Climate Program Office (CPO) Adaptation Sciences: Interdisciplinary research, engagement and capacity building to advance adaptation and resilience in islands of the Caribbean and the Pacific | NOAA OAR CPO 2023 2007539

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA OAR CPO 2023 2007539

This funding opportunity comes from the Department of Commerce through NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, specifically the Climate Program Office (CPO) within the Climate and Societal Interactions Division (CSI). It supports the Adaptation Sciences (AdSci) Program, which has a long track record of backing interdisciplinary, regionally focused climate work that is built around real decision-making needs. The central idea is to connect climate science to the on-the-ground reality of preparedness, adaptation, and resilience, using human-centered research approaches, sustained engagement with partners, and practical capacity-building so communities and sectors can better manage climate risks.

The FY 2023 focus of this particular competition is on islands in the Caribbean and the Pacific, with proposals expected to improve understanding of climate-related risks and vulnerabilities while also strengthening adaptive capacity and the use of that knowledge in planning. NOAA is looking for interdisciplinary adaptation research that does not just describe climate hazards, but also explains how those hazards translate into impacts through social, economic, cultural, and governance conditions. A key theme is that island communities often face overlapping "acute" shocks (like hurricanes, extreme rainfall, marine heatwaves, drought, or flooding) alongside "chronic" stressors (like sea-level rise, coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion, ecosystem degradation, and long-term resource constraints). The program emphasizes that these stressors interact across timescales and can create cascading impacts that strain essential systems people depend on for daily life, livelihoods, health, and local economies.

The opportunity sits inside a broader CSI portfolio that includes both Adaptation Sciences and the Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) program. CSI signals that it wants more collaboration and integration across these program areas so that NOAA investments produce stronger, longer-lasting capacity. In practice, that means projects are expected to be partnership-driven and designed with stakeholders, practitioners, and rightsholders so that research outputs can actually be used in planning and risk management. NOAA also highlights that its broader research enterprise increasingly includes not only academic partners, but also the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, and practitioners, reflecting an expectation that funded teams can work across disciplines and institutions.

In terms of subject matter, Adaptation Sciences describes several ongoing lines of effort that help indicate the kinds of projects that fit well. These include international collaboration to advance adaptation and resilience, climate impacts on fisheries and practical pathways for adaptation in fishing communities, and water-resource challenges and opportunities in coastal communities. More broadly, the AdSci International element supports work that connects climate information to decision-making across sectors such as human health, disaster risk reduction, water resources, coastal and marine ecosystem management, food security, and infrastructure. For island contexts, this often implies applied research that improves how climate information is tailored, communicated, and embedded into planning processes, rather than producing climate data in isolation.

NOAA frames the program goals around two main outcomes. First, it wants to build understanding of the drivers and conditions that shape adaptation across temporal and spatial scales. The opportunity text names examples like socioeconomic context, adaptive behaviors, risk perception, public awareness, and education, which points to social science, behavioral science, economics, and governance as central pieces of the work alongside climate and environmental science. Second, it wants to identify and expand effective ways to use scientific information to support preparedness and planned adaptation that delivers clear social and economic value. That language signals an interest in actionable products and approaches: decision-support tools, adaptation pathways and scenarios, planning frameworks, co-produced indicators, training and knowledge exchange, or other deliverables that make climate information easier to apply under real-world constraints.

Justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (often described in the notice as DEIJ/DEI) is not treated as an add-on. Applicants are encouraged to integrate these principles into both proposal design and project execution, with explicit attention to people and communities that are often most exposed and least resourced: low-income communities, communities of color, Indigenous and Tribal communities, communities already overburdened by pollution, and people facing limited economic or social opportunity or disenfranchisement. NOAA also provides working definitions: diversity is framed as the mix of attributes that help organizations meet objectives, and inclusion is framed as creating a culture where each person is connected to the broader effort. The program message is that centering equity and inclusion strengthens the quality and usefulness of the work, improving creativity, productivity, and community vitality.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant opportunity using a cooperative agreement, which typically implies NOAA expects a more active partnership role during the award period than a standard grant. The funding opportunity number is NOAA OAR CPO 2023 2007539, listed under CFDA 11.431. The original posting date was September 30, 2022, with an original application closing date of January 11, 2023. The award ceiling is $300,000, and NOAA expected to make about 13 awards. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others" with additional eligibility details referenced in the full notice, which usually means a range of organization types may be eligible but applicants should confirm specifics in the complete funding announcement.

Overall, this opportunity is best understood as support for island-focused, solution-oriented climate adaptation research that is interdisciplinary by design, grounded in local and regional partnerships, and structured to produce usable knowledge for resilience planning. It prioritizes work that explains how climate risks evolve and compound, how people and institutions perceive and respond to those risks, and how climate information can be translated into practical strategies that reduce vulnerability while delivering tangible social and economic benefits for Caribbean and Pacific island communities.

• The Department of Commerce in the business and commerce, education, environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Climate Program Office (CPO) Adaptation Sciences: Interdisciplinary research, engagement and capacity building to advance adaptation and resilience in islands of the Caribbean and the Pacific" 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 Sep 30, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 11, 2023. (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 $300,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 13 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NOAA OAR CPO 2023 2007539

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