Aerial view of a town, Maximillian Conacher, sPpe2D7VbpM
COPEWELL in Practice

Resilience Funding Opportunities

The following is a list of grants that are potentially useful for funding community resilience assessments and/or improvements.  It also includes opportunities where COPEWELL-related data and information could be useful in developing funding applications. This list primarily contains grants available from the federal government. However, entities working on resilience should also consider private foundation, state or city level grants, community benefit funds or other resources that could support community resilience-building. The individual grant descriptions below provide information on grant eligibility and how COPEWELL could be used to support the grant applications. This information is up to date as of June 2022, but many of these grant opportunities will have similar deadlines and scopes in future funding cycles as well.

 

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

  • Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Cooperative Agreement
    • Description: CDC provides funding and technical assistance to build public health preparedness and response capabilities nationwide. CDC’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Cooperative Agreement provides funding to 50 states, 4 cities, and 8 U.S. territories and freely associated states.
    • COPWELL Fit: The latest version of the “Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Capabilities: National Standards for State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Public Health (CDC 2018)” (National Standards for PHEPR Capabilities) describes the components necessary to advance jurisdictional public health preparedness and response capacity. The COPEWELL model is listed in the Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Capabilities Suggested Resouces-2018 to support Capability 1-Community Preparedness and Capability 2- Community Recovery, and can be used to conduct PHEP Jurisdictional Risk Assessments
    • Timeline: Annual funding, FY2022 Grant Deadline was March 22, 2022
  • Building Resilience Against Climate Effects: Implementing and Evaluating Adaptation Strategies that Protect and Promote Human Health
    • Description: CDC’s Climate-Ready States and Cities Initiative (CRSCI) is helping grant recipients from 11 jurisdictions use the five-step Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) framework to identify likely climate impacts in their communities, potential health effects associated with these impacts, and their most at-risk populations and locations. The BRACE framework then helps grant recipients develop and implement health adaptation plans and address gaps in critical public health functions and services.
    • COPEWELL Fit: In addition to the BRACE resources, COPEWELL could be used to help communities in “Assessing Vulnerabilities” and to “Assess Public Health Interventions.”
    • Timeline: Sporadic Funding, more information available at climateandhealth@cdc.gov
       
  • Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant
    • Description: The Preventive Health and Health Services (PHHS) Block Grant Program allows the 50 states, the District of Columbia, 2 American Indian tribes, 5 US territories, and 3 freely associated states to address their own unique public health needs and challenges with innovative and community-driven methods.  The PHHS Block Grant Program allows states, territories, and tribes to:
      • Address emerging health issues and gaps
      • Decrease premature death and disabilities by focusing on the leading preventable risk factors
      • Work to achieve health equity and eliminate health disparities by addressing the social determinants of health
      • Support local programs to achieve healthy communities
      • Establish data and surveillance systems to monitor the health status of targeted populations
    • COPEWELL Fit:  This grant is one of state health agencies’ more flexible funding opportunities and can sometimes be used for special projects.  It could perhaps support community driven assessments of resilience or resiliency improvement activities identified through self-assessment.
    • Timeline: Each recipient (states, tribes, territories, etc.) has its own process for applying for these funds.  See contacts to learn more at https://www.cdc.gov/phhsblockgrant/phhscontacts.htm

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): All based on the 2022 FEMA Preparedness Grants Manual: https://www.fema.gov/grants/preparedness

 

FEMA Preparedness Grant Program:

  • Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG)
    • Description: The Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) provides state, local, tribal, and territorial emergency management agencies with the resources required for implementation of the National Preparedness System and works toward the National Preparedness Goal of a secure and resilient nation.
    • COPEWELL Fit: “The fiscal year (FY) 2022 Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) Program is one of the grant programs that constitute DHS/FEMA’s focus on all-hazards emergency preparedness. These grant programs are part of a comprehensive set of measures authorized by Congress and implemented by DHS/FEMA to assist state, local, tribal, and territorial emergency management agencies to implement the National Preparedness System and the National Preparedness Goal of a secure and resilient nation.”
    • Timeline: Annual funding, deadline for FY22 was June 13.
  • State Homeland Security Grant Program
    • Description: The Homeland Security Grant includes a suite of risk-based grants to assist state, local, tribal, and territorial efforts in preventing, protecting against, mitigating, responding to and recovering from acts of terrorism and other threats. This grant provides grantees with the resources required for implementation of the National Preparedness System and working toward the National Preparedness Goal of a secure and resilient nation.
    • COPWELL Fit: FEMA Preparedness Grants Manual FY2022: “The mission areas and core capabilities organize the activities and tasks performed before, during, and after disasters into a framework for achieving the goal of a secure and resilient Nation. Core capabilities include Risk and Disaster Resilience Assessment, Community Resilience, and Long-Term Vulnerability Reduction, which COPEWELL would be well-placed to help address.
    • Timeline: Annual funding, deadline for FY22 was June 13.
       
  • Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program
    • Description: The Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program (THSGP) plays an important role in the implementation of the National Preparedness System by supporting the building, sustaining and delivery of core capabilities essential to achieving the National Preparedness Goal of a secure and resilient nation.
    • COPEWELL FIT: A key priority of this grant is “enhancing community preparedness and resilience.” Core capabilities include Risk and Disaster Resilience Assessment, Community Resilience, and Long-Term Vulnerability Reduction, which COPEWELL would be well-placed to help address.
    • Timeline: Annual funding, deadline for FY22 was June 13.
       
  • Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program
    • Description: The Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program (RCPGP) plays an important role in the implementation of the National Preparedness System. RCPGP supports the building of core capabilities essential to achieving the National Preparedness Goal of a secure and resilient nation by providing resources to close known capability gaps in Housing and Logistics and Supply Chain Management, encouraging innovative regional solutions to issues related to catastrophic incidents, and building on existing regional efforts.
    • COPEWELL FIT: COPEWELL may assist with assessing regional resilience to disasters and identifying interventions that could be applied at the regional level to address gaps and improve resilience.
    • Timeline: Typically annual funding, deadline for FY20 was July 15.

 

FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grants:

  • Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC)
    • Description: Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) will support states, local communities, tribes, and territories as they undertake hazard mitigation projects, reducing the risks they face from disasters and natural hazards. The BRIC program guiding principles are supporting communities through capability- and capacity-building; encouraging and enabling innovation; promoting partnerships; enabling large projects; maintaining flexibility; and providing consistency.
    • COPEWELL Fit: From FY21 Notice of Funding “FEMA will also provide non-financial Direct Technical Assistance to communities to build a community’s capacity and capability to improve its resilience to natural hazards and to ensure stakeholders are capable of building and sustaining successful mitigation programs, submitting high quality applications, and implementing new and innovative projects that reduce risk from a wide range of natural hazards.”
    • Timeline: Annual funding, deadline for FY21 was January 28, 2022.
  • Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA)
    • Description: The Flood Mitigation Assistance Program is a competitive grant program that provides funding to states, local communities, federally recognized tribes and territories. Funds can be used for projects that reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings insured by the National Flood Insurance Program.
    • COPEWELL Fit: COPEWELL resources could be used to assess resilience to flooding and identify mitigation measures to help fill gaps that communities identify.
    • Timeline: Annual funding, deadline for FY21 was January 28, 2022.

 

FEMA Resilience Grants:

  • Earthquake Risk State Assistance Program
    • Description: The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) is the federal government’s coordinated approach to addressing earthquake risks. The NEHRP’s premise is that, while earthquakes may be inevitable, earthquake disasters are not. FEMA is responsible for the majority of NEHRP’s general implementation activities. In this role, FEMA translates the results of research and technology development into effective earthquake risk reduction plans and activities.
    • COPEWELL Fit: COPEWELL resources could be used to assess vulnerability and resilience to earthquakes in communities and in bringing communities together to identify and implement mitigation measures to reduce the risk of earthquake disaster.
    • Timeline: Annual funding, deadline for FY22 was June 1.

Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA):

  • Disaster Supplemental Funding
    • Description: EDA’s mission is to promote innovation and competitiveness to prepare American regions for growth and success. Between FY18 and FY19, EDA received $1.2 billion in supplemental disaster appropriations ($600 million each year) from Congress to help regions recover from the economic harm and distress resulting from natural disasters in 2017-2019. With the support of these funds, American regions and communities hard-hit by major disasters are rebuilding stronger, more resilient economies.
    • COPEWELL Fit: COPEWELL resources might be helpful in bringing communities together to assess gaps in recovery and identify priorities for rebuilding and creating more resilience against future disasters.
    • Timeline: Last funding opportunity was for 2019 disasters – Proposals accepted on a rolling basis until all funds are obligated.

Department of Housing and Urban Development

  • Community Development Block Grant Mitigation Program
    • Description: Community Development Block Grant Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) is a unique and significant opportunity for eligible grantees to use this assistance in areas impacted by recent disasters to carry out strategic and high-impact activities to mitigate disaster risks and reduce future losses.
    • Timeline: Last grant cycle FY18 – deadline unavailable
  • Community Development Block Grant State Program
    • Description: Under the State CDBG Program, states award grants to smaller units of general local government that develop and preserve decent affordable housing, to provide services to the most vulnerable in communities, and to create and retain jobs. Annually, each state develops funding priorities and criteria for selecting projects.
    • COPEWELL Fit: “Each activity must meet one of the following national objectives for the program: benefit low- and moderate-income persons, prevention or elimination of slums or blight, or address community development needs having a particular urgency because existing conditions pose a serious and immediate threat to the health or welfare of the community for which other funding is not available. A need is considered urgent if it poses a serious and immediate threat to the health or welfare of the community and has arisen in the past 18 months.”
    • Timeline: Annual funding to states – state funding distribution deadlines are variable.

 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA):

  • Regional Integrated Science and Assessments (RISA)
    • Description: The Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) Program supports research projects that address climate-sensitive issues of concern to decision makers and policy planners at a regional level. There are 11 RISA teams across the country.
    • COPEWELL Fit: Through regionally-focused and interdisciplinary research and engagement teams, RISA expands the Nation's capacity to adapt and become resilient to extreme weather events and climate change. RISA teams accomplish this through applied and co-developed research and partnerships with communities. A central tenet of the RISA program is that learning about climate adaptation and resilience is facilitated by and sustained across a wide range of experts, practitioners, and the public. COPEWELL can help with bringing stakeholders together at the regional level and assisting with organized conversations around resilience.
    • Timeline: Semi-annual funding, FY21 letters of intent were due October 19, and full applications were due Jan 18, 2022.
  • Environmental Literacy Program
    • Description: NOAA’s Environmental Literacy Program provides grants and in-kind support for programs that educate and inspire people to use Earth system science to improve ecosystem stewardship and increase resilience to environmental hazards. The program builds capacity for institutions and networks to advance NOAA’s mission through formal (K-12) and informal education at national, regional, and local levels.
    • COPEWELL Fit: Supports the idea of education and literacy as integral tools for community resilience.
    • Timeline: Annual funding, Deadline unavailable
       
  • Coping with Drought Research Competition
    • Description: Since 2007, the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) has funded more than 60 innovative drought research projects through the Coping with Drought research competition. Research through the Coping with Drought competition assesses impacts of drought on agriculture, ecosystems, and water resources and develops decision support tools for regional, state, and local use.
    • COPEWELL Fit: FY22 Coping with Drought: Building Tribal Drought Resilience - This competition focused on the implementation of actions—together with research on those actions—to build tribal drought resilience contained in existing plans and strategies. COPEWELL could be useful in bringing communities together to understand and model resilience and identify key gaps where new strategies and mitigation measures could help improve drought resilience.
    • Timeline: Annual funding, FY22 funding announcement was posted in July 2021 and closed on October 18, 2021.

 

Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs:

  • Tribal Climate Resilience Program
    • Description/COPEWELL Fit: From FY21 Solicitation, “The Program supports tribes as they prepare for climate change impacts on tribal treaty and trust resources, economies, infrastructure, and human health and safety.  The Program will provide funding for projects that support tribal climate resilience as tribes incorporate science (including Traditional Knowledge) and technical information.
    • Timeline: Annual Funding, typically Late-April, Early-May: more information here Resilience.funding@bia.gov.

 

Americorps:

  • Americorps State and National Grants
    • Description: AmeriCorps State and National prioritizes the investment of national service resources (typically Americorps/VISTA service year participants) in the following areas, among others:
      • Efforts to help local communities respond to and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
      • Programs that prioritize civic engagement and social cohesion.
      • Environmental stewardship and climate change including renewable energy and energy efficiency, building community resilience, sustainable food systems and agriculture, and conservation and habitat preservation.
    • COPEWELL Fit: For organizations hosting them, Americorps / VISTA volunteers could be good assists for helping facilitate COPEWELL related community assessments or supporting identified resiliency-building initiatives.  COPEWELL data could provide support for funding applications around building community resiliency. 
    • Timeline: States submit proposals in a consolidated fashion annually (2022 applications were due in Jan). Processes and timelines for collecting proposed sites to fund vary by state. See https://www.americorps.gov/contact/state-service-commissions for state specific contact information.