Climate Program Office FY2021 | NOAA OAR CPO 2021 2006389

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA OAR CPO 2021 2006389

The Climate Program Office (CPO) FY2021 grant opportunity is a NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) funding announcement focused on strengthening the nations ability to understand, anticipate, and respond to climate variability and long-term climate change. The program frames climate change as a set of real-world challenges with economic, public health, safety, and national security implications, and it positions CPO as a central mechanism NOAA uses to fund work that both advances climate science and makes that science usable for decisions. In practical terms, the opportunity supports a broad range of activities, including high-priority climate research, climate assessments, decision support research, outreach and education, and capacity-building efforts. The overall intent is not only to improve knowledge of the Earths climate system, but also to translate that knowledge into applied tools, guidance, and services that improve resilience for the United States and its partners.

A key feature of this announcement is that it solicits applications across six separate competitions in FY21, meaning applicants are expected to align their proposals with one of several targeted program areas under the CPO umbrella. Several of these competitions are explicitly tied to a set of climate risk areas that CPO has elevated as early priorities for organizing its work around user needs and on-the-ground outcomes. Those initial risk areas are Coastal Inundation, Marine Ecosystems, Water Resources, and Extreme Heat. The emphasis on "user-driven outcomes" signals that proposals should not stop at generating new scientific insights; they should also demonstrate how the results will be shaped by stakeholder needs and will lead to improved capabilities, better decision-making, or clearer risk management options in these domains.

The award instruments available under this opportunity are grants and cooperative agreements, which typically indicates NOAA may anticipate varying degrees of involvement during the project depending on the selected mechanism and project type. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding, and the primary activity area is research and development related to environment, natural resources, and science and technology. The listing references CFDA number 11.431 and identifies the Department of Commerce as the agency, consistent with NOAAs placement within Commerce. The stated award ceiling is $300,000, and the announcement anticipated a relatively large number of awards (90), suggesting a portfolio approach that funds many projects across topics rather than only a few large initiatives.

Timing and submission details are also clearly defined. The funding opportunity was created on July 20, 2020, with a general closing deadline of November 30, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time for full applications across all competitions. One competition is called out with a different deadline (the AC4-only competition), requiring submission by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on October 19 (as written in the source text). Applicants would need to confirm the correct year and details in the official notice, since the date in the provided text appears inconsistent with the FY21 framing, but the important point is that at least one sub-competition uses an earlier due date than the main announcement.

Finally, NOAA, OAR, and CPO explicitly encourage applicants and eventual awardees to incorporate diversity and inclusion principles into both proposal development and project execution. The announcement defines diversity broadly as the collection of individual attributes that help organizations achieve objectives, and inclusion as a culture that connects each employee to the organization. The rationale given is that stronger diversity and inclusion practices improve creativity, productivity, and the overall vitality of the climate research community CPO engages. In effect, applicants are being asked to think about the makeup of teams, partnerships, mentoring and training practices, stakeholder engagement strategies, and the broader impacts of their work on the climate workforce and the communities affected by climate risks.

• The Department of Commerce in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Climate Program Office FY2021" 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 Jul 20, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 30, 2020 Full applications for all competitions must be received by 500 p.m. Eastern Time, on November 30, 2020. For the AC4 only competition, the full applications must be received by 500 p.m. Eastern Time on October 19, 2010.. (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 90 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NOAA OAR CPO 2021 2006389

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