Climate Program Office (CPO), Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) Program FY2021 | NOAA OAR CPO 2021 2006677

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA OAR CPO 2021 2006677

The Climate Program Office (CPO) Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) Program FY2021 is a NOAA (Department of Commerce) funding opportunity designed to strengthen climate adaptation and resilience across the United States by supporting regionally focused, interdisciplinary research and sustained engagement with decision-makers. The program sits within NOAA's Climate and Societal Interactions (CSI) Division, a long-standing hub for applied climate science that connects technical climate knowledge directly to real-world preparedness, adaptation, and risk-reduction needs. This opportunity reflects a broader direction within CSI to expand and streamline adaptation-focused investments, including alignment with a newer Adaptation Science Program, while continuing the core RISA model of long-term, place-based work.

At its core, the RISA Program is built around the idea that communities, agencies, and businesses make better choices when climate information is translated into usable knowledge and co-developed with the people who will apply it. RISA teams are expected to combine expertise across physical sciences, natural sciences, social sciences, and practitioner knowledge, then use that mix to tackle climate variability and climate change challenges that are specific to a region. The program emphasizes applied, solution-oriented work that helps decision-makers plan for extremes and long-term shifts, while acknowledging that adaptation often involves uncertainty, tradeoffs, and complex social and institutional constraints. Historically, RISA investments helped advance the practical use of regional climate information (including early seasonal outlook experimentation), improved predictive tools and scenarios, built drought early warning capacity, and advanced climate impacts assessment methods. More recently, the program has shifted toward the pressing realities of adaptation planning and implementation, with a stronger focus on the societal dimensions of resilience and the partnerships needed to make adaptation actionable and durable over time.

The FY2021 announcement highlights several guiding features that proposals are expected to embody: strong regional relevance grounded in local expertise; integrated scientific approaches that bridge disciplines and knowledge systems; knowledge-to-action partnerships that connect research to real decisions; and contributions to a national network of resilience researchers and adaptation specialists. In practice, this means the work is not just about producing studies or models, but about building ongoing relationships, developing usable tools or processes, and increasing the capacity of communities and institutions to manage climate risk.

Justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (often grouped as JEDI) are explicitly encouraged as program principles. The notice frames equity and justice as a need to pay particular attention to populations that are most vulnerable or systematically disadvantaged, including low-income communities, communities overburdened by pollution, people with limited economic or social opportunity, and groups facing disenfranchisement. Diversity is described broadly as the mix of individual attributes that helps organizations meet their objectives, while inclusion is framed as creating a culture that meaningfully connects each person to the broader effort. The intent is that centering these principles improves not only fairness but also the creativity and effectiveness of adaptation and resilience work.

This funding opportunity includes two separate competitions. The first competition aims to support one RISA team in each of nine regions where RISA activities already exist: Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Intermountain West, Carolinas, Great Lakes, Alaska, Pacific Islands, South Central, and Pacific Northwest. The second competition focuses on collaborative planning activities in two areas: the Southeast and the U.S. Caribbean. Taken together, these tracks support both established regional programs and targeted planning efforts to strengthen future regional collaboration and capacity.

Administratively, the opportunity is listed as discretionary funding and uses a cooperative agreement structure, which typically indicates NOAA expects substantial involvement during the period of performance (for example, through coordination, shared learning, and programmatic engagement). The CFDA number is 11.431, and the funding opportunity number is NOAA OAR CPO 2021 2006677. Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education, nonprofits, commercial organizations, international organizations, and state, local, and Indian tribal governments. Federal agencies and federal institutions are not eligible to receive federal assistance under this notice. The original application closing date was February 16, 2021, the award ceiling was $700,000, and the opportunity was created on November 9, 2020.

• The Department of Commerce in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Climate Program Office (CPO), Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) Program FY2021" 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 2020-11-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-02-16. (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 $700,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for NOAA OAR CPO 2021 2006677

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