EPA toolbox helps federal funding applicants develop climate-resilient projects

On September 11, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the launch of a new website, the Climate Resilience and Adaptation Funding Toolbox (CRAFT). CRAFT is a user-friendly resource for technical assistance providers working with federal funding applicants and recipients to develop, apply for and implement climate-resilient investments. The website provides simple, easy-to-understand resources that can help users consider climate adaptation and resilience before, during and after applying for EPA funding opportunities.

This summer, communities across the nation have experienced more frequent and intense wildfires, heat waves, floods, droughts and other extreme weather events. These events often lead to billion-dollar disasters and can threaten public health and the social, environmental and economic fabric of our communities. This new toolbox will support EPA’s collaboration with technical assistance providers, who have the expertise and reach to help states, Tribes, communities, and others proactively invest in climate resilience.

EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe

Communities across the nation face increasing impacts of climate change. Investing in climate-smart projects and proactively managing climate change risks can help build local resilience while achieving other community goals. CRAFT can help technical assistance providers facilitate conversations with federal funding applicants and recipients about the resilience of their projects, before and after funding is secured.

Vicki Arroyo, Associate Administrator for EPA’s Office of Policy

EPA is taking important steps to help its programs and funding applicants invest in projects that can withstand the impacts of climate change. CRAFT is a resource for technical assistance providers helping to guide investments of federal funding — including the historic funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act — to local solutions, while also supporting investments that deliver results in the face of climate change.

The materials provided in CRAFT include:

• Program overviews of EPA’s financial assistance programs where climate-safe investment opportunities are available
• Climate risk tools and decision support resources that can inform the development, design and implementation of projects
• Communications materials to facilitate discussions about adaptation, resilience and environmental justice
• Meaningful engagement resources on how to perform targeted community engagement efforts effectively and intentionally when implementing climate-smart projects
• Definitions of common terms to use during technical assistance consultations, engagement efforts and the development of project proposals

The information in CRAFT can help federal funding applicants and recipients consider climate-related challenges to their projects at the outset, so taxpayer dollars can be invested wisely. CRAFT also supports the development of projects that advance multiple policy goals, such as achieving local flood resilience, adopting nature-based infrastructure solutions, and protecting the people and places most vulnerable to climate change.

With CRAFT, interested parties can more easily navigate EPA’s funding opportunities, consider climate resilience and adaptation as part of their investments, and meaningfully engage community members and other partners over the life of their projects. 

Background

In support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s vision for a climate resilient nation, as laid out in the National Climate Resilience Framework (pdf), federal agencies are leveraging their programs and policies to encourage climate-resilient investments and manage climate-related financial risks. In Memorandum M-24-03, Advancing Climate Resilience through Climate-Smart Infrastructure Investments and Implementation Guidance for the Disaster Resiliency Planning Act (pdf), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directed all federal agencies to consider the effects of climate change in federal infrastructure investment decisions and provide technical assistance resources to prospective applicants. 

Since 2021, EPA’s Climate Adaptation Plans have committed the agency to encouraging climate-resilient investments through its programs and investments. To help advance these federal and agency-wide priorities, EPA’s Resilient Infrastructure Subgroup on Climate has been working internally to support the agency’s financial assistance programs while also externally assisting applicants and recipients as they invest in climate-resilient projects. The release of CRAFT is an important step in helping communities more effectively secure and leverage federal resources and finance efforts that help build local resilience, ensuring that federal dollars are wisely invested, and encourage additional resources to come into communities.

Visit EPA’s Climate Resilience and Adaptation Funding Toolbox (CRAFT) for more information and resources.