator)

Questions regarding the application can be sent to info@collaborativeheatmonitoring.org and nihhis@noaa.gov.

Helping deploy the next generation of community clean energy projects
Rural, tribal, and low-income communities are most in need of climate solutions that deliver energy independence and resiliency, lower costs, reduce pollution, and improve public health. Thanks to the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, we have an unprecedented opportunity to unlock access to capital for clean energy projects in underserved communities; but many of them need pre-development funds, support, and technical assistance to access project capital.

That’s why we’re launching Climate United NEXT, a pre-development grant program to help nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, Indian tribes, and Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) accelerate early-stage clean energy projects through planning to project financing. Through grant funding for planning, technical assistance, and community engagement, communities will identify solutions that meet their unique needs and lay the groundwork for projects including solar, green buildings, and electric transportation.

Program Goals
Help communities successfully deploy projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce pollution, and lower energy costs.

Increase the capacity of community-based organizations so that they can access federal and state financial assistance and other forms of capital for climate projects.

Build demand and help transform the market for community-benefitting zero emission technologies in LIDACs across the country.

Provide equitable access to clean technologies for underserved communities and geographies, such as rural and Native communities.

Climate United has ambitious goals of ensuring that 60% of its financial assistance is deployed in what the EPA has defined as Low Income and Disadvantaged Communities, 20% in rural communities, and 10% in Native communities. Climate United NEXT will provide pre-development grant funding to all of these communities in the coming months and years.

Eligible Uses of Funding
Feasibility & environmental impact studies

Project planning

Technical assistance for funding opportunities

Community engagement

Related pre-development activities

Process
Pre-development grants of up to $300,000 will be awarded over the course of multiple application rounds. The first round of Climate United NEXT grants will support clean energy projects in Native communities and will be open to non-profit organizations, state and local government entities, Indian tribes, and Institutions of Higher Education (IHE).

The deadline to apply for the first round of Climate United NEXT grants is January 10, 2025, with awards announcements planned for late February. Join us on December 6th at 2pm ET for an informational webinar about the first round of applications.

Climate United will solicit applications for funding in each cycle by sector. We are starting this Fall with projects focused on benefiting Native communities. In 2025, we will have additional rounds focused on other underserved market segments. We intend to provide up to $30M in grant funding over the next five years to equip small- and mid-sized organizations to unlock public and private capital for climate projects.

This program seeks to actively support early career IPM professionals and practitioners in their search for educational opportunities and networking experiences. The program is focused on supporting a deeper understanding of a wide variety of technology, pest management, sustainability, business, and government issues. The program also hopes to help young pest management professionals build a strong, enduring network of peers, and business and government contacts, not only in the academic realm but from private industry as well. Participants can apply to attend events and professional science society meetings or participate in internship programs that provide experiential learning so that students can explore potential careers and build professional networks or participate in other learning opportunities. Internship programs that include both research and extension or outreach are strongly encouraged.

Fellowship applications are capped at $1,000. The award should be used to fund travel to meetings or other professional development opportunities, meeting registration, costs associated with internships with private companies, research and Extension programs or other professional development opportunities.

The Western IPM Center announces the availability of funds and requests proposals to address special issues in the West – specifically time-sensitive issues that cannot wait until the next regular RFA period. Special issues grants may be requested to bring together groups to address emerging pests.

The Western IPM Center will give priority to requests that are multi-state/island/tribal nation in scope. Projects must be completed within one year of funding and be single-issue oriented. Funds are available until exhausted. The maximum amount of a request can be $5,000.

Do you envision a world where every child and family sees the road to success? Where a community’s future is determined by the people who live there?

A world where all kids receive nurturing early care and education. Health care for mothers, birthing people and babies is readily available where they live. Good food is a given, along with support for the people who grow it. Parents and caregivers land career pathways that sustain their family.

And where everyone can heal from the harms of racism and contribute to a more equitable world.

That’s the world we want to see, too! If you work every day to make that world a reality – advancing innovative, community-driven solutions –we want to hear about it.

The program was designed with the Kohler Company to fund creative, high-impact solutions developed by local change makers that provide access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) to people in the United States, U.S. territories, and sovereign tribal nations.

ELIGIBILITY
Water is Life projects help expand WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) services at the community level. We’re interested in projects that are creative, community-led, and long-lasting.

To be eligible for Water is Life funds:
Your project must be based in the U.S., U.S. territories, or on sovereign tribal nations within U.S. borders. Projects on the Navajo Nation, Central Appalachia, and the Texas colonias will be prioritized in 2024, but we may consider other applicants depending on demand
Your project must measurably improve access to water, sanitation, and/or hygiene for the target recipients
Your project is designed to meet human needs. We do not fund livestock or agricultural water projects

If you’re applying on behalf of an organization, your organization must have an annual operating budget of less than $3 million

The Story of Stuff Project established the Grassroots Grants Program in 2017 to support small organizations and groups organizing against water privatization and plastic pollution in the United States. Since we launched, we have supported over 70 grassroots groups with nearly $200,000 in funding. We prioritize BIPOC-led and serving groups focused on water privatization, plastic pollution, and other environmental justice focus areas.

Thomas Jefferson observed that "the ground of liberty is won by inches." The Norman Foundation seeks to help win some of those precious inches. We support efforts that strengthen the ability of communities to determine their own economic, environmental and social well-being, and that help people control those forces that affect their lives. These efforts may:

promote economic justice and development through community organizing, coalition building and policy reform efforts;
work to prevent the disposal of toxics in communities, and to link environmental issues with economic and social justice;
link community-based economic and environmental justice organizing to national and international reform efforts.

We will consider the following in evaluating grant proposals:

Does the project arise the hopes and efforts of those whose survival, well-being and liberation are directly at stake?
Does it further ethnic, gender and other forms of equity?
Is it rooted in organized, practical undertakings?
Is it likely to achieve systemic change?

The Bob Barker Foundation funds organizations that are well-managed, have financial and fundraising plans, engage in strategic planning, and have strong leadership and engaged governance. Your organization must meet the following requirements to receive consideration for funding:

Your organization’s work must result in reducing recidivism.

Your organization must work with a minimum of 100 incarcerated or formerly incarcerated individuals annually.

Your organization must have a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status or be a governmental, educational or research institution with tax-exempt status.

Your methods must be “Evidence-Based” or use “Best Practices.”