Connecticut State Climate Action

DEEP Climate Resilience Fund

Congratulations to the recipients of the first round of the DEEP Climate Resilience Fund Grants.
You can read more about the grantees here.
The program is not currently accepting applications.

Please sign-up for the Climate Solutions newsletter to be notified of future funding opportunities.

 

Background

The DEEP Climate Resilience Fund provides grants to help Connecticut communities initiate planning and develop projects that will help communities become more resilient to the effects of climate change. The Fund specifically is intended to support climate resilience planning at regional, municipal, and neighborhood-level scales, and to support resilience project scoping and development. This historic state-level investment into climate resilience planning and project development was established by Executive Order 21-3 (EO21-3) in December 2021, pursuant to CGS Sec. 16-243y as amended in Public Act 20-5Sec. 15, and was one of 61 recommendations from the Governor’s Council on Climate Change (GC3) in 2021.

Full Program Description 

The DEEP Climate Resilience Fund is responsible for providing funds for climate adaptation and resilience planning and project development with the following conditions set by EO 21-3, pursuant to CGS Sec. 16-243y as amended in Public Act 20-5Sec. 15:

  • At least 40% of funding resources are targeted to where vulnerable populations reside and that those plans address the needs of those populations.
  • Funding should be available for the design of nature-based solutions, including green infrastructure; flood prevention, climate resilience and erosion control systems; gray infrastructure; and non-structural project solutions.
  • Projects funded under this program should be integrated in plans that ensure their eligibility for federal funding through existing and new resilience programs, in consultation with resilience partners and/or programs.
Climate Resilience Project Pipeline

A primary outcome of this program is to help Connecticut communities develop a climate resilience project pipeline that can win competitive federal grant funding to substantially fund those projects’ implementation and construction.

Federal resilience grant competitions for communities include, but are not limited to:

The DEEP Climate Resilience Fund has two tracks for applications:
Track 1: Planning

Applicants can seek up to $250,000 to fund climate resilience planning that addresses the impacts of climate-related hazards, including how climate change increases weather-related risks.

Eligible Applicants include: Municipalities, Councils of Government, Non-Profit Organizations, Academic Institutions, and private sector entities.

To apply: Send all application materials in one email to DEEP.climateresilience@ct.gov by 11:59pm, Thursday, November 10, 2022.

Application Materials:

Track 2: Project Development

Applicants can seek funds to advance resilience project scoping and development that leads to federal funding for implementation. While there is no cap on the amount of funding that can be requested, DEEP expects to fund most project development grant application requests in a range of $300,000 to $700,000.

Eligible Applicants include Municipalities, Councils of Government, Non-Profit Organizations, Academic Institutions, and private sector entities.
  

To apply: Send all application materials in one email to DEEP.climateresilience@ct.gov. The early decision deadline for Track 2 applications is Friday, October 21, 2022. Final deadline for all Track 2 applications is 11:59 pm, Thursday, December 1, 2022.
 

Application Materials:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and Other Resources

DEEP Climate Resilience Fund FAQs (updated 11/3/22)
This file will be updated regularly. If you would like to submit a question, please send it to:      

Sarah Watson, Senior Environmental Analyst
Office of Climate Planning
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
sarah.watson@ct.gov

All emailed questions will be responded to in batches to allow DEEP Office of Climate Planning staff time to formulate a thoughtful response and share the information with everyone.

 

Webinars

Kick-Off Event and Program Overview – September 23, 2022:  Zoom Recording | Slides
This webinar featured remarks from DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes, Governor’s Council on Climate Change members, and an overview of the DEEP Climate Resilience Fund by Office of Climate Planning staff.

Track 2: Project Development Details and Q&A – September 30, 2022:  Zoom Recording | Slides
This webinar included an overview of the entire program and then took a deeper dive into Track 2 Project Development details. We had at least 30 minutes reserved for Q&A. A link to the recording, along with a transcript and copy of the slides is linked above.

Track 1: Planning Details and Q&A – October 7, 2022: Zoom Recording | Slides
This webinar included an overview of the entire program and then took a deeper dive into Track 1 Planning. We had at least 30 minutes reserved for Q&A. A link to the recording, along with a transcript and copy of the slides is linked above.

Budget and Milestone Chart Details and Q&A – October 27, 2022: Zoom Recording |Slides
This webinar provided much more detail on developing the budget and milestone chart components of your application. We had at least 30 minutes reserved for Q&A. A link to the recording, along with a transcript and copy of the slides is linked above.

Office Hours

During this one-hour period, prospective applicants can ask questions. These sessions will be recorded and posted here.

Friday, October 14, 2022 — 11am to 12pm: Zoom Recording

Thursday, October 27, 2022 — 11am to 12pm: Zoom Recording

Monday, November 7, 2022 — 10am to 11am: Zoom Recording

Monday, November 21, 2022 — 10am to 11am: Zoom Recording

Monday, November 28, 2022 — 10am to 11am

 

 

Content last updated October 26, 2023