EELP staff and the Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative’s Tribal Coastal Resilience Project, a collaboration of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, University of Washington Climate Impacts Group, Washington Sea Grant, and Western Washington University, with support from the Salata Institute, created a suite of policy tools and resources to help address climate adaptation funding barriers experienced by Northwest coastal Tribes.
Beginning in late 2024, the project was designed to address funding barriers identified in the 2024 report, Climate Adaptation Barriers and Needs Experienced by Northwest Coastal Tribes. The team examined policy frameworks and funding programs that could help streamline processes and unlock new resources to support Tribal climate adaptation and resilience. The result is a practical suite of policy tools designed to strengthen Tribal access to funds for climate adaptation.
EELP staff, including former Senior Staff Attorney Hannah Perls, former Legal Fellow Luca Greco, and Research Assistants Jessica Lawson and Nicolette Santos, helped produce two new resources:
- Responding to Disasters in Indian Country: a Primer for Tribal Nations, co-authored with Kelbie Kennedy, on accessing federal disaster assistance to support Tribal leaders and staff decide if and how to seek federal assistance after a major disaster.
- Tribal Climate Adaptation Funding Source Database: this tool provides Northwest Tribes and Tribal affiliates a comprehensive list of grant programs and funding opportunities that can support Tribal adaptation and resilience activities. Users can sort across funding opportunities offered by state (WA and OR) and federal governments.
Visit the Climate Impacts Group to more about the project, including a webinar describing the final tools and process.