Opportunity Information: Apply for P15AS00215
Apply for P15AS00215
- The National Park Service in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Strategic Approaches for Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment across the National Park System" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.945 Cooperative Research and Training Programs Resources of the National Park System.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jul 15, 2015 and posted on Jul 15, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Notification of intent to award. No applications will be accepted.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $80,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $80,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Private institutions of higher education.
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Opportunity Summary:
The National Park Service grant opportunity titled "Strategic Approaches for Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment across the National Park System" was designed to strengthen how national parks understand and plan for climate-driven risks to the resources they manage. The underlying problem the opportunity highlights is that climate change impacts are already well documented in parks, including shrinking snowpack and glaciers, shifting plant and animal ranges, changing wildfire behavior, rising sea levels, and other cascading effects. These changes threaten not only ecosystems and species, but also cultural sites and built infrastructure that parks are responsible for protecting over the long term. The grant frames vulnerability assessment as a practical management need: without clear, decision-ready information on what is most at risk and why, park managers struggle to plan effective adaptation actions that can reduce damage or prevent losses.
A major gap identified in the announcement is the uneven coverage of published climate vulnerability information across the national park system. While some parks and resources have been studied, the opportunity notes that spatially explicit vulnerability analyses that incorporate the core elements of vulnerability (exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity) exist for selected resources in only about 142 parks out of 407 total. That means a majority of parks lack comparable, published assessments that managers can use for forward-looking planning. The announcement also points out that much of the existing work has focused on natural resources, leaving an especially serious information shortfall for cultural resources and park infrastructure. In practice, that translates into limited guidance for protecting archeological sites, historic structures, museum collections, roads, trails, utilities, and other facilities that may be affected by flooding, erosion, permafrost thaw, wildfire, extreme heat, and other climate-related stressors.
Structurally, this was a discretionary funding opportunity offered as a cooperative agreement under the National Park Service, categorized under the environment funding activity area. The opportunity listed an expected single award with an estimated total funding amount of $80,000, with an award ceiling of $80,000 and an award floor of $1. No cost sharing or matching was required. Eligible applicants were limited to institutions of higher education, both public/state-controlled and private, reflecting an intent to partner with academic expertise for research and assessment approaches that could be applied across many park units.
It is also important to note the administrative status of the posting: it was effectively not open for competition. The listing states "Notification of intent to award. No applications will be accepted," meaning the agency had already decided on an intended recipient or partner and published the notice to document that intent rather than to solicit proposals. The opportunity was posted on July 15, 2015, and archived on July 25, 2015. A Grants.gov link was provided for additional details, and a National Park Service contact (Steve Livingston) was included for assistance accessing the full announcement.
Taken together, the opportunity reflects a system-wide need within the National Park Service to move beyond scattered case studies and toward more consistent, spatially based vulnerability assessment methods that can inform adaptation planning. Its emphasis on exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity signals a comprehensive approach meant to help managers compare risks across different resource types and park settings, prioritize limited management capacity, and address the particularly underserved areas of cultural resources and infrastructure alongside the more frequently studied natural resources.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the name of this National Park Service grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "Strategic Approaches for Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment across the National Park System."
What problem is this grant trying to address?
It targets a management gap in national parks: climate change impacts are already occurring (for example, shrinking snowpack and glaciers, shifting plant and animal ranges, changing wildfire behavior, and rising sea levels), but many parks lack decision-ready vulnerability information that helps managers plan adaptation actions to reduce damage or prevent losses.
Why does the grant emphasize vulnerability assessments?
The grant frames vulnerability assessment as a practical planning need. Without clear information on what is most at risk and why, park managers have difficulty prioritizing and implementing effective adaptation actions.
What kinds of climate impacts are cited as affecting national parks?
The notice highlights documented impacts including shrinking snowpack and glaciers, shifts in plant and animal ranges, changes in wildfire behavior, sea level rise, and other cascading effects.
What resources are considered at risk in this opportunity?
The opportunity describes risks to ecosystems and species (natural resources), as well as cultural sites and built infrastructure that parks must protect over the long term.
What is the key information gap identified in the announcement?
The announcement points to uneven coverage of published climate vulnerability information across the National Park System, with many parks lacking comparable, published, spatially explicit assessments that managers can use for forward-looking planning.
How many parks already had spatially explicit vulnerability analyses cited in the notice?
The opportunity states that spatially explicit vulnerability analyses incorporating the core elements of vulnerability existed for selected resources in about 142 parks out of 407 total.
What does the opportunity mean by the "core elements of vulnerability"?
It refers to the standard components named in the notice: exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity.
Which areas are described as especially underserved by existing vulnerability work?
The announcement notes that much of the existing work focused on natural resources, leaving a serious shortfall for cultural resources and park infrastructure.
What examples of cultural resources and infrastructure does the notice imply could be affected?
It specifically mentions limited guidance for protecting archeological sites, historic structures, museum collections, roads, trails, utilities, and other facilities.
What climate-related stressors are mentioned as potential threats to cultural resources and infrastructure?
The notice lists flooding, erosion, permafrost thaw, wildfire, extreme heat, and other climate-related stressors.
What type of award mechanism was used for this opportunity?
It was offered as a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement under the National Park Service.
What funding activity area category was this opportunity listed under?
It was categorized under the environment funding activity area.
How many awards were expected under this opportunity?
The listing indicated an expected single award.
What was the estimated total funding amount?
The estimated total funding amount was $80,000.
What were the award ceiling and award floor?
The award ceiling was $80,000 and the award floor was $1.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. The notice states that no cost sharing or matching was required.
Who was eligible to apply for this grant?
Eligible applicants were limited to institutions of higher education, including public/state-controlled institutions and private institutions.
What does the eligibility restriction suggest about the intent of the program?
Based on the notice, limiting eligibility to higher education institutions reflects an intent to partner with academic expertise for research and assessment approaches that could be applied across many park units.
Was this opportunity open to competition?
No. The administrative status states "Notification of intent to award. No applications will be accepted," meaning it was not open for competitive applications.
What does "Notification of intent to award" mean in this posting?
In this listing, it indicates the agency had already decided on an intended recipient or partner and published the notice to document that intent rather than solicit proposals.
When was the opportunity posted and when was it archived?
It was posted on July 15, 2015, and archived on July 25, 2015.
Where could someone find additional details according to the notice?
A Grants.gov link was provided for additional details, and a National Park Service contact was included to assist with accessing the full announcement.
Who was listed as the National Park Service contact for this opportunity?
The contact listed in the notice was Steve Livingston.
What system-wide need does this opportunity reflect within the National Park Service?
It reflects a need to move beyond scattered case studies toward more consistent, spatially based vulnerability assessment methods that can inform adaptation planning across the National Park System.
Why does the opportunity highlight exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity together?
The notice presents these elements as a comprehensive approach for understanding and comparing risk across different resource types and park settings, helping managers prioritize actions with limited capacity.
How does the opportunity connect vulnerability assessments to adaptation planning?
It describes vulnerability information as necessary for forward-looking planning, enabling managers to identify what is most at risk, understand drivers of risk, and prioritize adaptation actions to reduce losses.
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Previous opportunity: NBPL Sensitive Plant Research and Adaptive Management
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