News & Updates

CSCI Awards $2.2M to Accelerate Local Climate Resilience Efforts 

By Haley Pope •

Map of 2025 awarded communities from CSCI

August 7, 2025 – The Climate Smart Communities Initiative (CSCI) is announcing 21 grants totaling $2.2M to help communities across the country plan and prepare for extreme weather events and other impacts of a changing climate. The awards, which include funding as well as technical support, will enable each of the selected communities to work with a climate adaptation practitioner to address locally identified priorities.

“We were happily surprised at the quantity and quality of the applications received,” said John Nordgren, Managing Director of the Climate Resilience Fund, one of six partners in CSCI. “It is a clear signal that there is real demand from communities across the country. It is exciting to see how many local officials, community organizations, and leading experts want to work together, understand the threats they are facing, develop plans, and implement climate resilience efforts. This is challenging and necessary work that can make a real difference in these communities and help them prepare for future climate impacts.”

The CSCI grants program is focused on assisting communities that are facing significant climate challenges with limited resources. For this round of grants, the Initiative received 118 applications from communities in 35 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Some of the communities are at risk from stronger storms, sea level rise, or flash flooding, while others must account for the reality of extended droughts, extreme heat, or destructive wildfires. Each of the applications was submitted by a team composed of a local government partner, a community-based organization, and a qualified adaptation practitioner, for the purpose of advancing a climate resilience plan or project, while also building their capacity to continue their progress beyond the grant period.

“Climate challenges are increasingly obvious to local leaders,” said Tonya Graham, Executive Director of the Geos Institute – a CSCI partner – and Mayor of Ashland, Oregon. “They are seeing the studies by organizations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and recognizing the reality that every dollar invested in climate resilience now is not only going to help protect lives and livelihoods, but will save their community up to thirteen times that amount in the future.”

The Awards

  • Alaska – Keex Kwaan Community Use Area: A grant of $93,500 will enable this predominantly Native community in the southeastern section of the state to develop a comprehensive climate adaptation plan. Project partners include Figus Consulting Services, LLC, the Organized Village of Kake Tribe, and Spruce Root.
  • California – Orange County: A grant of $130,000 will launch an innovative pilot floodplain restoration project that incorporates traditional knowledge, collaborative stewardship, and community engagement. Project partners include the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation – Belardes, the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation – 84A, and the Gabrieleno/Tongva San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians, American Rivers, Friends of Puvungna, and Orange County Environmental Justice Education Fund (OCEJEF).
  • California – Nevada County: A grant of $100,000 will enable the project team to recruit and train crews to implement several adaptation projects aimed at reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire. Project partners include the California Heritage Indigenous Research Project (CHIRP), Greensleeves: a nonprofit rewilding project, and the Sierra Streams Institute.
  • District of Columbia / Maryland: A grant of $115,036 will support a collaborative effort to address extreme flooding in the Capitol Heights area of the Watts Branch Watershed using various nature-based infrastructure strategies, maximizing social and environmental benefits. Project partners include ICF, Straughan Environmental, and CHPlanning.
  • Florida – Boynton Beach: A grant of $100,000 will be used to develop a data-informed, community-driven urban heat resilience strategy to combat extreme heat risk and advance solutions like tree canopy expansion and cooling infrastructure. Project partners include the City of Boynton Beach, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability USA, Community Greening, EcoAdapt, and American Forests.
  • Georgia – Chatham County: With a grant of $110,787, this coastal county will develop a “Resilience Roadmap,” providing a common set of goals and priorities to implementing departments and community partners alike. Project partners include Chatham County, the Georgia Conservancy, and Resilient Cities Catalyst (RCC).
  • Hawaii – Maui County: With rising temperatures, longer droughts, extreme wind events, and invasive grasses, these islands are increasingly vulnerable to wildfires. A grant of $100,000 will help the county assess wildfire risk and develop recommendations to improve plans and policies. Project partners include the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization, Headwaters Economics, and Maui County.  
  • Idaho – Blaine County: A $99,000 grant will support project partners as they work together to advance previously identified climate resilience priorities, including nature-based solutions such as planting shade trees, improving forest management, and restoring riparian areas. Project partners include Blaine County, The Keystone Concept, and the Wood River Land Trust.       
  • Kentucky – Floyd County: A flood mitigation needs assessment, evaluating the need for a community resilience hub, and developing a “Higher Ground Housing Strategy,” will be the focus of this $100,000 grant aimed at helping communities in coal country cope with a changing climate. Project partners include the Central Appalachian Network, Floyd County KY BRECC, and the Floyd County Fiscal Court. 
  • Louisiana – New Orleans East: A grant of $100,000 will support the New Orleans East Green Infrastructure Collective in developing a climate vulnerability and risk assessment to guide green infrastructure strategies that reduce extreme heat. Project partners include EcoAdapt, the New Orleans East Green Infrastructure Collective (NOEGIC), the New Orleans Department of Parks and Parkways, and Water Wise Gulf South.
  • Maryland – Salisbury: With a grant of $100,000, faith-based groups in this community will begin implementing climate resilience strategies that they helped identify in a prior planning effort. Project partners include Creation Justice Ministries, Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NOVA), and Wicomico County.
  • New Mexico – Lower Rio Chama Watershed: A grant of $99,795 will enable the development of a locally-led plan to mitigate impacts of drought, flooding, and erosion, building from traditional irrigation ditches known as acequias as a foundation for landscape and community resilience. Project partners include Los Salazares Community Ditch, Rio Chama Acequia Association, South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, New Mexico Acequia Association, and American Rivers.
  • North Carolina – Navassa: A grant of $115,160 will support the town in launching “EcoProtect,” a community-led effort to advance nature-based solutions that address flood and extreme heat threats. Project partners include BSC Group, the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, and the Town of Navassa.
  • North Carolina – Swannanoa and Woodfin: A grant of $130,000 will support the Western North Carolina towns of Swannanoa and Woodfin in building resilience after Hurricane Helene through community-led planning, hazard assessments, and locally focused recovery efforts. Project partners include the Swannanoa Grassroots Alliance, the Town of Woodfin, the Land of Sky Regional Council, the Swannanoa Resilience Coordination Hub, RiverLink, Equinox, Appalachian Voices, Warren Wilson College, Thrive Asheville, Fernleaf and MountainTrue. 
  • Ohio – Athens County: A grant of $101,753 will enable a study of the increased risk of flood, erosion, and sedimentation that has come with a changing climate, an essential step in the county’s pursuit of climate resilience. Project partners include Athens County, BSC Group, Inc., and Rural Action. 
  • Pennsylvania – Pittsburgh: A grant of $99,976 will support Pittsburgh in transforming vacant lots into green stormwater infrastructure to help reduce urban flooding in vulnerable neighborhoods and improve water quality. Project partners include the City of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Water, and the WaterNow Alliance.
  • Pennsylvania – Southwest Philadelphia: A grant of $97,825 will support Eastwick in developing an affordable flood insurance and voluntary buyout program to protect residents from recurring flood events and alleviate financial hardships. Project partners include the City of Philadelphia Office of Sustainability; Eastwick United, CDC; and Insurance for Good.
  • Puerto Rico – Barrio Playa: A grant of $100,000 will enable the development of “Coastal Roots: Community and Preparedness,” a climate resilience plan for this coastal community in the Municipality of Ponce, where residents are at high risk from elevated temperatures, intense storms, and increased flooding. Project partners include the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce, Climigration Network, and Un Nuevo Amanecer (UNA).  
  • Puerto Rico – Culebra: A new plant nursery with the capacity to grow the native trees and vetiver grasses that are needed for nature-based climate resilience solutions will be developed with a grant of $99,945. Project partners include Coastal Quest, Culebra Municipality, and Protectores de Cuencas.
  • Texas – San Antonio: A grant of $96,000 will advance a collaborative effort to address the risk of extreme heat to elderly and low-income residents in the city’s South San neighborhood. Project partners include Adaptation International, Fuerza Unida, and the City of San Antonio’s Office of Sustainability.
  • Washington – Traditional Lands of the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe: A grant of $100,000 will help the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe conduct a climate vulnerability assessment and develop a climate resilience plan aimed at protecting their lands, traditions, and livelihoods. Project partners include PICEA Consulting Group, Conservation Biology Institute, and the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe (SSIT).
More About CSCI Awards

“This kind of support for climate resilience is essential, especially now,” said Emma Koeze of Coastal Quest, a non-profit that worked with the communities of East Palo Alto and South San Francisco under two earlier grants from CSCI. “CSCI support stands out because it respects local leadership, builds on and further cultivates existing partnerships, and draws on local knowledge, allowing for the best results locally while seeking to improve best practices nationally.”

The Initiative was able to provide more grants to more communities this year thanks in part to the generous support of The Coca-Cola Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation. “At The Coca-Cola Foundation, we believe that community preparedness is key to responding to future weather events. We invest in initiatives such as the Climate Smart Communities Initiative to help build a more resilient and more sustainable future,” said Carlos Pagoaga, President of The Coca-Cola Foundation. “Communities are charting a path forward – developing practical solutions that improve lives and safeguard water and nature. The Walton Family Foundation is proud to support this work through CSCI and to stand alongside those leading the way,” said Amy Saltzman, Senior Program Officer, Environment Program.

“It’s incredibly exciting to see private foundations and corporate partners joining the effort,” added Ned Gardiner, Program Manager for the Climate Smart Communities Initiative at NOAA. “This investment not only expands the reach of the Initiative, but also sends a powerful message that helping communities build resilience and prepare for extreme weather events is a shared responsibility, and that we’re stronger when the public and private sectors work together.”

CSCI was created through a collaborative agreement with NOAA, and now operates as a public-private partnership.

Beyond the direct support offered to communities through its grants program, CSCI offers additional resources as part of its commitment to developing the strategies and capacities that communities across the country will need as climate impacts intensify. These additional resources include:

For updates about upcoming grant opportunities, follow CSCI on LinkedIn or subscribe to the CSCI mailing list.