Summary of this Funding Opportunity

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Gulf Research Program (GRP) is developing new programming around health and community resilience that prioritizes the needs and challenges of communities that are at risk from climate hazards and other disasters. This funding opportunity is an initial step toward understanding how to effectively engage communities about the impacts of climate change.

Specifically, the GRP is seeking proposals that explore innovative methods or approaches to engage communities about climate change impacts on human health or community resilience. The GRP will accept proposals from nonprofits and community-based organizations (CBOs) with 501(c)(3) status that have an existing climate adaptation or disaster resilience program in the GRP’s geographic region [1].

Award Details

The GRP expects to award up to six proposals under this funding opportunity. Applicants may request up to $300,000 for projects that are up to 18 months in duration.

Key Dates

• July 1, 2021: Online proposal submission opens
• August 12, 2021: Full proposals are due by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time
• September – October 2021: Award Selection and Notification
• November – December 2021: Anticipated Funding Start Date

The Challenge

Communities in the Gulf region and Alaska are confronting numerous complex and inter-related challenges associated with climate change, and many have already been impacted by a range of climate-related events such as sea level rise, flooding, severe storms, wildfires, or erosion. Since 1980, there has been an increase in the frequency and cost of billion-dollar weather and climate events (e.g., severe storms, hurricanes, flooding) in the United States [2].

Over the past two decades, the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events have been increasing. The fastest rates of sea level rise in the United States are along the Gulf Coast from the mouth of the Mississippi River westward [3]. And since 2000, high tide flooding (a.k.a., “nuisance” or “sunny day” flooding) along the Gulf Coast has been increasing, resulting in damages to coastal infrastructure such as homes and roads [4].

However, despite the increase in exposure or potential exposure to the impacts of climate change, only 41% of adults across the five Gulf Coast states and 39% in Alaska believe climate change will harm them personally [5]. Engaging communities about climate change can sometimes be challenging, especially if it involves discussions about sensitive issues such as mental health, community displacement, culture, or livelihoods.

Purpose of this Funding Opportunity

The GRP is developing new programming around health and community resilience that prioritizes the needs and challenges of communities that are at risk from climate hazards and other disasters. This funding opportunity is an initial step toward understanding how to effectively engage communities about the impacts of climate change.

Specifically, the GRP is seeking proposals from nonprofits and CBOs with 501(c)(3) status that explore innovative methods or approaches to engage communities about climate change impacts on human health or community resilience. The nonprofits and CBOs must have an existing climate adaptation or disaster resilience program in the GRP’s geographic region (i.e., the coastal regions of one of the five Gulf of Mexico states or Southcentral Alaska). The GRP encourages partnerships with other organizations, institutions, academia, etc.

Examples of community engagement approaches or methods could include, but are not limited to, community-based monitoring, mobile technology applications (i.e. apps), videos, story maps, art, music, toolkits, manuals, visioning exercises, peer-to-peer learning, or storytelling. Applicants are encouraged to be creative in their approach.

Each project will produce the following deliverables:

1. A report that includes a/an:
   1. Overview of the location (e.g., city, own, parish) where the project was implemented.
   2. Description of the general characteristics of the target community that participated in the engagement activity, and a discussion of why the target community was selected for this engagement activity.
   3. Discussion of the climate change impacts on human health or community resilience that were explored.
   4. Description of the approach or method developed and how it was implemented to engage the target community.
   5. Summary of the beliefs, values, or attitudes of the target community about the climate change impacts before and after their participation in the engagement activity.
   6. Assessment of the outcomes of the engagement activity (e.g., did it raise awareness, increase knowledge, or change attitudes or behaviors of the target community?).
   7. Summary of the feedback from the target community about their experience participating in the engagement activity.
   8. Discussion of the successes and challenges in developing and implementing the engagement activity.
   9. Identification of possible next steps or follow-on activities.
2. Products (e.g., manuals, toolkits) or access to products (e.g., website, mobile app) that were produced from the community engagement activity.

The GRP will share these deliverables with other organizations interested in engaging their communities about climate change impacts.

GRP grantees are also required to adhere to internal GRP reporting requirements (i.e., progress reports, financial reports).

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The GRP takes issues of equity and justice very seriously. We are committed to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in our work, and exercising these principles in our staffing, granting, board appointments, and fellowships. No person on grounds of race, color, age, sex, national origin, religion, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, or disability shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under this program.

References

[1] The GRP focuses its work in the Gulf of Mexico and the adjacent coastal regions of the five Gulf States (Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas). The GRP also works in other areas of the outer continental shelf of the United States where there is offshore drilling, hydrocarbon production, and transportation, and in adjacent coastal regions. This includes coastal areas of the Southcentral region of Alaska.

[2] NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. 2021. “U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters.”

[3] National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. January 25, 2021. “Climate Change: Global Sea Level.”

[4] National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. July 2020. 2019 State of U.S. High Tide Flooding with a 2020 Outlook. NOAA Technical Report NOS CO-OPS 092.

[5] Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. September 2, 2020. “Yale Climate Opinion Maps 2020.”