Climate and Atmospheric Research

The Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration funds climate and atmospheric research through Assistance Listing 11.431, with the most recent grant award made on September 1, 2026.

This program supports foundational and applied research advancing understanding of climate hazards—heat, drought, flooding, and wildfires—and developing science-based information systems and services to help states and communities prepare and build resilience. The Climate Program Office (CPO) runs the program, focusing on climate adaptation, resilience, and mitigation; earth system and social sciences; assessment reports including the National Climate Assessment; integrated information systems for drought, heat, and floods; and workforce development in climate expertise.

The portfolio is predominantly Project Grants (75% of awards, 1,666 total) with a significant share of Cooperative Agreements (25%, 546 total). NOAA is the sole funding agency, obligating $1.56 billion in federal dollars across 2,212 awards since 2000. Recent award volume has contracted sharply—from 102 awards in 2022 and 113 in 2023, to 75 in 2024, 21 in 2025, and 11 year-to-date in 2026—signaling either portfolio consolidation or shifts in funding strategy. Combined federal and non-federal dollars total $1.75 billion, reflecting modest cost-sharing from recipients.

Recent awards span observational oceanography, process-oriented climate model diagnostics, drought assessment and mitigation, marine heatwave impacts on fisheries ecosystems, and coastal resilience planning. Representative funded work includes tropical convection observations in the equatorial Pacific using radar deployment ($762,266), Mid-Atlantic regional heat and flood analysis for Baltimore City ($1,100,000), and drought indicator development for the Southeastern U.S. using non-stationary methods ($500,000). Many awards support regional and tribal adaptation, indigenous knowledge integration, and equity-centered engagement in climate decision-making.

Open opportunities remain active. The FY2026 Earth System Science and Services Partnership (due October 26, 2026) seeks collaborative research across atmosphere, ocean, coast, land, and ice with approximately $10 million available. The FY2026 Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments program (due June 10, 2026, extended) funds nine regional place-based science teams addressing flooding, extreme heat, water shortages, and severe storms for states and communities. Earlier opportunities in Climate Variability and Predictability, Modeling and Projections, drought understanding, and adaptation sciences remain in the pipeline with various closing dates through early 2025.

Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, commercial organizations, international organizations, state and local governments, and Indian tribal governments. Awards typically run one to five years with annual funding tranches. Proposals are evaluated on scientific merit, applicant qualifications, and cost, with peer and office review processes applied. This program remains active and is worth pursuing for organizations with climate science, ocean observation, modeling, adaptation planning, or community resilience capacity.