Climate Smart Communities Initiative

The Climate Smart Communities Initiative (CSCI) provides funding, expertise, training, and other resources to help communities on the front lines of the climate crisis advance their climate resilience plans and projects while also developing the strategies and capacities that communities nationwide will need as climate impacts intensify. 

The CSCI is managed by a consortium of partners, including the Climate Resilience Fund, EcoAdapt, Fernleaf, Geos Institute, ICF, and the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC). Over the next several years, we will support communities nationwide in building their internal capacity, matching them with appropriate external partners, and providing guidance and funding resources. EcoAdapt will lead the monitoring and evaluation component of this project to learn what is effective in community support delivery and adaptation practices. The assessment of adaptation efficacy and the implementation of evidence-based adaptation strategies are crucial for enhancing our collective outcomes and scaling up adaptation efforts. CSCI provides a unique opportunity to learn at a scale that matches the challenge of climate change. 

Launch of the Climate Smart Communities Initiative

Grant Applications and Funding

Learning and Innovation

To help communities effectively prepare for climate change, adaptation practitioners need to know what works. The Climate Smart Communities Initiative is committed to sharing insights from its “Learning and Innovation” efforts to accelerate understanding of effective adaptation and guide sound investments in community resilience. To gain understanding, the Initiative has implemented learning and innovation practices with three primary goals:

• Learn what works: Evaluate the effectiveness of funded projects in reducing social, economic, and ecological vulnerability to climate change. This includes assessing adaptation plans, actions, and the impact of Initiative support.

• Share what works: Use evaluation results to identify and communicate which adaptation strategies best build resilience, helping inform policy and practice.

• Improve the Initiative: Continuously assess and refine the Initiative’s processes, such as training, grantmaking, and knowledge exchange, to enhance impact and reduce burdens on communities and practitioners through adaptive management.

The Registry of Adaptation Practitioners!

The Registry of Adaptation Practitioners is an online database that connects communities to qualified climate adaptation professionals. The Registry highlights organizations that work in the field of climate adaptation and resilience, are committed to following best practices, and have a track record of high-quality results. 

Find more details on the Registry’s review process and review the application here.

The Adaptation Help Desk

NOAA's Steps to Resilience Training

The Steps to Resilience training equips adaptation professionals with the essential skills to effectively lead communities through resilience and adaptation planning and projects. Learn more about the trainings offered here. 

The Adaptation Options Database