Climate change poses a significant threat to public health, with impacts including: temperature-related death and illness; air quality impacts; extreme events; vector-borne diseases; water-related illness; food safety, nutrition, and distribution; and mental health and well-being (CDC).
Local health departments are on the front lines responding to these impacts and working to build resilient communities. NYSACHO aims to support these efforts, highlight best practices and success stories, and provide technical assistance to local health departments.
NOW OPEN: Request for Applications (RFA) for 2025 Climate Change and Health Adaptation Projects.
Applications are due on 12/18/2024. See below for more information and to download the RFA!
Funding Opportunity: 2025 Climate & Health Adaptation Projects (Deadline 12/18/24)
***UPDATE 12/3/24*** In the original RFA, the “Scoring & Evaluation” section outlines that scoring is based on four components: Project Description (50 points), Collaboration (20 points), Climate Justice (15 points), and Evaluation (15 points). However, in Appendix A: Application Template, there was no designated section for Climate Justice or Evaluation, though applicants could add these components themselves. To ensure fairness and consistency for all applicants, please use the UPDATED Application Template for 2025 Climate and Health Adaptation Projects!
Overview: NYSACHO, in partnership with the NYS Department of Health, is excited to announce the release of a Request for Applications (RFA) for the 2025 Climate Change and Health Adaptation Projects! Up to ten awards will be offered, each ranging from $3,000 to $5,000 to support local health departments as they work to address and prevent the health impacts of climate change in their communities.
Eligibility: To be considered for this funding opportunity, applicants must be a local health department based in the State of New York. If a local health department believes another county government agency may be an appropriate recipient for these funds, they may invite them to apply and should notify Danielle Pellino ([email protected])
Submission: Complete applications should be submitted electronically to Danielle Pellino ([email protected]) by December 18, 2024, with the email subject line “Climate and Health Grant Application.” All applicants will be notified of their selection status by January 24, 2025
Between April and July 2023, NYSACHO, in collaboration with the NYSDOH, provided funding in the form of “mini grants” (up to $3,000) to ten (10) counties for their climate and health adaptation initiatives. This recap provides an overview of the 2023 funding program, and highlights each project, including successes and lessons learned.
Local action is critical for climate adaptation efforts. To support local health departments in addressing climate change in their communities, NYSACHO and the NYSDOH embarked on an interactive project in early 2020. The intention was to enable local health departments to identify their climate adaptation priorities, identify local partners to work with to address those priorities, and encourage participation in a workshop to “move the needle” on climate adaptation efforts. We greatly appreciate the time and thought that the staff in local health departments contributed to the discussions around their priority climate adaptations.
Together, NYSACHO and NYSDOH proposed five regional meetings in New York State to engage local health departments and key local government agencies in climate and health related activities. These meetings were intended to provide local health departments and their partners the opportunity to discuss collaboration on local climate and health adaptations. As the COVID-19 pandemic evolved, it became increasingly clear that local health departments were completely engaged in response activities and even virtual workshops were not practical. For this reason, the project was put on hold. However, we thought it was important to share what we have learned to date and provide resources we have gathered to support ongoing efforts. For now, we hope that this Climate and Health Adaptation: Moving the Needle at the Local Level project summary and collection of resources is helpful for any county level discussions taking place.