ASAP to award three place-based microgrants. Applications due July 27.

INTRODUCTION

The American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP) connects and supports climate change adaptation and climate resilience professionals to advance innovation and excellence in the field. We believe that climate change is a real and serious danger to all sectors and systems; that adaptation and resilience build stronger, more prepared communities, ecosystems, and economies; and that equity and environmental justice should be major considerations in all work that adaptation professionals do. ASAP members are building essential climate resilience for communities, ecosystems, and economies across North America. The ASAP network keeps them connected, sharing, learning, and adapting.

The purpose of the ASAP Hubs Microgrants Program is to support members’ collaborative, place-based climate change adaptation projects and stimulate grassroots involvement in the ASAP network. The ASAP Local & Regional Hubs Program will award three microgrants of up to $3,000 each for work that advances one or more of the following objectives: peer connection, local capacity building, building local knowledge bases, climate change adaptation field definition, and advancing the dialogue on climate change adaptation and climate resilience. 

The ASAP Local & Regional Hubs Program is part of the ASAP Connects Program Area. The ASAP Connects Program Area forms the core of the ASAP Network, providing opportunities for professional education and collaboration through peer learning groups, advisory groups, in-person events, and one-on-one connections. 

Click here to submit your interest in joining the Microgrant Selection Committee.

If you have questions about the microgrant opportunity, please email Breana Nehls at bnehls@adaptpros.org.

APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY AND REQUIREMENTS

Eligible Applicants: 

• Applicants must apply as a group of at least six people. At least 4 of those group members should live, work, or have a strong professional or personal connection to the location in which the project takes place.
• All group members must be ASAP members in good standing (i.e. – have an active, paid ASAP membership.) 
• Group members need not have been members of ASAP for a specific length of time, and may join ASAP for the purpose of applying for this grant competition. 
• Current ASAP Members can log onto their Member Portal to check their membership status. New members can join here. 
• Microgrant Selection Committee (SC) members and ASAP staff and Board members are not eligible to submit microgrant applications. These individuals may be listed as a group member on an application submitted by someone else.

Project Role Commitments: 

• At least three group members must commit to explicit project roles. 
• At least one group member must commit to serving as a liaison to the central ASAP Network. This role will include participating in peer learning and exchange across projects up to 1 hour/month for the duration of the project plus three months following project completion.

ELIGIBLE LOCATIONS AND PROJECTS

Eligible Locations: Microgrants will be awarded to place-based climate change adaptation and climate resilience collaborative projects in locations where there are at least 10 ASAP members within 90 miles of one another. This density threshold is meant to ensure conditions for a project that can successfully stimulate grassroots involvement in the ASAP network. Individuals need not have been members of ASAP for a specific length of time and may join ASAP for the purpose of helping a location reach the threshold for inclusion in this grant competition. Below is a partial list of currently eligible locations. If you are interested in submitting an application for a project in a place that’s not on this list, please email Breana Nehls at bnehls@adaptpros.org to confirm that location’s eligibility or obtain information on how many additional people would need to become ASAP members in order for that place to become eligible.

Partial list of eligible locations:

• San Francisco Bay Area
• Southern California
• Colorado Greater Metro Area 
• Southeast Michigan
• Washington D.C. Metro Area
• Metro Boston
• New York City Metro Area
• South Florida
• Western North Carolina (Asheville)
• Southern Arizona 

Objectives and Eligible Projects:

The ASAP Hubs Microgrants Program will award grants for work which advances one or more of the following objectives:

• Peer Connection: Relationship building to support personal resilience, learning, collaboration and professional development among climate change adaptation and climate resilience professionals. 
  • Example: a hiking club for adaptation professionals to connect outside of work and explore local trails together.
    
• Local Capacity Building: to help place-based communities improve and incorporate climate change adaptation and climate resilience work; to support strategic partnerships to support growth and fuel innovation. 
  • Example: a series of roundtable discussions amongst disparate organizations who are working on advocating for better local adaptation and resilience policies.
    
• Building Local Knowledge Bases: to support better climate change adaptation and climate resilience work in place, as well as peer learning among climate change adaptation and climate resilience professionals across contexts. 
  • Example: develop or augment a database of local adaptation and resilience solutions.
    
• Climate Change Adaptation Field Definition: to clarify what qualifies as climate change adaptation and climate resilience work by learning from local lived experience of adaptation professionals; to implement common standards for the field by taking them to scale locally.
  • Example: a series of events where people from different sectors share about adaptation and resilience practice in their own contexts.
    
• Advancing the dialogue on climate change adaptation and climate resilience: to learn from how people in different places talk about adaptation and resilience work to support a common language for adaptation and resilience practitioners, workers, and applied researchers. 
  • Example: a series of joint events with organization(s) that are not explicitly adaptation or resilience-focused.

Strong projects will demonstrate knowledge and understanding of fundamental ASAP Network resources, including: Code of Conduct and Professional Ethics, Living Guide to the Principles of Climate Change Adaptation, Knowledge and Competencies Framework, and Justice, Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity Statement. 

Projects that are not collaborative in nature, such as individual research projects and projects that promote a single business or institution’s research, products, or programs, are not eligible for this grant.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Applicants should complete and submit a microgrant application by July 27th. The application requests information about the project location, purpose, duration, activities, and expected outcomes; existing capacity on which the project builds; justice, inclusion, equity, and diversity; project group member commitments; and project budget. The selection committee will consider only clear and complete applications which adhere to the eligibility requirements described above. 

REVIEW PROCESS AND EVALUATION CRITERIA

A committee of approximately nine ASAP members will select the three projects awarded funding. We are currently recruiting selection committee members: please indicate your interest here! ASAP staff will finalize the committee with nine members who collectively represent a diversity of regions, sectors, length of time in the adaptation field, and personal identities. 

The review and selection process will include the following steps:

1. ASAP staff screen applications to determine whether they meet eligibility criteria.
2. Selection Committee members score each application on each of the following criteria using a 1-5 scale.
   • Relevance to Program Objectives: To what extent do the project’s expected outcomes align with one or more of the ASAP Hubs Microgrant Program Objectives?
   • Need for a cross-sector, collaborative project: To what extent do the purpose and activities described require the insight and energy of a group of people across multiple sectors collaborating on a short term project (as opposed to one-on-one interactions or an activity carried out by an individual)?
   • Alignment with demonstrated regional needs or opportunities: How well does the application describe, and the project address, a need or opportunity specific to the place in which the project will occur?
   • Building on existing capacity: To what extent will existing capacity in the locality/region be able to augment ASAP support to ensure successful initiation of the project? To what extent might current, or potential future, energy in the locality/region carry the results forward once the project formally ends?
   • Justice, Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity: To what extent does the application address justice, equity, inclusion, and diversity? This can be achieved through a project which is designed to achieve more just and equitable outcomes for all community members and include a diverse range of participants or stakeholders. Or, it can be achieved by thoughtfully explaining the challenges of integrating justice, inclusion, equity, or diversity into the project.
   • Feasibility: How feasible is the project in terms of time, budget, and available resources?
3. Selection Committee members participate in a consensus-based discussion, in which all criteria are considered equally, to choose which three projects will receive microgrants.

Microgrant Selection Committee members are not eligible to submit microgrant applications. These individuals may, however, be listed as members of a project group on an application submitted by someone else.