Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA OAR CPO 2023 2007771
This funding opportunity comes from the Department of Commerce through NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, specifically the Climate Program Office (CPO) within the Climate and Societal Interactions (CSI) Division. It is a Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) supported Notice of Federal Funding Opportunity focused on helping U.S. communities (including territories) adapt to two escalating climate-related hazards: flooding and wildfire. NOAA frames these hazards as already extremely costly, citing more than $20 billion in damages since 2020, and emphasizes that the most severe impacts often fall on "frontline communities" meaning communities that are disproportionately vulnerable and harmed due to systemic and historical inequities, environmental injustice, and related socioeconomic disparities. The NOFO also stresses that community identity and vulnerability are complex and best defined by communities themselves, and that effective adaptation depends on understanding local context rather than forcing one-size-fits-all labels or solutions.
At its core, the program is designed to strengthen climate adaptation planning and on-the-ground action by funding projects that combine applied research with deep community engagement. NOAA uses a specific definition of "collaborative research and community engagement": building trusted, sustained partnerships among scientists, decision-makers, and communities so they can jointly define adaptation needs, co-produce credible and usable knowledge, and translate that knowledge into community-defined plans that include implementable solutions. The intention is not just to study risks in the abstract, but to improve the real-world processes that lead to equitable decisions, better plans, and investments that actually reduce flooding and wildfire impacts. The work is positioned as foundational to delivering climate services that are relevant and responsive, especially for communities that have historically been excluded from planning and investment decisions.
NOAA ties these awards directly to BIL goals around protecting life and property and improving decision support for hazard mitigation. The expected outcomes are framed around building national adaptive capacity in three practical ways: first, producing new locally relevant knowledge and strategies that reduce flood and wildfire risks in frontline communities; second, testing and evaluating whether existing engagement methods and interdisciplinary approaches can be scaled up or transferred to other places; and third, piloting new engagement methods and new ways of integrating social science and other interdisciplinary knowledge into adaptation planning specifically for flooding and wildfire. In other words, the program is as much about improving the "how" of adaptation planning (processes, participation, decision pathways, capacity building) as it is about improving the "what" (information, strategies, and solutions).
Funding is offered via cooperative agreements, reflecting NOAA's expectation of active involvement during the period of performance rather than a hands-off grant model. The total funding across the NOFO is approximately $3.6 million for FY22/23, and NOAA anticipates making around 12 awards. Individual awards have a stated ceiling of $500,000. The opportunity is listed as discretionary and aligned with activity categories that include environment, natural resources, science and technology R&D, and infrastructure-related themes under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act framework.
The NOFO is structured into three separate but related competitions. The first competition, funded at roughly $800,000, targets improving engagement methods for coastal resilience planning. This emphasizes developing, refining, or validating approaches that bring communities meaningfully into coastal adaptation work, likely including how partners communicate risk, build trust, incorporate local knowledge, and create planning processes that frontline residents can shape and benefit from. The second competition is the largest, at about $1.87 million, and focuses on assessing tradeoffs and co-benefits in complex decisions for communities facing coastal inundation and/or inland flooding. This area is aimed at decision-making under real constraints and competing priorities, such as balancing protection of housing, ecosystems, livelihoods, cultural resources, and public infrastructure, while also identifying actions that deliver multiple benefits (for example, flood mitigation that also improves public health, access, or economic resilience). The third competition, funded at about $930,000, shifts to wildfire by examining how social infrastructure interacts with wildfire risk and what that means for community adaptive capacity. "Social infrastructure" here can be understood as the networks, institutions, services, relationships, and local organizations that enable communities to prepare, respond, and recover; the competition centers on how those social systems shape vulnerability and resilience and how they can be strengthened as part of wildfire adaptation.
A defining eligibility and program design feature is that projects must leverage the Climate Adaptation Partnerships (CAP) program, formerly known as the Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) program. CAP/RISA is described as a long-running network of regionally focused applied research and engagement teams with decades of experience working with local partners on climate impacts. For this NOFO, proposals are meant to work across existing CAP/RISA teams and related expansion regions to test approaches, scale what works, and transfer knowledge across geographies to build broader national capacity. Importantly, the Principal Investigator must be a member of a current CAP/RISA team, and the eligibility language notes "Others" with additional clarifications in the NOFO about who can apply and what team compositions are acceptable. The rationale is that CAP/RISA teams are already embedded in their regions, have established trust with decision-makers and community members, and understand the physical and social dynamics that determine how climate risks play out locally; NOAA is using that foundation to accelerate equitable, usable adaptation outcomes tied specifically to flooding and wildfire.
Key administrative details included in the listing are the opportunity number (NOAA OAR CPO 2023 2007771), the CFDA number (11.431), and the original timeline showing a creation date of January 3, 2023 with an original closing date of March 29, 2023. Overall, the opportunity is best summarized as a targeted NOAA BIL investment in people-centered, partnership-driven climate adaptation work that improves how communities, especially frontline communities, plan for and reduce risks from flooding and wildfire, while also producing methods and insights that can be replicated beyond a single project location.Apply for NOAA OAR CPO 2023 2007771
- The Department of Commerce in the business and commerce, environment, infrastructure investment and jobs act (iija), natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Climate Program Office (CPO), Climate and Societal Interactions (CSI) Division — Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.431.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jan 03, 2023.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 29, 2023. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 12 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1) What is this funding opportunity?
This is a Notice of Federal Funding Opportunity (NOFO) from the U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), Climate Program Office (CPO), within the Climate and Societal Interactions (CSI) Division. It is supported by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and focuses on community adaptation to flooding and wildfire.
2) What hazards does the program focus on?
The program is focused on two escalating climate-related hazards: flooding (including coastal inundation and inland flooding) and wildfire.
3) Why is NOAA prioritizing flooding and wildfire through this program?
NOAA describes flooding and wildfire as already extremely costly hazards, citing more than $20 billion in damages since 2020. The program is positioned as an investment in adaptation planning and action that helps reduce impacts to people, property, and communities.
4) Who is this program intended to benefit?
The program emphasizes benefits for U.S. communities (including U.S. territories), with a particular focus on "frontline communities" that are disproportionately vulnerable and harmed due to systemic and historical inequities, environmental injustice, and related socioeconomic disparities.
5) How does NOAA define "frontline communities" for this opportunity?
The NOFO frames frontline communities as disproportionately vulnerable and harmed due to systemic and historical inequities, environmental injustice, and socioeconomic disparities. It also stresses that community identity and vulnerability are complex and are best defined by communities themselves rather than by one-size-fits-all labels.
6) What kinds of projects is NOAA trying to fund?
Projects are intended to strengthen climate adaptation planning and on-the-ground action by combining applied research with deep community engagement. The emphasis is on improving real-world processes that lead to equitable decisions, stronger plans, and investments that reduce flooding and wildfire impacts.
7) What does NOAA mean by "collaborative research and community engagement"?
NOAA defines it as building trusted, sustained partnerships among scientists, decision-makers, and communities so partners can jointly define adaptation needs, co-produce credible and usable knowledge, and translate that knowledge into community-defined plans that include implementable solutions.
8) Is the goal mainly research, implementation, or both?
Based on the NOFO description, it is both: applied research is expected, but the research is meant to directly support community-defined adaptation planning and implementable solutions. The program is designed to move beyond abstract risk study and improve planning processes and decision pathways that lead to action.
9) What outcomes is NOAA expecting from funded projects?
The NOFO describes expected outcomes tied to building national adaptive capacity, including: (1) producing new locally relevant knowledge and strategies that reduce flood and wildfire risks in frontline communities; (2) testing and evaluating whether existing engagement methods and interdisciplinary approaches can be scaled or transferred to other places; and (3) piloting new engagement methods and new ways of integrating social science and other interdisciplinary knowledge into adaptation planning for flooding and wildfire.
10) What is meant by improving the "how" of adaptation?
The opportunity is not only about generating information or strategies, but also about improving adaptation planning processes, participation, decision pathways, and capacity-building approaches, especially in contexts where communities have historically been excluded from planning and investment decisions.
11) What funding mechanism will NOAA use?
Funding will be provided through cooperative agreements, which indicates NOAA expects active involvement during the period of performance (rather than a fully hands-off grant model).
12) How much total funding is available under this NOFO?
Total funding across the NOFO is approximately $3.6 million for FY22/23.
13) How many awards does NOAA expect to make?
NOAA anticipates making around 12 awards.
14) What is the maximum award size?
The stated ceiling for an individual award is $500,000.
15) Is this opportunity competitive?
Yes. It is described as a discretionary funding opportunity and is structured as competitions within the NOFO.
16) What are the three competitions within the NOFO?
The NOFO includes three separate but related competitions: (1) improving engagement methods for coastal resilience planning; (2) assessing tradeoffs and co-benefits in complex decisions for communities facing coastal inundation and/or inland flooding; and (3) examining how social infrastructure interacts with wildfire risk and what that means for community adaptive capacity.
17) How much funding is associated with Competition 1?
Competition 1 is funded at roughly $800,000 and focuses on improving engagement methods for coastal resilience planning.
18) What is Competition 1 focused on in practical terms?
It emphasizes developing, refining, or validating approaches that bring communities meaningfully into coastal adaptation work. This can include how partners communicate risk, build trust, incorporate local knowledge, and create planning processes that frontline residents can shape and benefit from.
19) How much funding is associated with Competition 2?
Competition 2 is funded at about $1.87 million and focuses on assessing tradeoffs and co-benefits in complex decisions related to coastal inundation and/or inland flooding.
20) What is Competition 2 focused on?
This competition centers on real-world decision-making under constraints and competing priorities, such as balancing protection of housing, ecosystems, livelihoods, cultural resources, and public infrastructure, while identifying actions that deliver co-benefits (for example, flood mitigation that also improves public health, access, or economic resilience).
21) How much funding is associated with Competition 3?
Competition 3 is funded at about $930,000 and focuses on wildfire, specifically the interaction between social infrastructure and wildfire risk.
22) What does the NOFO mean by "social infrastructure" in the wildfire competition?
In this context, social infrastructure refers to networks, institutions, services, relationships, and local organizations that enable communities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from wildfire. The competition focuses on how these systems shape vulnerability and resilience and how they can be strengthened as part of wildfire adaptation.
23) What role do Climate Adaptation Partnerships (CAP) / RISA teams play in eligibility and project design?
A defining feature of this NOFO is that projects must leverage the Climate Adaptation Partnerships (CAP) program, formerly the Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) program. Proposals are intended to work across existing CAP/RISA teams and related expansion regions to test approaches, scale what works, and transfer knowledge across geographies to build broader national capacity.
24) Who must serve as Principal Investigator (PI)?
The Principal Investigator must be a member of a current CAP/RISA team.
25) Can organizations outside of CAP/RISA be involved?
The listing notes eligibility includes "Others" with additional clarifications in the NOFO about who can apply and what team compositions are acceptable. Based on the information provided, the PI requirement still applies (PI must be part of a current CAP/RISA team), and projects are meant to leverage CAP/RISA partnerships.
26) Why is NOAA requiring CAP/RISA involvement?
The NOFO rationale is that CAP/RISA teams are regionally embedded, have established trust with decision-makers and community members, and understand the physical and social dynamics that shape climate risks locally. NOAA is using this foundation to accelerate equitable and usable adaptation outcomes for flooding and wildfire.
27) How does this opportunity relate to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL)?
The NOFO is BIL-supported and tied to goals around protecting life and property and improving decision support for hazard mitigation, aligning with infrastructure-related themes under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act framework.
28) What are the program's main subject areas or activity categories?
The opportunity is aligned with activity categories that include environment, natural resources, science and technology research and development (R&D), and infrastructure-related themes.
29) What is the opportunity number and CFDA number?
Opportunity number: NOAA OAR CPO 2023 2007771. CFDA number: 11.431.
30) What were the key dates listed for this opportunity?
The listing shows a creation date of January 3, 2023, with an original closing date of March 29, 2023.
31) Does NOAA emphasize equity and environmental justice in this NOFO?
Yes. The description highlights that the most severe impacts often fall on frontline communities and stresses that effective adaptation depends on understanding local context and community-defined needs, particularly where historical exclusion and inequities have shaped vulnerability and outcomes.
32) What makes this NOFO different from a typical hazard research grant?
The NOFO emphasizes applied, collaborative work that improves planning and decision processes through sustained partnerships. It is designed to produce usable knowledge and community-defined plans with implementable solutions, and to generate methods and insights that can be transferred or scaled beyond a single location.
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