Public Health Funding Opportunities

Depending upon which options municipalities, business owners, or individuals implement or take in an effort to address public health inequities of climate change, various financing or funding options may be made available. These sources can come from a variety of places, including the federal government, nonprofits, private businesses, local governments, and more. It is important that all those involved in developing a community’s resilience take advantage of all the funding opportunities that may be available. 

Federal Funding

In the past, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have given state and local health departments grants for climate readiness through the Climate-Ready States and Cities Initiative.^{See footnote 1} Sixteen states and cities received funding for public health planning, strategy, and implementation.^{See footnote 2} Jurisdictions used the funding to assess where resources are lacking, support preparedness at the local level with toolkits, educate healthcare providers, and many other activities.^{See footnote 3} As of the time of this toolkit’s publication, the program has not recently been funded. For the built environment and planning tools, however, other funding streams may be available from EPA or other agencies. An exploration of some of those funding streams is available in the Federal Funding Compendium for Urban Heat Adaptation and in the funding chapter of the Green Infrastructure Toolkit.^{See footnote 4} 

State and Local Funding

General public health funding is available for the public health tools, and other state and local funding sources may work for some of the planning and built environment tools as well. For example, the Louisville cool roof rebate was funded in part by the Office of Sustainability’s partnership with their local energy utility. Similarly, state and local transportation, stormwater management, and similar funding may be available to serve multiple purposes.

Private and Foundation Grants

For smaller-scale efforts, foundation or other private grants may be possible to support specific projects. For example, the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded at least one of the Oregon HIAs, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation supported Resilient Baton Rouge.