Climate-Resilient Coastal Communities Program – Canada

Regional-scale approaches provide multiple benefits for advancing adaptation action including: collaborative planning to address complex climate change risks (e.g. sea level rise, coastal erosion, extreme events); more efficient alignment of resources and short and long-term actions; enable innovative solutions; and reduce risk of maladaptation or shifting risks to others.

Natural Resources Canada’s Climate-Resilient Coastal Communities Program (2023 to 2028) will fund up to 25 pilot projects that accelerate adaptation at a regional scale through integrated, inclusive, and innovative actions. The projects will advance systems-based approaches and will involve governments, Indigenous rights–holders, communities and organizations, businesses, academia, and other stakeholders to address key climate change risks.

Project Priorities

Applicants should consider the following program priorities during the development of their proposals:

• Use practical and innovative actions to reduce climate risk
  • The projects will develop and plan a combination of practical short and longer-term integrated adaptation actions within project regions which are aligned, cost-effective, achieve co-benefits, and avoid maladaptation. Measures would be coordinated over time to reduce risks and economic impact of current and future changing climate. Projects would:
    • Identify targeted climate change impacts (e.g. sea level rise, coastal erosion) and social, economic, and environment risks and focus on action.
    • Demonstrate significant climate resilience outcomes that benefit coastal communities and economies.
    • Address short and longer-term climate change scenarios and risks such as sea level rise projections for 2100.
    • Seek innovative actions and, where possible, assess the value of coordinated actions compared to individual actions, contributing evidence for business case development.
    • Leverage other initiatives or funding programs, as appropriate, to deliver actions that complement or build on project activities and enhance the outcomes of the project.
• Work together on shared regional adaptation challenges through coordinated and inclusive actions
  • The projects will bring together partners as appropriate and may include all levels of government, the private sector, Indigenous communities, non-government organizations, academia and affected groups (including those at most risk from climate change and those not traditionally included in decision-making) to co-develop coordinated adaptation solutions to priority climate change risks at the regional scale. The approach would allow lower capacity communities and organizations to participate and benefit as well. Projects would:
    • Operate at a regional scale and be of a size and scope to be able to consider complete natural and human systems. Regional scale is defined as the appropriate geographic and political scale required to address climate change risks while accounting for physical, social, ecological, and economic factors to inform climate change adaptation actions.
    • Establish a governance structure to support working together in partnership. For example, use new or existing steering committee, multi-disciplinary technical or working groups, regulatory or policy frameworks, regional collaboration networks, among other approaches.
    • Include meaningful involvement of Indigenous communities, rights-holders, and organizations as appropriate to ensure that their interests and perspectives are reflected.
    • Enable the participation and inclusion of people of all ages, abilities, income levels, backgrounds, and identities, particularly those most affected by climate change risks and who may not have been traditionally included in decision-making.

Funding Information

• Up to a total of $30 million in contribution funding may be awarded for pilot projects.
• Up to $25 million in contribution funding may be awarded through this open call for proposals competitive process.
• Due to the complexity of these projects, projects requesting less than $300,000 of NRCan funding, will not be considered through this call for proposals.

Project Duration

• Projects should have a start date no earlier than April 1, 2024. The duration of the projects should be based on the scope of the work. Projects must be completed no later than December 31, 2027.

Outcomes

• When fully implemented, projects will demonstrate adaptation actions that increase the climate resilience of communities and economies. Projects will identify targeted climate change risks and challenge(s)/barrier(s) to be addressed and result in an inclusive adaptation plan that requires a suite of coordinated activities to be implemented by various actors on different time scales. Projects would result in integrating climate change considerations into existing or new policies, programs, and measures. Some examples of actions include:
  • Revise land use plans and policies, e.g. restrict types of development in high-risk areas,
  • Apply revised codes and standards, e.g. building designs that minimize damage,
  • Implement nature-based approaches to prevent shoreline erosion and reduce the impact of coastal flooding,
  • Plan for retreat of community assets, housing, or infrastructure away from coastal climate change hazards,
  • Establish sustainable inclusive governance mechanisms,
  • Determine financing approaches,
  • and more.

Eligible Recipients

• Eligible recipients for NRCan funding include individuals and legal entities validly incorporated or registered in Canada, including for-profit and not-for-profit organizations:
  • Academic institutions
  • Non- governmental organizations
  • Industry, research, and professional associations
  • Companies and businesses
  • Indigenous communities or governments
  • Community, regional and national Indigenous organizations
  • Provincial, territorial, regional, and municipal governments and their departments and agencies
• Lead applicants must demonstrate that their organization has the expertise and financial capacity necessary to deliver the project.
• There is an application process for eligible Indigenous applicants who require additional support and/or time to develop their project proposals outside of the open call for proposals process.
• Eligible applicants can include:
  • Indigenous communities or governments;
  • Tribal Councils or entities that fulfill a similar function (e.g., general council);
  • National and regional Indigenous councils, and tribal organizations; and
  • Indigenous (majority owned and controlled by Indigenous people) organizations.

For more information, visit Natural Resources Canada.