Climate Action Funding and Technical Resources

Overview

The concern about climate change has been widely recognized on a global, national, and regional level. State and local governments are addressing climate change in their plans and policies and taking action to reduce greenhouse gases.

In 2021, MRSC established the Local Climate Response Project to help local governments reduce greenhouse gas emissions, center equity in climate planning efforts, and adapt to and become more resilient to the effects of climate change. Below are resources local governments may find helpful regarding climate change and local climate actions, including funding resources. 

Funding Resources for Climate Action

Below are funding resources for climate action planning and implementation from Washington State and elsewhere. 

Washington State Funding Resources

• Department of Commerce
  • Climate Planning – Offers an overview of the state’s climate planning requirements and associated grants.
  • Energy Division – Includes information on the Washington State Energy Office's incentives and grants.
• FundHubWA – Offers information on state and federal clean energy and climate funding opportunities, including links to applications and resources.
• Department of Ecology Find a Grant or Loan – Includes information on the department's grants and loans related to air, climate, water, and shorelines. 
• Department of Transportation Funding Programs – Provides information on federal and state funding programs, including carbon reduction; pedestrian and bicycle; and safe routes to school programs. 

Additional Funding Resources

• American Cities Climate Challenge Federal Funding Opportunities for Local Decarbonization (2021) – Sorts available funding sources and allows users to compare and contrast up to four programs simultaneously.  
• Georgetown Climate Center Adaptation Clearinghouse Funding Opportunities – Allows collected resources to be filtered by jurisdictional focus, regions affected, and states impacted.
• Puget Sound Energy
  • Fleet Electrification – Assists public and private fleets in their transition to electric vehicles by offering savings on capital expenses, reducing operation and maintenance costs, and supporting sustainability goals.
  • Green Power Solar Grant – Offers funding for Puget Sound-based community-oriented solar projects.
• Urban Sustainability Directors Network Funding and Financing Climate Action Plans (2019) – Provides recommendations on how to construct climate action plans to ensure that the actions identified and prioritized can be implemented through a strong funding/finance component.
• U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit Funding Opportunities – Includes links to government entities and private foundations that offer financial and technical resources. 
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
  • Clearinghouse for Environmental Finance
  • Funding and technical assistance for climate adaptation 
  • Grants – Includes links to regional grants and specific EPA grant programs, including those related to air quality and climate change.

Inflation Reduction Act

The federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA: 2022) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act—commonly known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL)—opened up many avenues for competitive federal funding opportunities related to clean energy, infrastructure, and more. Below are several resources specific to these grants programs.

State Agencies

• Department of Commerce
  • Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Program – Distributes funding available through the federal Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Program. This program provides grants to states, local governments, tribes, and territories to develop and implement plans for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other air pollution.
  • Clean Energy Tax Assistance Program – Available to those eligible for federal clean energy tax incentives through the IRA. Offers free resources, including personalized technical support, to eligible local governments, ports, and others.
  • Federal Funds Grant Writing Assistance Program – Helps eligible entities (including local governments) prepare and submit federal grant applications.

Federal Agencies

• EPA Funding and Technical Assistance for Resilience 

Climate Action Technical Resources

From the local to the international level, climate impacts like extreme heat, wildfires, and flooding have been the focus of considerable attention by governments in recent years. Below are links to reports, studies, peer networks, and other technical assistance from nonprofits and research institutes in Washington State and beyond. 

Regional: Washington, Oregon, and California

• California State Natural Resources Agency Building Climate Resilience – Includes resources on climate action, including the state climate adaptation strategy, programs, and partnerships.
• Climate Solutions – Based in Oregon and Washington. It spearheads a regional approach to clean energy solutions.
• GEOS Institute – Based in Oregon. Its Climate Ready Communities helps small- to medium-sized communities create climate resilience plans. 
• Northwest Clean Energy Atlas – Explores the region's energy data use and provides detailed, up-to-date, and transparent system data to help inform decisions and track the progress of the clean energy transition.
• University of Washington
  • Carbon Leadership Forum – Focused on eliminating embodied carbon in buildings and infrastructure.
  • Climate Impacts Group – Develops impartial and actionable science to be used as a catalyst for building regional climate resilience. 
• Washington State
  • Department of Ecology – Includes information on climate change, its causes, greenhouse gases, and other resources. 
  • Department of Health – Includes information on impacts to health in terms of air quality, water, extreme heat, shellfish safety, and agriculture. 
  • Department of Natural Resources – Discusses assessing species vulnerability and natural areas resiliency. 
  • Department of Transportation – Offers transportation-specific studies.

National and International

• American Planning Association Climate Change Policy Guide (2020) – Includes policies that can be used to help formulate position statements, legislative recommendations, and other policy-based actions. 
• Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) – Offers a comprehensive collection of scientific and public policy information regarding climate change.
• EPA Energy Resources for State, Local, and Tribal Governments – Offers free tools, data, and technical expertise about energy strategies (including energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other emerging technologies).
• Rocky Mountain Institute The Carbon-Free City Handbook (2017) – Includes 22 actions and associated resources for cities interested in moving toward climate-neutrality. 
• United Nations (UN)
  • Climate Action – Portal for all UN climate change-related programs, actions, and knowledge.
  • Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – Seen as the definitive source of mainstream scientific consensus on climate-related science.
  • Sustainable Development Solutions Network – Mobilizes global scientific and technological expertise for sustainable development. Its America's Zero Carbon Action Plan (2020) offers suggestions for building an economy that achieves net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Peer Networks for Climate Action

• C40 Knowledge Hub – Provides a wealth of information from climate experts. Registered users may track topics of interest and receive personalized recommendations.
• CivicWell – Works to build livable communities and local climate leader; resources include community engagement tools, case studies, and local climate change adaptation reports. Also see CivicSpark.
• Climate Mayors – A bipartisan peer-to-peer network of U.S. mayors demonstrating climate leadership through actions in their communities. 
• Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy – Global alliance built upon the commitment of over 10,000 cities and local governments.
• ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability – A global network of more than 2,500 local and regional governments committed to advancing climate protection and sustainable development. 
• Mayors Climate Protection Center – Facilitates the Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement.
• MRSC: Climate Action Peer Network – MRSC convenes Washington-based local government staff quarterly via Zoom to share best practices and information on local and state climate efforts. To be added to the email list for these meetings, please contact climateresources@mrsc.org.
• Urban Sustainability Directors Network – A network of local government professionals across the U.S. and Canada who share best practices focused on climate change mitigation, preparedness, and social equity.