On September 11, 2024, the EPA 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,” according to an EPA news release. “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,” said EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe in the release. “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.”
Resources available in CRAFT include:
- Program overviews of the EPA’s financial assistance programs (including Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act funding programs) through which climate-safe investment opportunities are available;
- Climate risk assessment 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;
- Engagement resources on how to perform targeted community engagement efforts effectively and intentionally when implementing climate-smart projects; and
- 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,” the EPA’s release continues. “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.”
The CRAFT website is in support of the current administration’s plan for a climate-resilient nation, which calls for federal agencies to leverage 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, 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.”
“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,” said Vicki Arroyo, associate administrator for the EPA’s Office of Policy, in the news release. “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.”