June 2024 
California is already experiencing the impacts of a changing climate, including wildfire, drought, sea-level rise, extreme heat, and extreme precipitation patterns – all of which are projected to increase under future climate scenarios. Building resilience to climate risks requires investment in adaptation, or a series of actions intended to anticipate, mitigate, and adjust to the challenges posed by warming conditions. Climate adaptation is crucial to building equitable resilience and safeguarding the state’s economy, environment, and public health. California state policy supports adaptation efforts through research, planning, technical assistance, educational resources, and targeted funding and investment.
The Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program (ICARP) at the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) administers the Adaptation Planning Grant Program (APGP). APGP provides funding to address local, regional, and tribal planning needs, equips communities with the resources to identify climate resilience priorities, and supports the development of planning-to-implementation project pathways across the state.
CLEE’s new report, Advancing Climate Adaptation Capacity: Findings from California’s Adaptation Planning Grant Program, provides an initial assessment of the first round of APGP, including a review of adaptation funding literature, a landscape analysis of State programs facilitating local and regional adaptation actions, an analysis of program engagement and award data, and interviews with the 14 program grantees, as well as four grantee case studies.
The report outlines several recommendations for future iterations of APGP, as well as the continued improvement of adaptation funding in California, which include:
- Sustain ongoing funding for adaptation planning, given continuous high demand: the State’s adaptation and resilience grant programs are oversubscribed by an average of 528%.
- Enable ICARP to provide navigation support for practitioners and applicants through structural and financial support, formalizing ICARP’s existing role as a resource in the adaptation landscape.
- Align State adaptation funding with Federal climate resilience funding through intentional program design and information sharing, facilitating a whole-of-government approach to adaptation planning.
Access the report here for the full analysis and recommendations.
Contact Hanna Payne, Kasia Dahlbeck, Shruti Sarode, or Louise Bedsworth for more information.